Kitchen Unit Doors

By admin | February 11, 2010

If your kitchen units are starting to look past their best, or even if you are only fed up with them, you can provide your kitchen a whole new look just by re-facing the kitchen unit doors.
The amount of effort and costs involved depends greatly on the style of the existing doors. But whatever sort of door you are working on, it is easiest to take away it first by unscrewing the hinges. If you don’t know what doors to use here are some type of materials to give you inspiration:

Solid wood doors have unique variations in color, grain and texture. There is a huge range of stains and timbers available, from pale ash to dark walnut. Wood is the heaviest option and can be the most expensive choice. Solid wood develops an attractive patina over time but it can also dent easily.
Wood veneer is a thin layer of timber bonded to an MDF or other core. A good veneer will be indistinguishable from solid wood from a distance but is less expensive.

Painted finishes are powder-coated or spray-painted to give a uniform and hard-wearing finish, or hand-painted for a more bespoke look. The doors are often MDF at the lower end of the market, while more expensive doors are solid wood. Painted doors can be sanded and repainted.
Lacquered finishes are clear or colored varnishes on an MDF or other base that provide a hard, durable coating and a modern look. This is a mid to high-end option, depending on the company you buy from.

Foils are sheets wrapped around an MDF or MCF (melamine-faced chipboard) core. They are used for some high-gloss doors and to create effects such as faux wood, where they provide a consistent colour and grain that you don’t get with the real thing. Foils are usually the cheapest option.
Vinyl / PVC wraps are used to give a painted or wood effect and are more hard-wearing than foils. They look real but are cheaper than wood or lacquer and theirs durability makes them less susceptible to denting than wood.

Stainless-steel doors are robust, hygienic and resistant to corrosion, but are a pricey option. They are made by sealing a single piece of steel to an MFC or other core.
Glass is often fitted as a centre panel in unit doors for display, but some kitchen ranges have units with a glass surface, most of which have a lacquer sprayed onto the back for durability and are attached to an MDF base.

Kitchen door tips:

Avoid using appliances like kettles and toasters beneath wall units as the heat will cause damage.