Choosing Kitchen Cupboard Finishes: Which Is Best?

One of the most visible components of your kitchen is its cabinets. So it’s no surprise that choosing kitchen cabinet finishes is an important task. But there are so many factors to consider. You’ve got to take into account practicality, visual appeal, ambience, and consistency – just to name a few. Luckily, you’ve got the wealth of knowledge that is the Internet on your side. And better still, you’ve got us! Here are our best tips for choosing a good kitchen cabinet finish.

Before we look at finishes, let’s take a look at your options in terms of kitchen cabinet materials

Before you know your finishes, though, you need to know your materials. Different materials offer their own finishes, and they are often unique subsets of the main two finish categories. Certain materials often offer different practical advantages as well, which is worth discussing with some experts. Generally speaking, you’ll be looking at materials such as MD, particle board, plywood, solid wood, and even melamine. As for the finishes they offer – read on and find out!

What are the kitchen cabinet finishes that these materials offer?

Kitchen cabinet finishes are categorised in two ways: gloss, and matte. Your gloss finishes are usually found on materials such as particle board and melamine. On the other hand, your matte finishes are usually found on materials such as solid timber and veneer. So the first thing you need to do is choose your material. Doing so will normally help narrow your choice later on. However, if you are set on a certain finish, a polyurethane coating in the finish of your choice is always an option.

Matte kitchen cabinets have an interesting and muted finish – here are the pros and cons

Matte finishes don’t reflect any light. And that’s both their main drawcard, and their main drawback. In terms of advantages, you get sleek and muted tones. These accompany natural decors perfectly. But it doesn’t end there! Matte tones also accompany dark or brooding decors very well, if you’re going for a more urban look. You’ve probably seen a lot of dark matte finishes such as matte black, or matte grey online lately. They’re pretty hard to fault, too! However, if you’re looking to give the impression of space and spaciousness, matte finishes can hold you back a little. If you think back to some of the matte kitchens you’ve seen in the brochures, you might notice that they’re all quite large. That’s simply because smaller kitchen can feel a little tight with matte kitchen cabinet finishes.

Gloss kitchen cabinets have a reflective and shiny finish – here are some pros and cons

The second category of kitchen cabinet finish is gloss. Glossy cabinets are a little more common than matte ones, because they go well with the more affordable cabinet materials, such as particle board. However, don’t let that distract you from the endless possibilities of a gloss cabinet finish. For starters, glossy kitchen cabinets succeed in making your kitchen feel light and spacious. Glossy finishes reflect light, which makes for a bright and cheery space. Glossy cabinets are also very easy to clean. The smoothness of the hard surface means there’s nowhere for bacteria to hide! But, if you go for a gloss finish on your kitchen cabinets, give some thought to what light they will be reflecting. If you have a lot of different colours in spaces adjoining your kitchen, those colours are likely to be reflected. Of course, that’s not always a bad thing – but it is worth keeping in mind.

For more kitchen design tips, speak with our design experts today!