Kitchen unit door/drawer finishes - quality

Jeepers44

Hi - looking for a bit of help de-mystifying some of the terms used by companies to describe how the doors are coated / painted.
I'm looking to avoid the cheapest type, which I understand are vinyl / pvc wrapped doors, but start to get lost with exactly what some of the descriptions I've come across actually mean so would be grateful if someone in the know could help shed some light.
For example - one door I have seen is described as lacquered laminate, but then the finer details describe it as lacquered PET foil (Postformed front coated with UV lacquered PET foil to be precise..) which slightly threw me as I thought laminate doors were different to wrapped? But perhaps I have misunderstood the description.
Other doors in the range are described as:
- melamine coating with all round polymer edging
- laminate coating with all round polymer edging
- lacquered front on MDF board
- PMMA
- laminate acrylic
Apologies if I'm being a bit thick but I'm totally lost now on what all these different descriptions mean and what quality they therefore have.
Many thanks

Jeepers44

Just bumping incase anyone can assist

Rosa_Damascena

None of these mean that much on paper. It was only after I ordered samples of a variety of materials and specifications that I could see and feel the difference, I was amazed that MDF is heavier than wood, for example.

Jeepers44

Rosa_Damascena said:

None of these mean that much on paper. It was only after I ordered samples of a variety of materials and specifications that I could see and feel the difference, I was amazed that MDF is heavier than wood, for example.

Thanks - yes I'm starting to think that's where i'll end up. I'm finding the world of kitchens an absolute minefield, just trying to understand what exactly it is you are paying for quality wise to gauge whether you are getting good value 

Nikkihud0609

Just to say I recently bought some new kitchen doors from Homestyle Cupboard Doors and they were fabulous! They look fab and we’re not expensive. Wrapped MDF I believe, saved myself a good £6k on a new kitchen!

FreeBear

Nikkihud0609 said:

Just to say I recently bought some new kitchen doors from Homestyle Cupboard Doors and they were fabulous! They look fab and we’re not expensive. Wrapped MDF I believe, saved myself a good £6k on a new kitchen!

You might want to put a heat shield either side of the oven. I had wrapped doors from the same supplier, and the doors either side of my oven have started to peel. Also noticed a bit of peeling on the draw front above the kickstrip heater..

When funds (and inclination) allow, I'll replace with solid wood.

Nikkihud0609

FreeBear said:

Nikkihud0609 said:

Just to say I recently bought some new kitchen doors from Homestyle Cupboard Doors and they were fabulous! They look fab and we’re not expensive. Wrapped MDF I believe, saved myself a good £6k on a new kitchen!

You might want to put a heat shield either side of the oven. I had wrapped doors from the same supplier, and the doors either side of my oven have started to peel. Also noticed a bit of peeling on the draw front above the kickstrip heater..

When funds (and inclination) allow, I'll replace with solid wood.

Yes we put those in, once had a wren kitchen and it did the same thing, bobbled and peeled. If they do me 3-4 years I’ll be happy, we’re hoping to extend so seemed daft spending on a brand new kitchen now to change it again in a few years

maisie_cat

The problem with all the MDF/chipboard wrapped doors is that once they split, crack or delaminate the moisture gets in, the substrate expands and they are not easily repairable. 
I have a solid wood kitchen unit that has been painted 3 times over 15 years and still looks new as well as an inherited 2-3 year old Howdens kitchen with the plastic doors that looks awful already.
I will only replace units with solid wood now.

phoebe1989seb

maisie_cat said:

The problem with all the MDF/chipboard wrapped doors is that once they split, crack or delaminate the moisture gets in, the substrate expands and they are not easily repairable. 
I have a solid wood kitchen unit that has been painted 3 times over 15 years and still looks new as well as an inherited 2-3 year old Howdens kitchen with the plastic doors that looks awful already.
I will only replace units with solid wood now.

Same here!
We've previously inherited cheap wrapped kitchen cabinets that were relatively recently fitted yet looked terrible. The plastic drawer innards constantly fell apart too!

Otoh, we also have a vintage solid wood kitchen larder that has been painted numerous times (twice by us 🙄), that looks brand spanking (in a vintage-y way, lol!).

The last three kitchens we have fitted have been solid timber (including carcasses), in-frame with MDF panels in the doors - although current kitchen is virtually all drawers anyway - and by comparison these have all stood the test of time/usage far better.

I also wouldn't entertain wrapped/plastic doors and from experience, imho the rigid, timber cabinets are not much more expensive over time if you weigh up how long they last compared to the *cheaper* type 😉

Rosa_Damascena

FreeBear said:

Nikkihud0609 said:

Just to say I recently bought some new kitchen doors from Homestyle Cupboard Doors and they were fabulous! They look fab and we’re not expensive. Wrapped MDF I believe, saved myself a good £6k on a new kitchen!

You might want to put a heat shield either side of the oven. I had wrapped doors from the same supplier, and the doors either side of my oven have started to peel. Also noticed a bit of peeling on the draw front above the kickstrip heater..

When funds (and inclination) allow, I'll replace with solid wood.

What is this heat shield that you speak of?

FreeBear

Rosa_Damascena said:

FreeBear said:

Nikkihud0609 said:

Just to say I recently bought some new kitchen doors from Homestyle Cupboard Doors and they were fabulous! They look fab and we’re not expensive. Wrapped MDF I believe, saved myself a good £6k on a new kitchen!

You might want to put a heat shield either side of the oven. I had wrapped doors from the same supplier, and the doors either side of my oven have started to peel. Also noticed a bit of peeling on the draw front above the kickstrip heater..

When funds (and inclination) allow, I'll replace with solid wood.

What is this heat shield that you speak of?

https://www.diy.com/departments/it-kitchens-stainless-steel-effect-mild-steel-oven-heat-deflector-kit-l-603mm/97790_BQ.prd

It is fixed to either side of your oven door and deflects some of the heat away from adjacent doors.