Gloss or wooden kitchen cabinets?

[RedHelenB]

I am hopelessly indecisive so can someone tell me pros and cons to each. Presumably gloss easier to just wipe over but do they get chipped/scratched easily. And if I went for a white/cream what sort of work surface would go well?

Use a specific paint for kitchen cupboards , it lasts really well, doesn't scuff like regular water based paint . I used a Matt one then used a glossy topcoat to protect it. I used Rust-O-Leum

Thsnks for the reply
I was really meaning for new cabinets.

I've had black and white gloss cabinets, I find them hard to clean. They show every smear, it does take some elbow grease! I also mistakenly once used a cleaner which was slightly abrasive 🙈 and ruined a door. My next kitchen will be wood! Also the black gloss showed every speck of dust.

Good explanation here: not all gloss finishes are the same.
hifkitchens.co.uk/blogs/details/4/the-pros-and-cons-of-a-gloss-kitchen-finish

In the same way not all wood finishes are the same. They can be solid wood, real wood veneer (usually on flat panels) or a wood-effect plastic coating stuck on MDF. Real wood is usually more forgiving of fingerprints etc.

White/off white units are pretty neutral so you could put any worktop with them depending on the style you are going for - best to look at some brochures.

I have a combination of cream and grey gloss units,handleless ones and they do get a bit smeary as no-one (children...) uses the recesses to open the doors but a quick wipe and they look nice again. Actually, the grey shows smears much worse than the cream. I really like them and we have a grey/cream flecked quartz workshop which I'm also pleased with.

i have pale blue high gloss units acrylic and 18 months later they look like brand new and all i do is spray them with glass cleaner and use a microfibre cloth , last house had solid wood units and they were easy to clean as well same thing spray with general kitchen spray and wipe

Go for wood, then if you fancy a change in a few years you can repaint. You can’t really do that with gloss

Just lived somewhere with gloss units in a bright room. Hate them - as a PP said, you can see every smear and fingerprint. Really cannot be arsed wiping down my kitchen cupboards twice a day.

We’ve got solid oak. Not fashionable but they’ve been in 20 years and look the same as they did when they went in. The kickboards need replacing but the doors and granite are good as new.

I despise the white high gloss cabinets in my current house, the ceiling has spotlights and they show every smear. They really do have to be wiped down daily, and I can't remember cleaning my last kitchen cupboards more than every few months

It depends on your space. I went for white acrylic faced. It's gloss but not the same finish. More slightly mirrored like glass rathy than shiny.
It cleans really well. I picked it because the kitchen is the darker middle room of the house (although through to the lighter end with sky lights etc) so I wanted to bounce as much light as possible. It's also not a huge space and I went for the unit with lots of shallow drawers rather than having them on top of cupboards. I thought a flat finish rather than shaker style was less fussy and more uniform.
But if I'd been putting it in a different space then I'd have liked painted wood

@ImSoMagical

I've had black and white gloss cabinets, I find them hard to clean. They show every smear, it does take some elbow grease! I also mistakenly once used a cleaner which was slightly abrasive 🙈 and ruined a door. My next kitchen will be wood! Also the black gloss showed every speck of dust.

Thanks for this. I'm wanting as easy clean and maintenance as possible

Painted wood for sure. Gloss always looks shabby and surely a bit dated now?

i would love to know what people are doing to their kitchen doors that they are covered in smears and fingerprints admittedly no children here but i open the doors using the handles and clean my doors once a week which takes about 15 minutes to do nine units

no children here
You have answered your own question

@Isseywith3witchycats we have a handleless design which lots of glossy ones do to make them look sleeker but children don't seem to be able to use the recesses to open the doors... 🙄

I had cream gloss for years (from new in a new build) and they looked as good as new when I left. I used to spray and wipe them down every evening, I was happy to do that and it was a very quick once over. However I had no kids then!

I had wood effect surfaces and Amtico wood floor (both in a golden oak effect) which I think looked great together. I’d be happy to have similar again.