Kitchen cabinet doors are the central component of any kitchen refacing project, as they are the primary focal point of the kitchen. When considering refacing door-types for your kitchen, there numerous options to consider; categorized and retailed across a wide range of features. The number of choices offered can be overwhelming for first-time kitchen refacing customers.

Kitchen cabinet doors can be divided according to their style or method of door construction, i.e. there is no standard criterion for classifying cabinet doors. Therefore, it becomes vital that you are equipped with a basic understanding about various cabinet door choices to evaluate their overall functionality and suitability for your budget or aesthetic requirements.

Your primary objective should be choosing the door’s composition — what material has the door been constructed from?

Kitchen Refacing Door Options

There has been a surge in the number of synthetically prepared refaced doors, but still, wooden doors control a majority of the kitchen-refacing marketplace. The reason is simple — no other material can compete with wood in providing your kitchen with an inviting-yet-cultured appearance. Wooden doors are often divided according to the wood ‘species’ which essentially refers to the different woods used in making the door.

Wooden cabinet doors extenuate the sought-after, ‘newly-furnished’ look in the kitchen, along with offering years of undemanding maintenance. However, choosing wooden doors could be a bit confusing for those not familiar with various characteristics associated with different wood varieties. The choice of wood depends on your price consideration and lifestyle.

Certain wood-types exude a luxury appeal, but they are slightly more maintenance-oriented. Other wood-types are very durable and are ideal for kitchens that are subjected to higher traffic, i.e. daily usage of the kitchen cabinet space. Basic wood-types that you should be familiar with include:

• Oak — it is regarded as the sturdiest of all wood choices. Very durable and the most conventional form of hardwood, it usually has a brown/reddish-brown hue along with an appeasing grain texture. There are some variations among oak-made kitchen cabinet doors, as some have mineral deposits that are known to create arched patterns on the cabinet surface. You should be careful about the kind of contrast the door creates when subjected to the kitchen lighting. Usual oak choices include the use of dark stains since these create a more comforting environment within the kitchen, often regarded as the ‘classic’ oak layout. If you are undecided about your door choice, choosing oak might be the wisest decision since it is adaptable to most kitchen settings and blends-in with every conceivable kitchen design.
• Maple — it is regarded being almost-as-durable as oak, but offers a naturally different shade. Its coloration can be best described as ‘off-white’ which can sometimes vary, having hues of dull yellow or subtle brown. Maple wood offers a closed, compacted grain that is not common among hardwoods. It is often recommended to homeowners looking for naturally tanned wood for their kitchen cabinets.
• Cherry — regarded as an elegant choice for kitchen cabinetry, cherry provides a distinct blend of a brownish background with a characteristic, pink-to-red tinge. Some homeowners prefer to use it in its raw form to establish a naturalistic ambience. However, it can also be stained to darken its coloration and create a denser, reddish appearance. Cherry is known to darken a bit more than other woods as it ages, so the amount of staining you order should be carefully decided.

Making a sensible wood choice

Beyond the visual aspect, the choice of wood should be discussed with your Cabinet Refacing Designer to ensure its suitability with your choice of doorframe styling or other layout considerations like the number of side panels needed. It should be understood that the type of wood used eventually decides how your kitchen ages and presents itself over a period.

Always speak with your Cabinet Refacing Designer about the susceptibility of a wood-type to external elements that are associated with a conventional, household kitchen like sunlight, moisture and household cleaning chemicals.

The recommended way to ease your decision-making regarding the ideal wood choice is to ask the Cabinet Refacing Designer to provide numerous wooden kitchen cabinet samples in their physical form. You can position these sample panels in your kitchen to get a more realistic idea about their compatibly with your requirements.

Thermofoil Doors (RTF) — the RTF or Rigid Thermofoil form of finishing is becoming increasingly popular and has made its presence felt across every type of refacing/redecoration household requirement, including the kitchen space. RTF-finished cabinet doors are often referred to as Thermofoil doors. They are also the most affordable of finishing options and the RTF veneer surface lends a characteristic, ‘wood-like’ appearance. Thermofoil doors offer a customized cabinet surface wherein you can choose across a wide range of colors/pattern options and present negligible maintenance issues. RTFs are also available in fashionable door-refacing choices like cathedral-shaped doors, arched cabinet styles and raised panels.