Getting your cabinet finish right
Getting Your Cabinet Finish Right
We believe that the cabinet finish you choose when designing your new kitchen is the most important design decision you’ll make through the whole process. Not the colour, size, style or handle types. The finish is definitely the most important part. Let’s face it, it sets the tone for your whole kitchen design. What you choose can dramatically change the style and create a whole new look.
So, let’s take a look at some of the options you can choose from and why we think they’re great!
Available materials
Regardless of the material you’ve chosen for your cabinets, there’s also a number of finishes you can choose to achieve the look you’re after. For example, if you’ve chosen solid timber doors you can simply seal them with a coating of oil, or for a more durable finish, can be painted with clear or coloured polyurethane. It depends on your preference.
Laminex and Polytec both offer a huge range of options so you won’t be short of colours and finishes to choose from to create you dream new kitchen.
Painted MDF cabinets are another stunning option. Paint them with a matt or gloss paint to achieve the look you’re after.
Now, the biggest decision, will you go with Matt or Gloss finishes?
High-gloss
High-gloss cabinets are as in-demand now as they were in the 1970s when they were the trendiest thing in kitchen design. We think this type of cabinetry is best suited to a contemporary style kitchen with handle-less cabinets.
Reflecting the light and having a shiny finish, high-gloss cabinets are in demand with customers. The ability to add a pop of colour with a stylish benchtop or on-counter appliances, as well as the clean look are just more reason to keep high-gloss cabinets on the list.
Pros and Cons of High-gloss cabinet
- High gloss cabinets are really easy to clean.
- They reflect the light and bounce it off other surfaces creating interesting colours.
- They make your space feel larger and more open so are a great choice for smaller kitchens.
- You’ll see all the fingerprints, dirt and scratches. But! They are easy to clean off.
- Dark high-gloss cabinets show up all the tiny imperfections on the surface of the doors. You might want to avoid dark high-gloss cabinets if you have small children or pets that like to jump up!
Tips for high-gloss cabinets
- If you’re worried about fingerprints and scratches we have a great solution for you, try high-gloss wall cabinets and match with a matt cabinet on the bottom. Gorgeous!
- If you want to incorporate a darker colour into your kitchen and really have your heart set on a gloss finish, then consider mixing it with a lighter colour. Position the darker colour cabinets at eye level where they are out of reach of sticky fingers (especially if you have children), and keep the lower-level cabinets a lighter colour, which won’t show fingerprints as easily.
Matt
Oh country-style kitchen, we love you! If you’re looking for a country-style or traditional style kitchen a matt-finish is what you’ll be choosing. Matt-finish cabinets don’t reflect the light like a gloss cabinet does so they can appear flatter than a gloss kitchen. But if shaker-style cabinets is what you’re after then a matt-finish will work best.
No matter what style kitchen you want to create, a matt-finish on your cabinets will work well in them all. Handless cabinets in a matt-finish look so different in a matt kitchen than a gloss but work just as well to create that contemporary style.
Pros & Cons of Matt
- Fingerprints, scratches and other imperfections are less noticeable than gloss cabinets.
- The colour appears more consistent due to the lack of light reflection.
- Textured laminate can look spectacular but aren’t always easy to clean.
- Light is absorbed not reflected, creating a more muted look.
- The lack of light reflection doesn’t help your space feel any bigger.
- Not as easy to clean because the surface isn’t as smooth.
Tips for matt-finish cabinets
- To add some depth and interest to your kitchen choose a shaker-style cabinet. This will help it not appear too flat.
- Mix two colours together to create contrast and a point of interest.
Could semi-gloss be the answer?
Still not sure? Let us throw another option at you…semi-gloss. All the advantages of high-gloss cabinets and some of the matt-finish too. Not being as light-reflective as their high-gloss counterparts, semi-gloss reflect the light a little but you won’t see as many reflections. Goodbye fingerprints!
And, just like high-gloss cabinets, they’re nice and easy to clean!
Check out our range today and choose the cabinet finish to suit your new Luma kitchen!
