Doors are what you see on a kitchen and touch every day - the front material determines the look, the price, and how the kitchen looks after five years of use. A comparison of the five most common materials by durability, price and maintenance requirements.
Laminate (LTD)
Chipboard coated with a decorative foil - the most affordable material on the market. A quality version lasts 8-15 years in everyday use. The weak point is the edge: cheap laminate starts peeling near the worktop or sink after a few years, while a better version with a thicker edge resists this for much longer. Maintenance is easy - just wipe with a damp cloth, but it doesn’t tolerate standing water on the edge over time.
Foil (pressed)
A similar principle to laminate, but the foil is pressed over a profiled piece - allowing routed patterns and rounded edges that laminate can’t achieve. Priced close to laminate, but somewhat more sensitive to heat - near an oven, foil can change shade over time or start to come loose. Maintenance is as easy as with laminate.
Lacquer (matte or high gloss)
Lacquered doors offer the cleanest look - a solid colour with no texture, and an almost mirror-like effect in high gloss. The price is significantly higher than laminate or foil, because lacquering is a more demanding, multi-layer process. Downside: fingerprints and small scratches show on glossy lacquer, making matte lacquer more practical in this respect. Maintenance requires softer cloths and no abrasive cleaning products.
Veneer
A thin layer of real wood glued onto a board - the look of solid wood at a significantly lower price. Durability depends on the surface finish (lacquer, oil), typically comparable to a lacquered surface. The key detail is the edge: quality workmanship uses a wooden edge on the sides of the door too, while a cheaper version uses a printed plastic edge that differs both visually and to the touch. Maintenance is the same as lacquered wood - protect it from prolonged moisture.
Solid wood
Real wood through the entire thickness of the door, glued from planks (oak, beech, maple, ash and others). The highest price of all the materials, but also the longest lifespan with proper care - solid-wood doors can be sanded down and relacquered after years, which “refreshes” the kitchen. The downside is sensitivity to humidity and temperature: solid wood needs a stable climate, and in a kitchen with heavy steam and no extraction it can warp slightly over time.
Durability around the sink and hob
Regardless of the material chosen, the most stressed area of a door is around the sink and hob - a combination of moisture, heat and mechanical wear. With laminate and foil, edge quality shows first here; with lacquer, it’s the surface’s resistance to heat from pots placed too close; with veneer and solid wood, it’s the material’s ability to withstand repeated cycles of damp and dry. When choosing a material, it’s therefore worth considering how intensively you cook, not just how the door looks in a sample book.
Combining materials in one kitchen
You don’t have to choose just one door material for the whole kitchen. It’s common practice to combine them - for example lacquered or laminate upper cabinets with a veneered or solid-wood lower section, or a contrast between two lacquer shades on the island versus the rest of the run. Combining materials lowers the overall price (less of the more expensive material) while also giving the kitchen a visual depth that a single uniform material can’t offer.
What to ask about a sample
A sample on a display stand never fully captures how a material will look across the full surface of a door, or how it will age. For veneer and solid wood, ask how the manufacturer handles the wood grain between individual doors - a quality workshop makes sure it lines up. For lacquer, ask about the coating thickness and whether a minor scratch can be repaired without replacing the whole piece.
At a glance
- Cheapest and lowest maintenance: laminate and foil.
- Cleanest modern look: lacquer, at a higher price and with a need for careful handling.
- The look of wood at a reasonable price: veneer, with attention to edge quality.
- Longest lifespan with proper care: solid wood, at the highest entry price.
Door material makes up a substantial part of the price of the whole kitchen - you’ll find a detailed breakdown of all the items in our article on bespoke kitchen pricing. You can check the specific materials individual workshops in the directory offer directly on the manufacturer profiles.