Gloss kitchen and sticky fingerprints

[growingweeble]

We're about to update our kitchen and am having lots of fun looking at kitchen showrooms. But I'm getting conflicting advice. Which is better for keeping clean (looking) with kids: gloss or matt? Is gloss easier as it wipes over easily? Or will it show everyone one of my toddler's sticky finger prints?
Anyone out there with experience of either, please pass on your knowledge.

Just had white gloss put in (I wanted matt but DH convinced me). Looks fab, have only felt the need to wipe it when I saw teabag drips and such, toddler fingermarks no issue at all so far. Not done a full wipeover yet and we're 3 weeks in!

HTH

with gloss it depends what colour you go for.
the darker colours will show more prints - white ivory/cream will hide more.
I would look at matt as soon will be the new gloss

p.s they wipe as easy as each other

I've had gloss white for 2yrs with toddler, baby & 2 dogs (and DH!). White is brilliant, Everything is easy to see and give a quick wipe and no issue with fingerprints. I love my kitchen. It's my 'den'!

I'm a cleaner and have a variety of kitchens to clean, take it from me - gloss is so much easier and comes up a treat!

We have vanilla gloss and it looks great. I clean it with trusty Windolene (or shops own version) and a dry cloth.

Sounds like gloss is easier... Thanks for all your advice. But was hoping it would be the other way round as prefer matt!! Oh dear. I'm hoping a painted wood rather than smooth matt finish will be less likely to show prints.

Growingweeble
not many people will have matt as its the new thing,not many main stream companies supply matt yet unless its a vinyl or something.
My dh has samples of matt and gloss lacquers out in the shed.
The both wipe as easy, may sound silly but actually go into a showroom and rub your fingers over the doors, then wipe off with your cloth just to test.
make sure no ones looking though :)

Go with what you want! It will also be your "Den" as Minstrel says - so do what your heart says not your pragmatic head says. I spent weeks trying to find tiles I liked for our open plan downstairs floor until I just admitted sod the practicalities, I want wood. Will you stroke your glossy kitchen cupboards and smile thinking "at least they will not show the fingerprints" or stroke matt ones thinking "I am glad I went with what I liked/wanted"?

Fishfingersareok... You've made me smile as I know I will be stroking my new kitchen when no one is looking. Just hope I don't curse everytime at having to wipe my fingerprints off :)

The solution to sticky fingers... Gloves

I found myself in the granite showroom stroking the granite worktop on display....that made my mind up not to go for Corian

Sainsbury's basics baby wipes are you friend. Takes seconds to make white gloss looking spic and span again - its so shiny, the dirt just glides off.

A slightly damp microfibre cloth really cleans up a gloss kitchen.

We used to have crappy doors that were laminated and also had a shaker style in-out-in-out design, which just gathered dirt, dust and food. And the laminate was forever flaking off.

So the gloss is 10x better, easier to clean ... except it's starting to look cheap battered. Proper, solid wood would just dent - the gloss doesn't. Although I do feel like the Harry Hill "it's shiny, it excites" sketch - I do like the shine

We've got cream gloss - love it so quick to clean with a micro fibre cloth

Got white gloss. Lakeland work top wonder works a treat at making it look like new. TBH fingerprints don't show that much

I have magnolia gloss for the top cupboards and wood for the base cabinets. I love the gloss cabinets as they give a bright and airy feel however I find mine do mark easily. Whereas with the grained wood cabinets it's almost impossible to see any marks.

The reason I didn't have the gloss cabinets as base cabinets is that I thought they may chip if they were banged and that it would be hard to touch-up any damage.
I used Leicht Units.

I've got black gloss it show all the sticky fingerprints, but it is easy to clean with a microfiber cloth and water.
I wouldn't get black gloss again but I've had this kitchen for about 5 years so have got used to the regular wipedown required to keep it looking good.

Go gloss. I have cream matt emulsion which I was told would wipe clean. It doesn't. Loads of marks on wall from kids' fingers and tea drips near bin, etc. Looks awful and needs repainting. I will use gloss/bathroom finish next time!

growingweeble .... I guess conflicting advice is the name of the day with regards to cleaning gloss cabinets. Are you able to get some decent size samples to take home and really test? It is such a big decision and you will kick yourself if you think you have chosen the wrong one.

You need to hold the samples in the position that they will be in in your kitchen. My gloss cabinets are at right angles to the window and, I think, that is why they show up every mark.

I have white gloss and yes, on a sunny day when you're at the wrong level it does look a bit messy with finger prints around the handles and drips under the sink etc, but I'm slovenly quite relaxed about cleaning, so it wouldn't take much to smarten it up once a week I'm sure. I've had mine for about 4 years and have only wiped them about 3 or 4 times

BTW mine are from Magnet and V hard-wearing - the handles regularly bang into the next door in the corner, but no chips or marks.

I've had a gloss white kitchen (from Wickes) for 18 yrs.

It always looks good (3 dc and dh all on a sticky handprint mission in life) and isn't a pain to keep clean. Most people think it looks really new still. I'd have no hesitation in having another pale gloss kitchen and def Wickes again.

I agree that darker colours could be more problematic though. I do have matte worktops as I suspect gloss worktops (esp dark ones) will show up marks and water to a greater extent.