How to tell the quality of a gloss kitchen
When you buy a gloss kitchen, it’s important to take into account the type of gloss door you’re buying. Gloss kitchen doors vary in terms of quality and how long they will last.
The purpose of this blog is to help you understand the differences between the different types of gloss kitchen doors available. This should help you to make a more informed decision when buying your kitchen.
Foil, PVC, or vinyl wrapped gloss kitchen doors
A thin layer of paper mixed with resin (foil) or plastic (vinyl/PVC), wrapped around an MDF base. These are the lowest-quality type of gloss kitchen doors.
The problem with these doors is they peel. Once a wrapped door has started peeling, the only option is to replace it, which is usually costly.
Many of the gloss kitchens sold by places like Howdens, Wren, and Magnet are this type.
Below are some pictures of peeling wrapped gloss doors.
Acrylic doors
Hi Gloss Acrylic doors are another type of gloss kitchen. These are good-quality. They come in two forms: either solid acrylic, eg. Parapan, or acrylic faced (a thin layer of acrylic, bonded onto an MDF base). A smooth, highly reflective, mirror-like finish characterises acrylic gloss doors.
The main benefit of 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 though. Firstly, you can see where the door has been edged on all sides. Secondly, they cannot be repaired. So, if you scratch or chip an acrylic gloss door, it cannot be repaired like a lacquered gloss door can. Thirdly, customers often find noticable shading differences between acrylic doors after their 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 the original ones.
Hi Gloss painted and lacquered kitchen doors
This type of door is also good-quality. They are made by applying several coats of high quality lacquer/paint to an MDF base. Like acrylic doors, these also have a smooth, highly reflective, mirror like finish.
This type of door has several advantages over acrylic gloss doors. Firstly, it doesn’t have any visible edges. Secondly, they don’t get scratched like acrylic gloss doors, and if they do, they can be repaired. Thirdly, unlike acrylic doors, there’s virtually no risk of shading differences.
Painted and lacquered gloss doors do have one disadvantage though and that is durability. Unfortunately, there’s a risk that a painted and lacquered gloss door could chip on the edge. However, as mentioned previously, a chip on a lacquered door can always be repaired. Also, chipping is only really a problem with fully lacquered doors. If you buy a lacquered door with a pvc edge, the risk of it chipping is very low.
Our free service recommends the best value kitchen suppliers in your area. Their kitchens cost similar to places like Howdens, Wren and Magnet, 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:
“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
“No-one should buy a kitchen without speaking to Kitchenfindr first. The worrying bit is that if you don’t get his advice, you could easily end up spending £15k upwards more”
Bal Pabla, Romford, Essex
“The price was similar to builders merchants & DIY chains, but the kitchen was much better quality”
Andrew Scott, Wivenhoe, Essex
Find out more
For more info on Acrylic doors visit the Parapan website
