Doors
There are several door types available when designing your kitchen;
Melamine
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The most popular choice in NZ for doors, is the melamine product. Some call it "Melteca" - this is the Fletchers brand name for what is technically called Low Pressure Laminate. It is very similar to Formica, but thinner and less expensive.
The melamine laminate itself is pressed onto either particle board (chipboard) or MDF. MDF is a better product because it is stronger and doesn't chip when cut. When cut, a raw edge is exposed - this is clashed (edgebanded) with a 2mm PVC.
It is popular because it is very cost effective and comes in a huge range of colours. The only downside to melamine is the PVC edge - it is durable and won't come off, but you can always see a line between the melamine panel and the PVC edge. Check it out, and if it bothers you, think about an upgrade....
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Vinyl
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This is a process where a raw MDF panel is cut, machined and sanded, then a vinyl foil is shrink wrapped onto the surface, in a thermoforming process.
The advantages of vinyl doors is that you can have patterns in it. Also, there is no PVC edge.
Vinyl has taken over where a painted door left off - it is much harder wearing, easy to clean and will still look great in years to come!
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Paint and Veneer
Painted surfaces are too difficult to handle, they don't wear well, and not so easy to clean. Wooden veneer panels are very expensive. They tend to chip and the clashings are difficult to manage also - this all causes rejects and pushes the cost up. Couple this with issues with inconsistency in batches (its a natural product) means that we can't produce these items efficiently - so we stopped producing them in 2004. If it has to be paint and veneer, then we can't help you - you will need to contact a custom kitchen maker - but get ready to spend the big dollars!
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