Kitchen and bedroom furniture — fitted units, wardrobes, chest of drawers, bedside tables — takes a lot of day-to-day abuse. Chips along door edges, scratches on drawer fronts, swollen carcasses, and veneer lifting are all common, and they gradually erode the look of what may have been a significant investment. Professional furniture surface repair can address most of these issues without the need to replace individual doors, drawer fronts, or entire units.
Common Furniture Damage Types
- Chips on door edges — particularly on high-gloss or lacquered kitchen doors; chips at corners and edges are extremely common
- Scratches on flat surfaces — from keys, jewellery, tools, or cleaning with abrasive materials
- Veneer lifting — where the thin decorative veneer on MDF or chipboard units has begun to peel away from the substrate
- Water damage — swelling or discolouration caused by water exposure, particularly under sinks
- Impact dents — marks from objects striking the surface
- Heat damage — on kitchen doors near hobs or ovens
What Can Be Repaired?
Edge and corner chips — colour-matched filler rebuilds the damaged area and is finished to match the surface. On foil-wrapped or high-gloss doors, results are excellent. On solid painted wood, essentially invisible.
Surface scratches — depending on depth, either polished out or filled and refinished.
Veneer lifting — re-adhered with appropriate contact adhesive where the veneer is otherwise intact. If sections are missing, matching veneer can be sourced and fitted.
Localised water damage — if the substrate hasn’t fully delaminated, the swelling can be stabilised and the surface refinished. Severe water damage to the carcass itself may require section replacement.
The Cost of Repair vs. Replacement
A single replacement kitchen door typically costs £50–£200 plus fitting. A chip repair on the same door costs substantially less and produces a comparable visual result. For a full run of kitchen units showing multiple chips, the saving compared to replacing all affected doors is significant.
Shazam Repairs carries out furniture chip and surface repair across the UK. Get a free photo quote →
