The Different Types of Door Material for Kitchen Cabinets
There are three main types of materials used for the doors on cabinets. Here we discuss the pros and cons of each material.
Solid Wood Cabinet Doors
Solid wood doors offer the highest quality, greatest strength and most durability. They are one solid piece of wood that has been cut into its profile with high-tech machinery. Solid wood allows you to see the natural grain of the wood and displays the natural variance and beauty in the wood while having a very durable product.
Plywood Cabinet Doors
Plywood cabinet doors are not a bad option for doors, as they are still made from real wood and not a byproduct, such as MDF, but they lack the sophisticated look of solid wood doors with a cut profile. Plywood doors will only be found on flat cabinets because they cannot be cut into like solid wood.
Melamine Cabinet Doors
Melamine cabinet doors are made from a laminate covered particleboard or MDF (Middle Density Fiberboard). They are very low quality, inexpensive, and the laminate covering is easy to peel off, especially when exposed to heat, moisture or extreme humidity. This type of door will typically not be found in higher quality cabinetry.
In the picture to the left, you can see how the laminate will peel and then expose the material underneath, making it even more vulnerable.