Where to begin when choosing kitchen cabinet doors?
Let’s be honest, choosing the all-important kitchen cabinet doors can all be a bit of a minefield!
So many different options on display in the showroom. Countless beautiful images in brochures
Let’s break it down – a kitchen cabinet is simply made of two parts, the cabinet carcass, and the door.
Whilst the carcass is, of course, important in terms of structure and size, the door you choose is almost entirely responsible for the look of your kitchen and represents your personal taste and style.
There are two main decisions which need to be made when it comes to choosing doors: style and finish.
Almost all kitchens available today fall into one of three styles:
Contemporary:sleek and streamlined, the contemporary style offers clean lines with minimal fuss and provides a bold statement offering great functionality.
Shaker: well-proportioned with frame and inset panel, the Shaker style offers simplicity and functionality in equal measure and can work well in both modern or more traditional homes.
Traditional: embracing natural wood finishes, the traditional style is perfect for creating warmth and character and is available in a wide variety of different colours and materials from oak to walnut, cherry to beech.
And the majority of doors fall into one of four types of finish:
Solid Wood: which can be left untouched so that the natural look and feel of the wood can be admired. Solid wood doors can also be painted, varnished or stained. Painting ensures that doors can be touched up should they get damaged. Varnishing protects the wood and provides a top sheen, whilst staining is a colour treatment that alters the natural colour of the underlying wood whilst allowing the grain pattern to show through.
Engineered wood with a veneer finish: is when wood veneer, a thin layer of real wood that is often treated with varnishes and stains, is glued to MDF or plywood doors to ensure that the doors are fit for purpose.
Engineered wood with a lacquered finish: is when various coats of base, colour and lacquer are spray applied to MDF or plywood doors which are then polished. Due to the application process, a lacquered finish works well on unusually shaped doors. Practical and easy to maintain, it is available in a wide range of colours.
Engineered wood with a foil finish: describes MDF or plywood doors that have been wrapped with a very thin layer of plastic/foil/vinyl. Shiny and sleek, these doors are contemporary, easy to clean as well as durable. Reflecting light, they too are available in a wide range of colours. Thermo and High Gloss are examples of foils.
That just leaves colour and handles!
15th Feb 2019The Compare Network
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