www.ultimatehandyman.co.uk

Following on from the thread "Kitchen Supplier Choice" my wife has spent the afternoon on (seemingly highly rated) DIYK & presented me with a shortlist.

Whilst I would be tended to avoid "foiled" doors as being common-or-garden, I can't find any information on the site as to the differences (in terms of finish, durability & longevity) between:

- Malton Foil Wrap MDF Painted (sic?)
- Clayton MDF Painted
- Stanbury Lacquered MDF Painted
- Linwood Solid Timber Frame / Veneered Panel Painted
- Norton Solid Timber Frame / Veneered Panel Painted

Not bothered about the price differences as a new kitchen will outlive me (though SWMBO is younger!) but would MDF not be just as sound & stable as solid timber?

Foil Wrap (painted?) - v.- MDF Painted - v.- Lacquered MDF Painted ?

Don't you just love people who ask daft questions to which they ought to know the answer already.....

We have the DIY handless doors , sprayed finish two colours both Farrow and Ball , Blackened and Oval room Blue. I don’t think the paint is farrow and ball just the colours.

The finish is really good semi gloss smooth flat and easy to clean, two years later it’s standing up well to me!

Had couple of corner chips during my installation and one since , but the touch up paint supplied work well

I think that you can get a good finish on a door irrespective of the core material. If it is painted then to a degree as long as it is stable then construction is immaterial. I made my kitchen doors our of poplar frames with cabinet grade ply fields. It was a lot of work routing, assembling, and painting but they turned out fine apart from two that warped and I had to replace them. I had stupidly left a spine of heartwood on two stiles. The skill is in the painting and with modern painting methods, the finish can be fantastic on MDF doors. Foil covered doors invariably have an MDF core.

Quite frankly the things to look for are a finish that looks good, is hard wearing, and will last for the life you want from it.

It is all down to your, or rather SWMBO, taste.

DWD