Kitchen Renovation in Dubai: What to Keep, What to Cover and What to Replace

A kitchen renovation in Dubai is really five separate decisions — the cabinets, the worktop, the floor, the splashback and the services behind them — and each one can be kept, covered or replaced on its own. Most dated kitchens do not need to be gutted. If the cabinet boxes are dry and solid, new doors, handles and a new worktop change the room; sound floor tiles and an old splashback can be covered with a seamless surface such as microcement instead of being broken out. A full strip-out is the right answer when the carcasses have swollen from water, the layout is changing, or the plumbing, wiring or gas has to move. Sorting the elements into those groups is the first job, and it decides the cost and the disruption.

We do one part of a kitchen renovation: the surfaces — seamless floors, splashbacks and walls in microcement, and lime finishes such as Venetian plaster on the walls away from the hob and sink. We do not make or coat cabinets, supply or fit worktops, or do plumbing, electrics, gas, tiling or painting. This guide covers the whole job anyway.

Kitchen renovation in Dubai: the first check

Before choosing anything new, find out which parts of the old kitchen are still sound. You can do the first four checks yourself:

1. The cabinet carcasses. Open the sink cabinet first. Most kitchen boxes are MDF or chipboard, and a slow leak from a trap or dishwasher hose swells the board: a soft, bulging base panel or crumbling edges. Swollen board does not shrink back. A sagging door with a worn hinge is a cheap fix; one whose screws have pulled out of the board is a carcass problem.
2. The worktop. Look at the joints and the sink cut-out. Laminate swollen at a joint has taken in water and cannot be repaired invisibly. A chip in stone or quartz can often be filled by a stone specialist.
3. The floor tiles. Tap them with a coin or a screwdriver handle. A dull knock is a bonded tile; a hollow, drummy sound means the tile has come away from the bed. A few hollow tiles can be re-fixed; whole areas of them mean the bed has failed and the tiles come up.
4. The splashback. Grease-stained grout behind the hob is the most common reason people want a new kitchen. Loose tiles here are rare, so a splashback can usually be covered.
5. Ventilation. Does your hood duct air outside or only recirculate it? Grease on the ceiling and cabinet tops usually means weak extraction — a job for an MEP contractor, and it matters more for your new walls than any finish.
6. Plumbing, electrics and gas. Have a plumber and an electrician look before you plan; old valves and too few worktop sockets are cheaper to fix while the kitchen is open. Gas is only touched by a licensed gas contractor — ask building management who may work on it.

Keep, cover or replace: element by element

Each part of the kitchen has its own route, and mixing the routes is normal.

Element	Keep and refresh when…	Cover when…	Replace when…	Who does it
Cabinet carcasses	Dry, solid and the layout works — fit new doors, handles and hinges	Not a surface job — cabinets are joinery	Swollen board, a new layout, or the boxes are failing	A joinery or kitchen company
Worktop	Stone or quartz with minor chips — repolish or repair	Not something we do — we do not coat worktops; a working top needs a slab	Laminate swollen at joints, cracked stone, or a new layout	A stone, quartz or porcelain-slab fabricator
Floor	Tiles sound and you still like them — deep clean, regrout	Tiles sound but dated — microcement over the tiles, no demolition	Hollow tiles over whole areas, or the floor level must change	RBS for microcement; a tiler for new tiles
Splashback and walls	Tiles sound, grout cleanable	Tiles sound, look tired — microcement over them; lime finishes on walls away from the hob and sink	Cracked or loose tiles, or new sockets and pipes behind	RBS for the seamless surface; a tiler or painter otherwise
Services	Working, safe, in the right place	—	Moving the sink, hob or oven, adding sockets, upgrading extraction	A plumber, an electrician, a licensed gas contractor

The cover route is the one most people miss. Microcement over existing tiles goes on at about 3 mm over the old tiles, so nothing is broken out. In an occupied apartment that removes the jackhammering and the rubble in the service lift.

Do you need approval to renovate a kitchen in Dubai?

Usually, yes — most towers and gated communities ask for a work permit or approval from building management before any contractor starts. Requirements differ by building: many limit working hours, noisy work and the service lift, and changes to gas or drainage need more than a simple permit. We will not guess your building’s rules or fees — ask the management office and get the answer in writing. If you rent, get the landlord’s written agreement before any permanent change; a seamless floor or splashback is permanent.

The order of work in a kitchen renovation

When several elements are being replaced, the order matters more than the materials. Each trade has to finish before the next one covers its work:

1. Approval and planning. The permit, a final layout, and the cabinet order placed early — joinery sets the timeline.
2. Strip-out. Old units, worktop and any tiles that are coming off.
3. First fix. Plumbing, wiring, extraction ducting and any gas work, while the walls are open — the moment to add worktop sockets.
4. The floor. Decide early whether it runs under the cabinets or stops at the plinths; running it under keeps options open later.
5. Cabinets. Installed, levelled and fixed.
6. Worktop. Templated once the cabinets are fixed, then fabricated and fitted.
7. Splashback and walls. After the worktop, so the finish meets it cleanly.
8. Second fix. Sink, taps, hob, hood, appliances, sockets and the silicone line where the worktop meets the wall.

Keeping the cabinets and only covering the floor and splashback shrinks the list: plinths off, free-standing appliances out, socket faceplates removed by an electrician. One check: measure the clearance for an integrated dishwasher before an extra 3 mm goes on the floor.

