Today's article is about one of the most expensive items in the kitchen, and indeed the whole house: cabinets. Our author refers to the 'cupboard' whereas we Americans use the term 'cabinet' but this is a great primer in the kinds of finishes available.
Your kitchen cabinet doors are the first thing that visitors will see when they enter your kitchen. They’ll get attention, and depending on their design and condition, it could be for the right or the wrong reasons. You need to make sure that the ones you fit are right for both the kitchen and your personality, but what choices do you have and how can they affect the impression they give out?
Types of Kitchen Cupboard Doors
There are a few main types of door for your cupboards or cabinets, and these are listed below. Remember that when you’ve decided what you like, you’ll need to make sure that you also fit some matching drawer fronts to compete the look. Most companies will be able to help you with this, so concentrate on the doors and the drawers will follow.
Laminated doors: these give you a good range of choices and are usually the cheapest type, while lasting a good long time. They are usually made from MDF wrapped in a vinyl laminate, so the finish is seamless. You get all sorts of colours and a range of finishes, including textured, smooth, matte, high-gloss and even wood effect, so they’ll suit any design you have.
High-gloss paint: this is always popular, and instead of wrapping the wood it is simply painted with a thick epoxy finish. You’ll get all the colours you want in this style, but you only have a choice of ‘smooth’ when it comes to texture and they can chip, so be gentle with them and keep any children well out of their way!
Hand-painted: these tend to suit the provincial or rustic style of kitchen very well, and they look best when the doors are solid wood. You can get them in most colours and because they’re painted naturally, they’ll age and give an authentic ‘country’ look to your kitchen. As with all painted kitchen doors though, they can chip easily.
Solid wood: these doors are the most expensive, but they are worth the premium. They’ll stand out as being quality doors the minute you set eyes on them. You do need to look after them properly, but they’ll last and wear well too. Downsides are that colours are limited unless you want to paint them (in which case, why go for solid wood in the first place?) and you can obviously only buy them in the flat-panel style.
How To Choose The Right Doors For Your Kitchen
The only real way to go about it is to visit as many showrooms as you can, both bricks and mortar stores and online. Look at how all the styles, colours and finishes are put together, and check out the accessories they use to get the best effects – you might be surprised at what works. Once you’ve done that, ask for some samples in the colours and styles you have shortlisted and take them home. You’ll be able to see how they look under the same lighting and whether they match your floor, worktops and appliances before making your final decision.
Riley Brown is an article content contributor on behalf of Kitchendoors.co.uk, an online retailer specialising in replacement kitchen cabinet doors.
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