Kitchen Doors: Painted Ash or Vinyl Wrapped?

Davesnave

We've finally designed a new kitchen and chosen a supplier/fitter, but I'm still pondering over the door finish.

Friends have gone for ash frames with veneered centre panel and a painted finish, but all of them have reported some chipping or wear on paint finishes at corners etc. All the painted doors start out as ivory, but are painted over to achieve other colours.

Since friends' kitchens were installed, a new door, sourced in Ireland I think, has come to the market. This is a vinyl wrapped door in five pieces, which actually looks pretty convincing and attractive, being a different, and in our view nicer design than the real wood door offered. We had to look quite closely to see it was a fake, as it's also 'wood grained.' Again, this door starts as ivory, but is overpainted to produce other colours.

We would be buying ivory units.

My question is, aesthetics apart, what are the likely drawbacks of choosing the cheaper vinyl wrapped door? Would we be likely to regret it later? We know from 3 kitchens installed by friends what can happen with the painted ones, but that is quite easily dealt with with a bit of touch-up paint, so we would not rule them out.

Furts

I have come across vinyl wrap where the wrap is peeling away. This is where the doors and drawers are located beneath sinks, washing machines, and dishwashers. Anywhere where moisture is dripping down or present. This is exacerbated by an mdf core - it soaks up the water and expands.

My other observation is damage - the wrap is not tough enough to resist all accidents or instances of a heavy handed approach. Here I accept that all products have limitations.

IMHO in a sustainable, eco, approach all doors should be solid timber giving a life span of say 25+ years. Common sense and easily achievable but not a fashionable viewpoint. So I accept that this will never happen.

Ianwzzz

Furts wrote: »

I have come across vinyl wrap where the wrap is peeling away. This is where the doors and drawers are located beneath sinks, washing machines, and dishwashers. Anywhere where moisture is dripping down or present. This is exacerbated by an mdf core - it soaks up the water and expands.

I agree. I purchased a kitchen from Wickes 6 years ago and I have 7 doors peeling and Wickes do not want to know now the 5 year guarantee is up.

Davesnave

I hear what you're both saying and I've seen damaged vinyl doors myself in rental property.

However, against that, I also know of a good quality vinyl-wrap kitchen, fitted at least 25 years ago. This still looks pretty good and appears unlikely to need replacement any time soon.

I'm sure the behaviour of people comes into this. The long-lasting kitchen I above is owned by elderly people, who look after things.

We too aren't in the first flush of youth, so no longer have hard-wearing children to worry about.

Furts

Davesnave wrote: »

I hear what you're both saying and I've seen damaged vinyl doors myself in rental property.

However, against that, I also know of a good quality vinyl-wrap kitchen, fitted at least 25 years ago. This still looks pretty good and appears unlikely to need replacement any time soon.

I'm sure the behaviour of people comes into this. The long-lasting kitchen I above is owned by elderly people, who look after things.

We too aren't in the first flush of youth, so no longer have hard-wearing children to worry about.

I tend to agree but there are some provisos. The elderley couple would not have used the kitchen as much as a family, and they might not have an integrated dishwasher. Hence the doors and drawers have not received as much use.

Then there is the worktop - the traditional good laminate worktops had adequate overhangs plus sinks with proper drainers. Top spec ones would have drip grooves routed in , like Duropal do now.

But form has overtaken function. Now we have minimal, or no overhangs, Belfast sinks, the worktop as a drainer with flat surfaces, or a few minimal grooves, taps flush mounted to worktops, under mounted sinks with no recess in the worktop surface. This all causes wet and damage. It may all be questionable practice and the vinyl wrapped doors suffer.

So if you desire vinyl wrapped doors give thought to your worktop design and detailing.

Davesnave

Furts wrote: »

So if you desire vinyl wrapped doors give thought to your worktop design and detailing.

Thanks. The worktop is chosen and it's Duropal, coupled with an 'old fashioned' stainless steel 1.5 bowl sink.

The couple in their 80s do have a dishwasher, but their washing machine etc is elsewhere. They also have a tablet computer and smart phone, which is more than I have! :rotfl:

ryder72

Wrapped doors are a one way street to problems. Stay clear. The design is inherently flawed but it is driven by cost considerations. There is no cheap way to make a gloss door.

The wrapped 5 piece doors are pretty convincing but its still a wrapped door. If you want a wood effect 5 piece door, buy a wooden door and it wont go wrong. If you want a wood grain door, get a quality laminate door with applied edges. If you want gloss, an edged laminate, acrylic or lacquered door is your answer.

Davesnave

ryder72 wrote: »

Wrapped doors are a one way street to problems. Stay clear.

Thanks. Being involved directly in the industry, I was hoping you'd reply. You probably know the place which is churning out thousands of these doors.

This is what I feared you, or one of the other kitchen people, would say.

However, back around March time you said to another poster:

"If you prefer the shaker door look, there are some new doors on the market made from grained foil in 5 piece construction. The quality looks very good and its very hard to tell them from painted wood doors. This type of door is relatively new so their long term performance isnt know but expect them to be durable."

Now I'm slightly confused!

I'm prepared to pay the difference between wrapped doors and the next step up, which is the painted solid ash framed ones with a veneered and painted centre panel. The question is whether my OH is willing to make the change to a simpler looking door.....

Further comments from others also welcome.

ryder72

From what I have seen the manufacturers have taken care to hide the foil joints in the groove where the centre panel goes so on that front it is more technically thought out and its one of the best wrapped door I have seen.

However, the door has been on the market barely a year so long term durability is unknown. And it doesnt take away from the fact that its a wrapped door. A nice burger from McDonalds is still a McDonalds burger - its never going to become gourmet food.

If you want to buy a door with grain showing through the lacquer then there is no real substitute to wood doors. If you want a simple shaker look, then consider a lacquered smooth shaker doors. This will be on an MDF core primed and lacquered and would make for an excellent durable door for probably less or similar money to a painted timber door.

PM me if you have any more questions.

Davesnave

Many thanks.

I'm committed to buying from the one place now, but I think we will put the foil doors on hold and borrow a painted timber door for comparative purposes.

I agree that initially the foil doors look good, but familiarity through having one here at home has made me less keen. They're still 'fake' and that feeling grows the longer I look at it.

My OH may yet come around to the painted ones.....

Your advice has been very helpful.