Kitchen furniture, what material do I choose?
The furniture is the essence of the kitchen, but how to choose them without making mistakes? When it comes to designing the kitchen of your house one of the decisions will be to know the material that best suits you, to know the qualities of that material, the costs of the material and the style of your house.
Now that summer is coming, it's a good time to renovate the kitchen. Finally you have the ideal opportunity to design your kitchen completely tailored, and cover all the needs that, during all these years, you have missed.
It begins by distinguishing the material from which the furniture is made itself and the one that covers them. It is the combination between these two factors that will make you right in your decision. We tell you how to choose the perfect furniture to give you the change you want and stay as a catalog.
What material is the furniture made of?
Chipboard Base: Composed of remains of wood compacted with resins or adhesives. They are moderately priced and feature a wide variety of colors and textures. Chipboard furniture can only be smooth, without frames or moldings. Make sure it is water-resistant, that is, water resistant, otherwise it can end up swelling.
The DM boards or the medium density pressed fiberboard (also called MDF), somewhat higher than those of agglomerated but also of higher quality. On top of DM boards goes the lacquer, so if you grate you can repair the coup.
Plywood boards or Marine board: made from very thin layers of superimposed solid wood. They are higher in price, and some manufacturers already do not sell them. It all depends on the quality you're looking for for your kitchen furniture.
Types of doors and finishes
Low pressure melamine or laminate:
It is chipboard doors covered by a decorative paper melamine that melts both sides, making a surface free of pores and good resistance to wear. It can be smooth or carry printed a wooden design or other material.
There are also thermostructures, also called medium pressure laminates. It is a more recent form of the previous laminates, with similar characteristics, which show a texture rough to the touch and that is achieved by pressing on the material previously laminated, achieving an extraordinary natural appearance.
Advantages: very real appearance. Easy cleaning. Economic price.
Disadvantages: They occur only on smooth surfaces, although it is the current trend. Only available in mate.
Enjoy the result in one of our latest projects AC apartment, in L'Olivereta
Stratified or high pressure laminates:
They are chipboard or MDF doors covered with a decorative sheet composed of several layers of impregnated paper, resulting in a material of great resistance to moisture, friction and scratching. Formica is the world's best known brand, which is why these laminates are called generically.
Advantages: Very current appearance. Very good resistance and durability. Easy cleaning and affordable price. Gloss or matte finishes.
Disadvantages: Only available on smooth surfaces. It has No high brightness.
Polylaminates or PVC
They are doors covered with a sheet of vinyl that covers even the edges and that is applied by means of heat, adapting different shapes and reliefs. It is available in plain colors or wood imitations. The counterface is coated with design melamine.
Advantages: Finish without joints or visible edges. Easy cleaning. It allows doors with reliefs, in addition to the smooth.
Disadvantages: unnatural appearance in some wood colors.
With the passage of time and high temperatures (such as the one generated by the furnaces) can cause the vinyl to shrink or take off irreparably. It has lost much popularity in recent years, as a result of the previous drawbacks and the introduction of new very attractive laminate materials.
Lacquered, matte or glossy:
They are fiber boards coated with a laminated melamine and subsequently lacquered with UV drying, resulting in a decorative panel of high strength, high gloss finish, Matt and the so-called supermate.
Advantages: High resistance to scratching, surface quality, level of gloss mirror or matte soft to the touch and stability of the colors to the light. Available in plain colors and with various fantasy designs.
Disadvantages: Although it is a lacquered material, the available colours are limited to the catalogue offered by each manufacturer.
Enjoy the result in one of our latest projects apartment JM, in Alfafar.
Aluminium or Stainless steel:
We are accustomed to seeing this material in professional kitchens, but you can also combine it in yours with other more natural wood finishes. It has nothing to do with everything we've seen so far. Stainless steel, like aluminum, can give you a more modern and industrial touch to our kitchen. It is a very resistant and sued material because of its attractiveness. There are several finishes to choose from, such as sanding, glazing or satin. In fact, even there are some effects that will surprise you.
Advantages: resistant, easy to maintain and combinable.
Drawbacks: expensive and sober if not combined.
Glass
Here is the least common material of all those who are part of this article. The glass, like aluminum, is being installed in the kitchens of some houses thanks to the advances that have been made in that sense in recent years. To this day you can buy screen-printed or plain glass furniture that are quite frankly good.
In favor of the glass it is necessary to say that it can adapt to any style of decoration. It does not matter the color, the stamping or the finish, almost always becomes a highly recommended alternative to marry other types of materials. And of course, as you know, it is a sturdy material that can be cleaned in the blink of an eye.
What are the price differences between the materials?
Although it does not vary the price with the choice of the material, as the interiors and accessories are always the same. The price scale, from more economical to less, is: laminated, laminated and laminated, wood and Matt Lacquers and gloss lacquers, stainless steel and finally, the glass.
What is best cleaned: matte or shine?
Matt materials are more discreet in the face of fingerprints and daily dirt than shines. However, the shines with the smoother surface are cleaned better. Any material with minimal maintenance on a regular basis will have a good behavior.