Case Study: Yorkshire Kitchen Transformed from Worn Oak to Anthracite Grey

A family in Harrogate had lived with the same golden oak kitchen for over fourteen years. The units were structurally sound but the colour felt dated and the finish was worn near the handles. Rather than spending £12,000 or more on a full replacement, they called ColourHaus. Three days later, they had a kitchen that looked completely new. Total cost: £1,650 including VAT.

The Starting Point: A Kitchen Past Its Best

Golden oak was popular in the early 2000s but it ages in a very specific way. The warm tone that looked inviting when new starts to feel heavy and dark as tastes move on. For the Harrogate family, the real problem was not just the colour but the wear. Years of daily use had left marks around handles and the lacquer near the sink had started to haze.

The kitchen itself was a classic shaker-style layout installed in 2009. Eighteen solid oak cabinet doors, four matching drawer fronts, and two full-height end panels. The carcasses, worktops, handles and integrated appliances were all in good condition. There was no mould, no structural damage and no warping. This was exactly the kind of kitchen that makes an ideal candidate for spraying.

The homeowners had received a quote of £12,400 for a like-for-like kitchen replacement. They had also considered painting the doors themselves but were put off by the risk of brush marks and the sheer amount of work involved. After reading about professional kitchen refinishing and finding ColourHaus through Google, they booked a free consultation.

Choosing the Right Colour and Finish

RAL 7016 Anthracite Grey is one of the most requested kitchen colours ColourHaus handles. It sits in the warmer end of the grey spectrum, avoiding the cold blue-grey tones that can feel clinical. In a satin finish it reads as sophisticated without being high-maintenance. The family also chose a matt-effect lacquer topcoat to reduce fingerprint visibility near handles.

During the free site visit, the ColourHaus team brought colour swatches and applied a small test patch to one door so the homeowners could see exactly how the colour looked in their kitchen's natural light. The north-facing kitchen made some greys look flat, but RAL 7016 held its warmth well. The decision was made on the spot.

For more on choosing the right colour for your kitchen, see our RAL colour guide for Yorkshire kitchens. If you want to understand the full process before booking, our complete guide to kitchen spray painting in Yorkshire covers everything in detail.

Day One: Preparation and Removal

Preparation is the most important part of any spray job. Without it, even the best paint will fail early. The ColourHaus team arrived at 8am and began by removing every door and drawer front from the kitchen, labelling each one so it went back in exactly the right position. End panels were left in place and masked carefully along with the worktops, walls, floor and appliances.

Each removed door was cleaned with a degreaser to remove grease, cooking residue and any wax or oil. The surface was then lightly abraded to give the primer something to grip. Any small chips or dents were filled and sanded smooth. This process took the full first day for a kitchen of this size.

The in-situ frames and panels received the same treatment. Every edge, recess and moulding detail was cleaned and abraded before primer was applied. Solid oak has an open grain that can show through a thin paint system, so a grain-filling primer was used to create a smooth, consistent base. Want to understand exactly what preparation is needed? Read our article on what preparation is needed before respraying kitchen cabinets.

Day Two: Spraying

The doors and drawer fronts were sprayed flat in a controlled environment off site. Spraying flat means gravity works in your favour and there is no risk of runs. Each piece received two full coats of RAL 7016 Anthracite Grey in a satin finish, with a light cut between coats. The matt-effect lacquer was applied as a final protective layer.

Back at the property, the in-situ frames and end panels were sprayed using professional HVLP (high volume, low pressure) equipment. The masking protected every surrounding surface and the spray booth-quality finish was achieved even in a live domestic environment. The ColourHaus team are trained to work to tight tolerances and the shaker profile mouldings were given particular care to ensure the colour reached every corner and recess.

By mid-afternoon on day two, the main spraying was complete and the final lacquer was being applied to the last few pieces. The kitchen smelled of fresh paint, but with windows open the odour cleared quickly. The family used a small breakfast bar in another room for their meals that day.

Day Three: Refit and Handover

Doors and drawer fronts were refitted on the morning of day three. Because each piece had been labelled on removal, the refit was methodical and fast. Handles were reattached, soft-close mechanisms were checked and adjusted, and the masking was removed from the frames and panels.

The transformation at this point was striking. The warm golden oak that had dominated the room for over a decade was completely replaced by a deep, even Anthracite Grey. The shaker profile detail, which had been almost invisible in the old colour, now read clearly and gave the kitchen a much more considered look. The white metro tiles and stainless steel handles that had always been there now looked intentional rather than incidental.

The homeowner's reaction: "We honestly can't believe it's the same kitchen. It looks like something from a magazine. We keep expecting people to notice but everyone thinks we've had a full new kitchen fitted." A 5-year written guarantee was issued on handover, covering the paint system against peeling, flaking and adhesion failure. For a full picture of what the timeline looks like, see our guide to the kitchen respray timeline and what to expect.

The Numbers: Cost Breakdown

The total cost of £1,650 including VAT covered all labour, materials, preparation, spraying, refit and the written guarantee. There were no hidden extras. The price was fixed and agreed in writing before work started.

Item	Detail	Notes
18 cabinet doors	Solid oak shaker style	Sprayed both sides
4 drawer fronts	Matching shaker profile	Sprayed front face and edges
2 end panels	Full-height, in situ	Sprayed in place with masking
Frames and rails	In situ, masked and sprayed	Grain filled before priming
Colour	RAL 7016 Anthracite Grey	Satin with matt-effect lacquer
Total cost (inc. VAT)	£1,650	Fixed price, agreed in writing
Guarantee	5 years written	Covers adhesion, peeling, flaking

What This Case Study Shows

This job is typical of what ColourHaus does every week across Yorkshire. The kitchen was structurally fine but visually tired. Spraying gave it a completely new identity at roughly a tenth of the replacement cost. The family got the look they wanted without the disruption, waste or expense of a full refit.

Since 2015, ColourHaus has completed thousands of kitchen resprays across the region. With over 252 five-star Google reviews, the results speak for themselves. If you have a kitchen that works but no longer looks the part, a respray is almost always the most sensible option. Finance is available at 0% over 6 or 12 months if you prefer to spread the cost.

Ready to see what your kitchen could look like? Book a free consultation and our team will visit, assess and give you a fixed written quote within 48 hours.