Browse Forums Kitchen Corner 1 May 10, 2016 12:38 pm Deciding between matt or gloss melamine cabinets for a new kitchen and am worried about it always looking grubby. We have young kids. They help in the kitchen, get their own food. We will have handles on the lower cabinetry but even so, are the grubby marks/smudges eye catching? I like a clean kitchen but am not up to wiping all the cupboard fronts at the end of every day. Not having much luck with a semi gloss option which would suit better. Re: Do you regret your gloss kitchen cabinets? 2May 10, 2016 12:56 pm We have gloss in our rental, although they do attract sticky looking smears, they're incredibly easy to wipe down. We will definitely get gloss in our own place Do you regret your gloss kitchen cabinets? 3May 10, 2016 12:58 pm If you have light reflecting straight onto the cabinets, you may not want to have gloss, it definitely does catch your eye but as I say, easily wiped away Re: Do you regret your gloss kitchen cabinets? 4May 10, 2016 1:35 pm We went with matt for this reason.. u may want to choose a glass spkashback for a bit of gloss in the kitchen Re: Do you regret your gloss kitchen cabinets? 5May 10, 2016 1:40 pm We went with matte for the same reason, and we have a glass splash back (metallic colour at that) to showcase some gloss in the kitchen Re: Do you regret your gloss kitchen cabinets? 6May 10, 2016 1:51 pm Thanks for the replies. Marshall - Thanks for the tip. It will have lots of light directly in front. How easy do you all find the matt surface to clean? And what colour and brand do you have? I've decided on a gloss tile, so hopefully that's enough shine. Re: Do you regret your gloss kitchen cabinets? 7May 10, 2016 8:09 pm There are other options. Have you considered sheen? If it was polyurethane you could have matt, satin, semi gloss or gloss Cutting Edge Kitchens and Cabinet Making http://cuttingedgekitchens.net.au http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cutting-Edge-Kitchens/290484196676 Mobile : 0419 430 575 PH: 9452 4772 Fax :9452 4772 cuttingedgekitchens@outlook.com Re: Do you regret your gloss kitchen cabinets? 8May 10, 2016 9:55 pm Our kitchen is a metallic crystal gloss finish. Marks wipe off very easily. I just give it a quick wipe when I see a mark. We've been in our home for almost 2 years and I haven't regretted getting gloss. Custom downslope build Build thread viewtopic.php?f=31&t=61873 Blog http://www.buildingroyalmanor.blogspot.com.au Re: Do you regret your gloss kitchen cabinets? 9May 11, 2016 12:47 pm CEK - By sheen do you mean a semi gloss? Because I was trying to find out more about semi gloss but wasn't having much luck. I've since found Polytec's 'sheen' range is a medium gloss even though a kitchen sales consultant just explained to me it as a gloss (and I assumed she meant full gloss, so didn't pursue it). I'll hunt further for some semi gloss options. And unfortunately poly is out for this job. Re: Do you regret your gloss kitchen cabinets? 10May 11, 2016 3:16 pm Hi Sunnyside. Polytec Sheen (similar product to Laminex silk or formica gloss) is quite glossy and is the product you would get if you asked for gloss melamine panels. There are actually higher gloss panels (Polytec Createc or Laminex Crystal Gloss) which are more like the gloss of 2 pack doors, however the cost is much higher than standard melamine panels. That's why they may be describing "sheen" as a semi-gloss compared to their other products. Darker colours tend to show oily finger marks regardless of the gloss level, in fact I find dark natural melamine and laminates to be really hard to clean up after installing a kitchen. You only have to touch it again and you get a smudge. I have White Silk doors on the lower cupboards of my own house and have never really had any issue with dirty marks. We do have aluminium glass doors on some overheads and these do get smudges because it's were the cups are and the kids seem to go from eating to drinking without washing there hands. As has been mentioned though, glossy surfaces clean very easily. What colour are you going for? Re: Do you regret your gloss kitchen cabinets? 11May 11, 2016 5:38 pm Hi all My first post on this forum. We've had matt melamine from a recent kitchen refit. The colours are burgundy with a contrast dark cream. They are terrible to clean and always look grubby. The lower cupboards don't look so bad but the pantry and similar high cupboards which i guess catch the light more are hopeless. Havent found anything useful to clean them with anywhere that doesnt leave streaks. Anyone have any good ideas?? Looking to sell soon and have to find something that does the job. Thanks and regards. David (Scotty) Re: Do you regret your gloss kitchen cabinets? 12May 12, 2016 7:26 am Sunnyside CEK - By sheen do you mean a semi gloss? Because I was trying to find out more about semi gloss but wasn't having much luck. I've since found Polytec's 'sheen' range is a medium gloss even though a kitchen sales consultant just explained to me it as a gloss (and I assumed she meant full gloss, so didn't pursue it). I'll hunt further for some semi gloss options. And unfortunately poly is out for this job. For me gloss is a product that you can get a reflection from, you can see your self in it. The polytec and Laminex sheen ranges are defiantly not gloss they are closer to a semi gloss. Cutting Edge Kitchens and Cabinet Making http://cuttingedgekitchens.net.au http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cutting-Edge-Kitchens/290484196676 Mobile : 0419 430 575 PH: 9452 4772 Fax :9452 4772 cuttingedgekitchens@outlook.com Re: Do you regret your gloss kitchen cabinets? 