3 things to look out for when buying high gloss kitchens
There is something about high gloss kitchens that always looks classy. However, the problem is, the surface gloss can sometimes hide a low-quality reality. A few things are giveaways, though.
Check the door material used in high gloss kitchens
All gloss finishes look great when they are new. However, that doesn’t always last. Choosing the correct material door will increase the life of your kitchen and save you money in the long run.
If you go for one of the low-quality type material doors, it won’t be long before they start to peel. The low quality types are the foil, PVC and vinyl wrapped type doors. Unfortunately, once a wrapped gloss door starts peeling, the only option is to replace it, which is usually costly.
Most of the gloss kitchens you’ll find in the high street chains and trade-only suppliers will be these types.
Below are pictures of wrapped doors that are peeling.
The high-quality type of gloss finish is either the painted and lacquered type or the lacquered laminate type. These will never peel like the wrapped type will. You’ll mainly find these in Independent kitchen showrooms.
As previously mentioned, the high street chains and trade-only suppliers mainly sell the low quality wrapped types. Therefore, if you want to find a good selection of the high quality type gloss doors, you will need to go to Independent kitchen showrooms.
Check the edging on high gloss kitchens
The carcasses on your high gloss kitchen needs a thick durable edging. The edging will protect the delicate front edges from chips and damage. It will also help prevent any moisture ingress. Unfortunately, not all types of edging are equally successful at this.
High-quality kitchens will have thick, impact-resistant PVC or ABS edging, offering long-term protection. Standard melamine edging, on the other hand, gives the edges little or no protection, and they can become chipped and shabby. This too means a premature choice between making do and the expense of a new kitchen.
Most of the kitchens sold by the high street chains and trade-only suppliers will have the low quality melamine type edging. The higher quality PVC or ABS type is found mainly on kitchens sold by independent kitchen showrooms.
Look for true handleless high gloss kitchens
True handleless units make high gloss kitchens look more stylish, but they can be expensive and it is tempting to settle for the integrated handle type instead. This is compromising on quality though, and, if your budget can stretch to it, you are much better off buying the true handleless type. True handleless units usually cost 5-10% more than the integrated handle type.
The advantages of true handleless units over the integrated handle type are too many to list, however, an important one is that with the integrated handle type, trying to open doors attached to integrated appliances, such as dishwashers and fridge-freezers, can prove near on impossible. You don’t get this problem with the true handleless type.
The other problem with the integrated handle type is they are prone to splitting (as pictured below)
Finding the best high gloss kitchens
As can be seen, the high street chains and and trade-only suppliers don’t supply the kind of quality you need in high gloss kitchens. These places mainly sell low quality wrapped type gloss doors. Buying a low quality wrapped type gloss kitchen is a false economy as it won’t be long before the doors start to peel.
If you want to find a good selection of the high quality gloss kitchens, you will need to head to the independent kitchen showrooms instead. However, independent kitchen showrooms vary in price, with some being more expensive than the chains and trade only suppliers.
However, some of them are not. Some will offer you a high quality painted and lacquered or lacquered laminate type gloss kitchen for similar to what you will pay for a low quality wrapped gloss kitchen from the chains or trade-only suppliers.
How do you find these great value suppliers?
Simple, just contact us and we will tell you who they are.
Plus, our service is free.
Our free service recommends the best value kitchen showrooms in your area.
All offer free, no-obligation quotes.
Read what our customers say about our service below:
“Kitchenfindr recommended a showroom who were much better value than most of the other showrooms I’d previously looked at”
Hannah Malone, Esher, Surrey
“The kitchen your guys came up with is far more competitive than anything I have had quoted so far”
Samantha Michaels, Watford, Herts
“If you’re looking for a good value kitchen supplier, these are the people to speak to first!”
Natalie D R, Stanmore, Middx
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
“No-one should buy a kitchen without speaking to Kitchenfindr first”
Bal Pabla, Romford, Essex
