There are numerous decisions to be made, from start to finish, when thinking about replacing your kitchen. One of the most important decisions is the look and feel of your kitchen which can be heavily determined by the type of kitchen cabinets you choose and then the style of door. There are two main types of cabinets you can choose from and many different styles of doors so that can make your decisions a great deal harder! So, we’ve tried to make it easier for you and put together some of our expertise to make your decisions a little more straightforward.
How are kitchen cabinets built / made?
At John Franklin Kitchens, we make two types of kitchens – one design is inset (otherwise known as inframe) and the other is a lay-on style. Both are then available with a huge selection of door styles and colours. The inset style has a frame which is glued and fixed on to the carcass – making it exceptionally strong. (Not all kitchen companies fix their frames on in this way so you should make sure you know how yours will be fixed). The door is then inset into the frame with butt hinges – it gives a more traditional look to a kitchen. The lay-on style uses standard hinges, we use a soft closing one, to fix the door to the carcass.
Above: This shows an inframe design where the doors are inset into the frame and fixed with traditional butt hinges.
Above: This is a lay-on style where the door fixes straight onto the carcass with standard soft closing hinges.
The cupboard carcasses are usually made from chipboard which come in varying densities and thicknesses. At John Franklin Kitchens, we use an 18mm high density chipboard with a hard wearing, easy to clean melamine facing. All the internal shelves are edged all round and have a 3mm PVC front edge which is applied by machine so it will not chip, peel or flick off. Other carcass materials are available, oak veneer, pine to name but two – just ask for more information!
Can you just replace fronts of kitchen cabinets and would you recommend this?
Yes, it is very feasible to upgrade your kitchen by replacing the door fronts. Would we recommend this? We always tell our customers if you change the doors and can make the kitchen look and feel like a completely new kitchen then it’s worth doing – if its always going to look a little mismatched then its probably not worth it.
If your door fronts are in good condition but you just want to update them, depending what they are made from it may be possible to paint existing doors either by hand or spray painted. You should ask your kitchen designer about your options.
Depending on how old your existing cabinets are, they may not be a standard size so a company like ours that makes doors to any size is ideal if you are retaining your existing units. Upgrading other items to include worktops, tiles and/or appliances will all go further to a “brand new looking” kitchen without the greater expense of a whole new kitchen.
What types of kitchen cabinet door finishes are available?
Hand Painted Finish: This tends to have a smoother finish which can last a very long time or if you change your mind, you can simply change the colour! We tend to use Dulux, Farrow & Ball and Little Green paints.
Vinyl Finish: There are lots of colours available and they come in a matt, supermatt or gloss finishes.
Lacquered Wood: There are many woods available for kitchen doors. The most popular are American Oak, English Oak, Maple and Beech. We use a semi matt lacquer to finish our doors. These are all hard woods and are extremely durable in a kitchen situation.
If you have any additional questions about kitchen cabinets or kitchens in general, please get in touch with a member of our team today!