13May 12, 2016 7:28 am scotty221110 Hi all My first post on this forum. We've had matt melamine from a recent kitchen refit. The colours are burgundy with a contrast dark cream. They are terrible to clean and always look grubby. The lower cupboards don't look so bad but the pantry and similar high cupboards which i guess catch the light more are hopeless. Havent found anything useful to clean them with anywhere that doesnt leave streaks. Anyone have any good ideas?? Looking to sell soon and have to find something that does the job. Thanks and regards. David (Scotty) After you have got the grease or finger marks off have you tried Windex? Cutting Edge Kitchens and Cabinet Making http://cuttingedgekitchens.net.au http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cutting-Edge-Kitchens/290484196676 Mobile : 0419 430 575 PH: 9452 4772 Fax :9452 4772 cuttingedgekitchens@outlook.com Re: Do you regret your gloss kitchen cabinets? 14May 12, 2016 12:13 pm chippy Hi Sunnyside. Polytec Sheen (similar product to Laminex silk or formica gloss) is quite glossy and is the product you would get if you asked for gloss melamine panels. There are actually higher gloss panels (Polytec Createc or Laminex Crystal Gloss) which are more like the gloss of 2 pack doors, however the cost is much higher than standard melamine panels. That's why they may be describing "sheen" as a semi-gloss compared to their other products. Darker colours tend to show oily finger marks regardless of the gloss level, in fact I find dark natural melamine and laminates to be really hard to clean up after installing a kitchen. You only have to touch it again and you get a smudge. I have White Silk doors on the lower cupboards of my own house and have never really had any issue with dirty marks. We do have aluminium glass doors on some overheads and these do get smudges because it's were the cups are and the kids seem to go from eating to drinking without washing there hands. As has been mentioned though, glossy surfaces clean very easily. What colour are you going for? Excellent info, thanks chippy. I think there's a bit of confusion around (for those who are new to this anyway), with all the terms like gloss, silk, satin, sheen and how different companies ascribed different meanings. We are having white with some wood grain. So your 'white silk' is by Laminex? Do you regret your gloss kitchen cabinets? 15May 12, 2016 12:16 pm CuttingEdgeKitchens Sunnyside CEK - By sheen do you mean a semi gloss? Because I was trying to find out more about semi gloss but wasn't having much luck. I've since found Polytec's 'sheen' range is a medium gloss even though a kitchen sales consultant just explained to me it as a gloss (and I assumed she meant full gloss, so didn't pursue it). I'll hunt further for some semi gloss options. And unfortunately poly is out for this job. For me gloss is a product that you can get a reflection from, you can see your self in it. The polytec and Laminex sheen ranges are defiantly not gloss they are closer to a semi gloss. Thanks for that, more helpful info. I'll start collecting samples and put them next to each other and see how I go. I'd like a bit of gloss (for shine and ease of cleaning), but not full 'reflection' gloss. Re: Do you regret your gloss kitchen cabinets? 16May 12, 2016 10:01 pm Sunnyside So your 'white silk' is by Laminex? Hi Sunnyside Yes, we used laminex silk for one half of our kitchen and wood grain on the other half. Sounds similar to what your after. The melamine products below are all very similar and most people would describe them as being gloss as they are definitely shiny, however as CEK has pointed out they really aren't a full deep gloss. Laminex: Silk Formica: Gloss Polytec: Sheen Full gloss in a board product would be as follows. Laminex: Crystal Gloss Polytec: Createc or Ultraglaze (they call this mirror gloss) Then you can go vinyl wrap or 2 pack in full gloss. I've installed plenty of kitchens in either the silk or sheen and have never had a customer disappointed in the end result. If you have to pull the budget back in a kitchen I'd always default to one of those products before dropping a stone benchtop or going budget on the hardware. You'll still have a great looking kitchen that will look and function beautifully for years. Re: Do you regret your gloss kitchen cabinets? 17May 13, 2016 7:20 pm Why didn't I ask this question weeks ago when I started this process?! Such a great explanation, thanks so much chippy. Labouring through websites and brochures at the end of a day is brutal and it all starts to look the same. Yes, will definitely hold on to the stone and some quality hardware (I'm having a tile splash though, not a fan of glass!). Good to know your experience has been positive with the gloss board. I appreciate everyone's input into this thread. Re: Do you regret your gloss kitchen cabinets? 18May 17, 2016 10:32 am Terrific information in this thread, thanks for taking the time to post such detailed information. One of the first questions is what surface do you want... this breaks it down really well. Especially the comment describing 'seeing yourself in a reflection' type of gloss vs a shiny surface, thanks. Can I ask though, in terms of the different surfaces mentioned so far... how big are the price differences to each? Is it minimal and more about personal preference, or do the different surfaces have large differences in price? Cheers, Re: Do you regret your gloss kitchen cabinets? 19May 18, 2016 5:20 pm cili7 Can I ask though, in terms of the different surfaces mentioned so far... how big are the price differences to each? Is it minimal and more about personal preference, or do the different surfaces have large differences in price? Cheers, There can be upwards of $3000-4000 difference Cutting Edge Kitchens and Cabinet Making http://cuttingedgekitchens.net.au http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cutting-Edge-Kitchens/290484196676 Mobile : 0419 430 575 PH: 9452 4772 Fax :9452 4772 cuttingedgekitchens@outlook.com Thanks mate. Yeah good points! Leaning towards Option 3 to get a bit extra space in the cabinets but not going too crazy high (and expensive). Would require a mini… 13 39448 You can really use anything you want the main consideration would be how it looks once painted/finished - or the look you want. Cabinetmakers use MDF because its cheap… 2 9941 Hi, planning on using the attached stone pieces in my bathroom. I want to remove stains and gloss seal. Can I get some advice on best way to remove stains and best… 0 6700 |