Real wood kitchen or MDF?

[DangerCake]

Both good quality kitchens. Been quoted for both. What do people think?

Are they painted? Mdf is normally better for painting as it doesnt move like real wood and crack although lots of companies use wood for the frame. Photos?

Ours is real wood, and we recently painted it and had some extra cabinets made to match. It's now about 25 years old and looks lovely still.

I'll link and prepare to be told they aren't great quality!

Both painted. One is Laura Ashley.

Magnet www.magnet.co.uk/kitchens/all-kitchens/winchester/

Magnet is so expensive and horrible pressure sales. Have you tried looking for smaller local company?

Are you sure the Magnet one is painted? They are a bit evasive about the "wood grain effect" is might be vinyl coating
which is notorious for peeling.

I used a small local company it was cheaper than some of the big companies. It is beautiful. Hand painted bespoke kitchen.

"Woodgrain effect"

means fake.

Small local company never got back us, I might prod them again.

But is wood better than painted MDF?

That Magnet kitchen is very poor quality for the price. You would be better off getting a solid wood painted door from DIY kitchens. Cheaper and better quality. You question is a little unclear but I assume you’re talking about a painted shaker style and you want to know whether to choose wood or foil wrap mdf? The wooden door looks and feels so much better, but like PP said it may warp over time of the grain may open slightly. The foil wrap door does not look as nice, is quite easy to spot (if you know your kitchens), and the foil may debond over time. For my kitchen I would choose the solid painted and buy from DIY

The Magnet one isn't real wood. We're currently looking at kitchens and we've been quoted for that Magnet one and it's just a wood grain effect.

Wickes do a beautiful real wood one that's similar.

We aren't going for real wood as it's more expensive and not worth it for us as we only have a small kitchen and we don't plan on being here for more than a few years.

In my forever home I definitely want wood!

My mum and dad had a real wood kitchen that my Dad bought from Wickes and fitted himself, it was such good quality and looked beautiful years later.

The linked kitchen is neither wood, nor painted. It's flat pack wrapped MDF.

That Magnet kitchen is very poor quality for the price. You would be better off getting a solid wood painted door from DIY kitchens.

Yeah that, though DIY-kitchen's doors are actually wood veneer, as are most wood doors.

An actual wood kitchen would be extortionate and less stable than MDF. You want good solid MDF units and wood or wood-veneer doors.

We've just had a kitchen from diy-kitchens in the same style as your link with wood-veneer doors and painted a bespoke colour for £3,800 for a 4m by 4m kitchen (cabinets only- total cost for absolutely everything was £8500). It looks fab.

DIY kitchens isn’t an option as they won’t deliver to where we are.

The Laura Ashley onE is wood doors with veneer i. The middle panel. The magnet one i though was painted mdf....but maybe it’s wrapped.

I think the question we are looking to get a good quality kitchen that will last. Previously had a mdf one where the doors started to peel.

Should we go for wood or MDf?

Ah sorry @DangerCake, I remember from your previous posts now.

In that case I would go to a decent independent. We had a quote from Magnet, which was eye watering, and the kitchens in the showroom are only so-so (I mean they’re perfectly fine, but not for the price).

Who will deliver to you? pp suggested Wickes, who will sometimes match DIY, and have some nice wood doors (limited colour choice if I recall), but Travis Perkins sell Benchmarx which is the same. Also Howdens doors are nice - painted wood, not foil wrap.

If it helps, DIY doors are produced by a company called second nature.

MDF is hard wearing, its true, but it needs a durable paint or lacquer finish. Shaker doors are normally timber edges (narrow enough not to warp) and veneered panels. An MDF shaker door should also have separate edges and panel (5 piece) or it looks very fake.
If a kitchen is painted they will say so. I would always choose a painted Shaker style although a slab door could be painted or with a hard plastic/melamine coating.

Normally if a kitchen range is painted they say so.