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Kitchen doors - help me understand! Foil wrap, painted etc

12 replies

Iggi999 · 02/02/2019 20:31

Hello, need a new kitchen and based on advice on here looking at diy kitchens.com
Doors come in lacquered, foil wrap, and acrylic faced - plus different thicknesses of mdf
Other than just looking at the price to judge, which of these is better/best? Need it to last for a good while and be hard wearing, but £££ is an issue.
Thanks!

OP posts:
PigletJohn · 02/02/2019 23:57

foil wrap is a thin film of plastic that is shrunk onto MDF doors, usually ones that have had a moulded decorative shape on them, because the film stretches over to fit. It is inclined to peel off from heat or moisture, for example if your kitchen contains an oven, hob, kettle, sink or toaster. Sometimes it even starts peeling in the showroom. Some people like it and say its's great.

Slab doors are usually finished with melamine laminate, which is very hard, like a worktop. They are always flat because it's a hard rigid sheet. it can be very glossy, or matt or textured, or with an imitation wood effect. AFAIK it is the most durable, but not everybody likes flat doors. IMO you should make sure the edges of thedoors have the same laminate on them (this can be done at the factory) in the thick grade as opinions differ about the durability of thin or PVC edging.

Painted doors can be MDF or solid timber. With wear they may become shabby. Some people repaint them. Opinions differ, for example when I look at the modest price of replacement doors from a trade supplier I can't see the point.

Solid wood doors can look (and be) expensive. In time they may become shabby, especially if you do not have, and use, an effective extractor because a film of greasy dirt will accumulate, especially near the cooking area, and a waxed or varnished finish is not as hard and easy to clean as the alternatives. They often have panels and mouldings and it is very difficult to clean the joints. However fashions change so by the time they are shabby they will be out of fashion and you will probably be fed up with them. It is risky to think that an expensive kitchen is a 20-year investment.

iggi999 · 03/02/2019 00:34

Thanks for taking the time to post that - very helpful. I’ve had a set of doors that melted being just over the toaster - so I’d like to avoid that! Do you know where lacquered comes in..?

OP posts:
PigletJohn · 03/02/2019 09:06

lacquer means varnish or paint, and implies hard or shiny.

Long ago the name derived from Lac beetle in the far East that was boiled up to make shellac, some kind or hard resin, used for French Polish, derived from its shell.

Iggi999 · 03/02/2019 12:49

So nice and hard then hopefully, and without a beetle in sight! Thank you Flowers

OP posts:
Fooferella · 03/02/2019 21:15

Pigletjohn, you rock. I wouldn't have even thought to ask that question (so thank you Iggi!) when I start looking for my kitchen.

PigletJohn · 03/02/2019 22:08

Lac beetle

Kitchen doors -   help me understand! Foil wrap, painted etc
JellieG · 19/08/2019 20:32

John - I have missed you whilst you were away! Thanks so much for this (and all your other) advice!

nachosTrafficante · 20/08/2019 06:29

Thanks John. What’s the best bet for keeping clean....and is laminate best for worktops?

CowCat · 20/08/2019 21:52

Hello,

My kitchen doors are peeling. Should I just replace them? They are approx 5 years old from Eggersman.

haveuheard · 20/08/2019 23:20

We have just got a new kitchen of painted wood doors, although with the laminate bit in the middle as to get solid wood doors you need ££££. There are already a few chips in them but they look so much nicer than the cheaper alternative which we looked at. The kitchen we took out was a month older than me - Feb 1983 and while I'm pretty sure they don't make them like that any more and it was really ugly - that was laminate and lasted really well (until I kept spilling water on the one under the sink) So I don't think one option is necessarily always better than the other it just depends what you want. We didn't use DIY kitchens but did use another similar company.

Hilsy83 · 06/09/2022 08:25

Hi there, I know this thread was a while ago but I’m literally in the same predicament as you were so I’d love to know the outcome of your search. I’m finding it all pretty baffling even now I think I understand the difference between the door types. We re planning to use DIY kitchens too, we’re they any good? Which style did you go for in the end and how has it stood the test of time so far please? I understand tht buying a cheaper kitchen is not gonna last forever but I really don’t want to go with an option that will chip or de laminate within a few years. Any advice will be really helpful

Ramona75 · 07/09/2022 06:41

The have a link on their advice site that talks about shaker door differences here.

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