Acrylic kitchen doors – the ultimate gloss kitchen?
If you are looking for the ultimate high gloss finish you won’t get much better than acrylic kitchen doors. However, having the ultimate gloss finish comes at a price. Although they are cheaper than glass kitchens, acrylic gloss kitchens are more expensive than lacquered, painted, foil wrapped, PVC wrapped and vinyl wrapped type gloss kitchens.
The purpose of this blog is to compare acrylic kitchen doors with other types of gloss kitchen doors available so you can decide if acrylic gloss kitchens are worth paying extra for.
Types of acrylic doors available
There are 2 types of acrylic doors. There are solid acrylic doors and acrylic faced doors. Acrylic faced doors are made by bonding a thin layer of acrylic on to MDF. Acrylic faced doors cost a fraction of the price of solid acrylic doors without compromising on either quality or durability.
Advantages and disadvantages of acrylic doors
With a smooth, reflective, mirror like finish, gloss acrylic doors are almost impossible to tell apart from glass doors yet are a fraction of the cost.
The other benefit of buying a gloss acrylic doors is they are hard wearing. Therefore, if you think the kitchen is going to take a lot of wear and tear, acrylic could be a good option.
Hi Gloss Acrylic kitchens do, however, have some disadvantages. Firstly, you can see where the door has been edged on all 4 sides.
Another disadvantage of Acrylic gloss kitchens is they tend to cost about 10% more than painted gloss or lacquered gloss kitchens. Plus, the finish on an acrylic gloss door is no better than a painted/lacquered gloss door.
Repairability is also an issue with acrylic gloss kitchens. Unfortunately, if you scratch an acrylic gloss door, it can’t be repaired like a lacquered gloss door can.
The biggest problem with acrylic gloss kitchens is colour match problems. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for customers to find noticeable shading differences between doors once the kitchen has been fitted.
Also, if you do need to replace an acrylic door several years down the line, the new door will almost certainly be a different shade to all the exisiting doors.
Where are the best place to buy acrylic gloss kitchens from?
You’ll find acrylic gloss kitchens in both the high street chains and independent kitchen showrooms.
How do acrylic gloss doors compare to foil, PVC and vinyl wrapped gloss doors?
There is a big difference in the finish between acrylic gloss doors and wrapped gloss doors. As previously mentioned, acrylic gloss doors have a smooth, highly reflective, mirror like finish. In contrast, wrapped gloss doors have an unreflective, bobbly/orange peel like finish.
The other advantage acrylic gloss doors have over wrapped gloss doors is they will never peel. Peeling is where the surface of the door peels away from the base (pictured below). It usually starts with bubbling along the doors edges. Peeling only effects wrapped type gloss doors.
Although the high street chains do offer some acrylic kitchen doors, the vast majority of the gloss kitchens they sell are the low quality wrapped type.
None of the trade-only suppliers offer acrylic gloss kitchens. The vast majority of the gloss kitchens they sell are also the low quality wrapped type.
Below: wrapped type kitchen doors that are peeling:
How do acrylic gloss doors compare to painted and lacquered gloss doors?
In terms of finish and quality, there is very little difference between them. Like an acrylic door, a painted and lacquered gloss door will have a perfectly smooth, highly reflective, mirror like finish.
Also, just like an acrylic gloss door, a painted & lacquered gloss door will never peel.
Advantages and disadvantages of painted and lacquered doors
Where there is a difference between the two is in terms price. Painted and lacquered gloss kitchens usually cost less than acrylic gloss kitchens.
The other benefit painted and lacquered gloss doors have over acrylic gloss doors are the edges. With acrylic doors, you can usually see the edging on the 4 edges, you don’t get this on a painted and lacquered gloss door. The reason why this isn’t a problem with a painted and lacquered type gloss doors is because they are painted on the front and all four edges which gives a more seamless finish.
Another benefit painted and lacquered gloss doors have over acrylic gloss door is they can be repaired if you scratch them. If an acrylic gloss door gets scratched you can’t repair it. However, scratches on painted and lacquered gloss doors can be professionally repaired using colour matched lacquer & T-Cut.
Perhaps the biggest advantage of painted and lacquered gloss doors over acrylic is colour consistency. With acrylic doors, there is a real risk of shading differences between the doors. You never get this with painted and lacquered gloss doors.
However, painted and lacquered gloss doors do have one disadvantage and that’s durability. Acrylic doors are harder wearing than painted and lacquered doors. Unfortunately, there is always the risk that a painted and lacquered gloss door could chip under very heavy usage. However, as mentioned above, a chip on a painted and lacquered door can always be professionally repaired. Also, chipping is only really a problem with fully lacquered doors. If you buy an edged painted and lacquered door, the risk of it being chipped is very low.
Below: high quality painted and lacquered gloss kitchens
Where are the best place to buy painted and lacquered gloss kitchens from?
As mentioned previously, the high street chains and trade only suppliers mainly sell the low quality wrapped type doors. To find a good selection of painted and lacquered gloss kitchens, you will need to go to independent kitchen showrooms.
In fact, if you know the right Independent kitchens showrooms to visit, it is possible to buy a painted and lacquered type gloss kitchen for similar to what you will pay for a low quality wrapped type from the chains or trade only suppliers. The problem is, knowing which are the right showrooms to visit. This can be like finding a needle in a haystack. However, this is where we can help – we’ll put you in touch with the right local showrooms to visit.
So, if you want to know which local showrooms will offer you a kitchen that costs similar to the chains and trade-only suppliers, but is higher quality and will last longer, contact us and we will tell you who they are.
Our service is free.
Our free service recommends the best value kitchen suppliers in your area.
Their kitchens cost similar to the chains and trade only suppliers, but are higher quality and will last longer.
Showrooms offer free, no-obligation quotes and are within 30 minutes drive.
Read what our customers say about our service below:
“The kitchen your guys came up with is far more competitive than anything I have had quoted so far and the quality is in a different league”
Samantha Michaels, Watford, Herts
“Lloyd was able to point me to local independent kitchen retailers offering greater quality and value compared to the high street chains”
Mohammed Hashi, Northolt, Middx
“If you’re looking for a good value kitchen supplier, these are the people to speak to first!”
Natalie D R, Stanmore, Middx
“Kitchenfindr recommended a showroom who were much better value than most of the other showrooms I’d previously looked at”
Hannah Malone, Esher, Surrey
Find out more
For more information on acrylic doors visit the Parapan website