Are gloss kitchens... "cheap"

[Tractortod]

I don't like gloss kitchens as a general rule of thumb, simply because I preference Matt colours and surfaces.

However I've found drawn to a certain colour kitchen in a gloss finish which I think only works in gloss, helps with the light and airy feel of it all.

I've been ruminating on why I dislike gloss and... this is where I'll like offend lots of people.. I think for me, it doesn't give off a 'high end' feel a (for examle) well fitted, coloured shaker kitchen does.

We don't own an expensive classy house... so it's not snobbery as such, I can't really find the words to articulate...perhaps because the displays in the lower end price bracket (Ikea.. b&q etc) feature a lot of slab gloss, lots of newbuilds and investor homes on RM always seem to have the default cream gloss unit set up.

I'm too scared to ask any friends genuine opinions and lots do own gloss kitchens so it would be breathtakingly rude. So i'm anonymously putting it to MN and be well prepped for a flaming.

Ooh I love that kitchen hilbil21 !

We've had 3 seperate lots of gloss kitchen units
-set 1, in a large utility room. Howdens cream gloss, foil wrapped type. Looked sort of cheap
-set 2, B&Q white foil with laminate butchers block. Looked uber-cheap!
-set 3, DIY kitchens (equivalent to Luca), painted MDF doors with a rough granite worktop. Does not look cheap.

I think there's a huge variance in how these look depending on quality of doors and what they're paired with.

Thanks @notsurewhatshappening

Whether it looks cheap or not I'm not sure, but I like it. LOL

How long do you want your kitchen to last? We have a wooden kitchen going strong after 11 years, but in our flat we have the gloss kind (not installed by us) and it is ready to be replaced after 5 years. That's the difference, as far as I can tell.

We had a similar quandary a couple of years ago and concluded that a shaker kitchen would look odd in a 1970s house. We went with gloss and love it: it looks bright and clean (and definitely wasn’t cheap!).

Our gloss kitchen is 11 years old this year and still looks brand new.

I had a gloss kitchen in the 80's, it was not cheap and I chose it for the colours, but in those days I didn't give much thought to things and just went ahead.

No way would I have a gloss kitchen now, they don't have the same appeal as a good quality non gloss one, much prefer something I don't have to polish and wipe all the time too. They do have a kind of cheap look, especially red ones.

Am looking at properties at the moment and a quality kitchen with attractive doors is something I am drawn to. Gloss is not included in that and I would have to work out the cost of replacing before considering an offer. However I am assuming you are going to be living with it, so your choice.

This is what I want. plusrooms.co.uk/projects/derwent-grove-se22/

I like mine but I suspect it doesn't look as expensive as it could. I don't care though as we put it in for us and we intend to be here a good while.

@mimibunz who was your kitchen by please? We are just about to start planning something similar and trying to figure which kitchen company to go with.

That’s not my kitchen, just a picture of what I want. I’ve been in touch with Kicthenfindr.co.uk to get some help with showroom recommendations. There are so many options!

I'm about to get this kitchen fitted next month, I hope I love it!

I think shaker styles are harder to clean (grooves). I don’t know why white gloss doesn’t show marks but in my experience it doesn’t. If you didn’t have handles, that would be different.
I’m so glad that few people will visit my new kitchen (when I’ve worked out what I want) I couldn’t be doing with the snobbery.

Hilbil, I actually really like yours!

Statisticallychallenged, i understand what you are saying and think you've nailed it.

Brownjumper, I'm looking at something very similar.

My concern is there will be ALOT of units. One entire wall and the. Lower units along two more, plus an island.

I think I'm looking for: herringbone floor in a light but warm oak (trying to avoid honey orange tone)

Greeny blue (Not too strong) gloss doors with brushes brass handles/ tap etc

But what worktop? Is marble with herringbone all too much? This is where I struggle.

I think gloss looks more expensive than cheap shaker units. Expensive, well made shaker units look lovely.

I wanted shaker but we couldn’t afford the good ones so we went with gloss and spent on the worktop instead (quartz). I don’t think they look cheap and are easy to keep clean.

we had a painted wooden shaker for years and have had gloss for the last 6 months. Personally I am loving the gloss. so easy to clean compared to the shaker and looks great.

I have white gloss, but with a quartz worktop which cost as much as the rest of the kitchen on its own! It looks great. Not a period house so old fashioned stuff like shaker would look odd. No marks or prints, easy to wipe with no little crannies in the doors!

We have a gloss kitchen in light grey which certainly was not cheap!

We went for oak work tops so it wasn't all too shiny, looks great and we always get compliments from visitors

I'm not a fan of gloss at all, but I don't like modern style houses either. We have a shaker kitchen which I like, it was here when we got here and fits the house as it's oldy worldy. I think I would go for a coloured shaker next.

The might not be cheap in terms of price but imo they look cheap and nasty.

I don’t think it’s gloss per se that can look cheap, it’s how it’s done - unit style, colours, work surface, sink etc.

I think a cheap shaker kitchen will look just as cheap as a cheap gloss kitchen!

In my old house I had shaker style, and got sick of wiping the doors clean, the ridges trapped everything. Slightly rough matt finish is much harder to keep clean than gloss which just wipes so easily (that’s what I’ve got now).

You can get low gloss rather than high gloss, which has more of a sheen than a high gloss shine. As long as you pair it with matt surfaces and low gloss or matt flooring rather than high shine everything it won’t look so TOWIE.

Personally I prefer my now gloss doors, they look clean and contemporary whereas I think Shaker kitchens can look a little dated now.

Is the only real option wood then to offset the shinyness? I really don't want the upkeep of wood worktops..

You can get leather finish or linen finish granite worktops which are matt.

Gloss does not look cheap (if you get a nice completely painted MDF door, not wrapped or with pastic stuck on edges) but it is not everybody's cup of tea as it can reflect a lot of light and give lots of reflections of objects etc. Fingerprints can happen but it's not really that much of an issue. I actually prefer matt kitchens, I have a white one and the white matt is a bit more vibrant than white gloss. But, each to his own