How to tell the quality of a gloss kitchen
To ensure you are getting the value when buying a gloss kitchen, it is important to take into account the quality of the door. 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 and are characterised by an unreflective, bobbly/orange peel like finish.
The majority of gloss kitchens sold by the high street chains and trade-only suppliers are this type.
The problem with these doors is they peel. Peeling usually starts with bubbling along the edges of the doors. Unfortunately, once a door starts to peel, it has to be replaced. Below are some pictures of peeling wrapped gloss doors.
Acrylic doors
Hi Gloss Acrylic doors are another type of high quality gloss kitchen. They come in two forms: either solid acrylic, eg. Parapan, or acrylic faced (a thin layer of acrylic, bonded onto an MDF base). Acrylic gloss doors are characterised by a smooth, highly reflective, mirror like finish.
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. Firstly, if you look closely, you can see where the door has been edged on all 4 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, with acrylic doors, it is not uncommon for customers to find noticeable shading differences between doors once 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 high 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.
The majority of gloss kitchens available from Independent kitchen showrooms are this type.
This type of door has several advantages over acrylic gloss doors. Firstly, it doesn’t have any visible edges. Secondly, unlike acrylic gloss doors, if they get scratched, 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.
Where are the best places to buy painted and lacquered gloss kitchens from?
You are unlikely to find a good selection of painted and lacquered gloss kitchens in the high street chains and trade-only suppliers. As mentioned previously, they mostly sell low quality wrapped gloss kitchens.
For a good selection of painted and lacquered gloss kitchens, you will need to visit Independent kitchen showrooms. There is a common misconception that independent kitchen showrooms are much more expensive than the high street chains and trade-only suppliers. Although this is the case with some showrooms, it is not the case with all of them.
In fact, If you know the right ones 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.
How do you find the suppliers in your area who offer these great value kitchens?
Simple, 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
“Kitchenfindr recommended a showroom who were much better value than most of the other showrooms I’d previously looked at”
Hannah Malone, Esher, Surrey
“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
Find out more
For more info on Acrylic doors visit the Parapan website