Where seamless surfaces fit in a kitchen

Microcement suits a home kitchen floor and splashback; lime finishes suit the walls away from the water and heat. The detail is in microcement in the kitchen; the short version:

• The floor. Microcement over sound tiles gives one grout-free floor that wipes clean. A family kitchen is normal home use. It is not a finish for heavy-use floors, so not for a restaurant or hotel kitchen — that needs a different system, explained in commercial kitchen flooring.
• The splashback. Microcement over the old tiles removes the grout lines that hold grease. Behind a gas hob used hard on high flame, we detail that strip specifically or suggest steel there.
• The other walls. Venetian plaster and other lime finishes give depth that paint cannot. Keep them away from the hob and sink: acids and grease mark lime — see Venetian plaster pros and cons.

The honest rules for microcement in a kitchen protect the sealer, its working skin. The wall directly behind a hard-used gas hob is detailed for the heat. Wipe acids — lemon, vinegar, wine — when they spill. Clean with a pH-neutral cleaner, never bleach or abrasive creams. The routine is in microcement care and cleaning. If your household will not keep those habits, porcelain tiles forgive more, and we will say so. The full list is in microcement flooring pros and cons.

Which splashback and wall finish?

The best splashback is the one that matches how you cook.

Finish	Strengths	Weak points	Best for
Ceramic or porcelain tiles	Cheap, heat-proof, easy to replace one tile	Grout lines hold grease and darken	Kitchens that cook hard and want the lowest cost
Glass panel	No joints, easy to wipe	Sockets must be planned; shows smears	Modern kitchens
Slab to match the worktop	Continuous with the top, heat-resistant	Heavy and costly	Stone or quartz kitchens
Stainless steel	Takes any heat, professional look	Shows every scratch and fingerprint	Behind a hob that is used hard
Microcement	Seamless, no grout, goes over sound tiles	The sealer asks for prompt wiping and no direct high heat	Home kitchens that want one surface with the floor
Venetian plaster or other lime finishes	Real depth, breathes, no joints	Acids and grease mark lime	Walls away from the hob and sink

How much does a kitchen renovation cost in Dubai?

Nobody honest can give you a total without seeing the kitchen — cabinets, worktop and appliances move the figure far more than the surfaces do. What we can price is our part:

• Microcement splashbacks and walls start from AED 220/m², and microcement floors start from AED 250/m², supplied and installed. The wet-zone rate, from AED 350/m², is for showers and wet rooms, not for a kitchen. No mobilization fee. The microcement cost guide explains what moves the figure.
• Venetian plaster and other lime finishes are priced per project after a site visit.
• Cabinets, worktops, appliances, plumbing, electrics, gas, tiling and painting are priced by the trades who do them.

Covering saves mostly on what it avoids: no breaking out, no rubble, no new screed.

How long does a kitchen renovation take?

The joinery and the worktop set the timeline; the surfaces are a short part of it. Cabinets are made to order and the worktop is templated only once they are fixed, so a full replacement runs to weeks, set by those trades and your building’s rules. A floor-and-splashback refresh over sound tiles is far shorter: microcement goes on in several coats with curing between them, and the floor stays out of use until the sealer cures. A crew promising a finished seamless floor in a day is skipping a cure.

Which one should you choose?

• Cabinets sound, the look is dated: keep the carcasses, change the doors and handles, cover the floor and splashback.
• Cabinets sound, worktop failing: a new stone, quartz or porcelain slab, then the splashback.
• Floor tiles sound, you want them gone: microcement over the tiles, no demolition.
• Swollen carcasses, a new layout or services moving: a full strip-out; services first, surfaces last.
• You cook hard on high flame daily: tiles or steel behind the hob, seamless around it.
• A rental: get written permission first — or keep and refresh.
• A restaurant or hotel kitchen: not microcement. See commercial kitchen flooring.

Send photos of the kitchen and its rough size on WhatsApp, or call +971 4 587 7086, and tell us what you want to keep. We have worked on UAE homes for 8+ years, with crews trained in-house for microcement and lime finishes, and if your kitchen needs a joiner or a tiler rather than us, we will say that too.

Related guides

• Microcement Kitchens in the UAE: Floors, Walls & Splashbacks
• Bathroom Renovation in Dubai: Keep, Cover or Rip Out?
• Can Microcement Go Over Existing Tiles?
• Microcement Installation in Dubai: What Happens, Day by Day
• Flooring Options for UAE Homes: An Honest Comparison
• Microcement vs Tiles: Which for a UAE Bathroom?
• Vinyl, SPC and LVT Flooring in Dubai: Which Plank Works?
• Home Renovation in Dubai: Where to Start and What Order

FAQ

Can you renovate a kitchen without removing the tiles?

Yes, if the tiles are sound. Floor and splashback tiles can be covered with microcement at about 3 mm: hollow tiles are re-fixed, the glaze is ground, and the base coats fill the grout lines over a reinforcing mesh.

Do I need permission to renovate a kitchen in a Dubai apartment?

Usually. Most towers and communities ask for a work permit from building management and set working hours and lift rules; gas and drainage changes need more. Check with management before fixing a start date; if you rent, get the landlord’s written agreement.

Is microcement good for a kitchen renovation?

For a home kitchen, yes: microcement floors start from AED 250/m² and microcement splashbacks and walls from AED 220/m², usually laid over the existing tiles. Wipe acidic spills promptly and clean with pH-neutral products. It is not for commercial or heavy-use kitchen floors.

Can microcement go on kitchen cabinets or worktops?

No. We apply microcement to floors, walls and ceilings only — not to cabinets, islands, worktops or other joinery. For a worktop, a stone, quartz or porcelain slab from a fabricator is the right choice.

Do you do the cabinets, plumbing and appliances too?

No. We apply surfaces — microcement and lime finishes. Cabinets go to a kitchen or joinery company, worktops to a slab fabricator, and plumbing, electrics and gas to licensed trades. We can work alongside them in the right order.