These days, a kitchen is just as important for cooking and entertaining as it is for the overall value of a home and there are many factors to consider when planning to build or renovate your kitchen.

At Melissa Lunardon Interior Design, we have seen and designed kitchens of all shapes and sizes – some that have included impressive audio visual; polyurethane kitchen pantries large enough to house cattle; professional café nooks and cocktail corners; live ‘green walls’ that stretch from floor to ceiling with plants and herbs; and the list goes on. But regardless of the size, shape or colour of these kitchens, the one thing that can ruin any perfect arrangement is an unsuitable finish.

Here we discuss popular kitchen finish options and how to choose the one most suitable for your kitchen project.

What Exactly is a Kitchen Finish?

Kitchen finishes are the coating used on items such as cabinetry and benchtops. They range from natural materials like stone and timber to other manmade products like polyurethane kitchens, laminate and melamine. With a huge range of choices available, it is quite easy to get swept away in the sea of options, neglecting the big picture. When choosing a finish for your kitchen cabinetry, there are a few fundamentals that should always be considered first. These include:

• Intended use – the main uses of your kitchen (cooking, entertaining, storage, etc)

• Household demographic – who lives here/is going to live here (families, older couple etc)

• Interior design – what finish will work best with interior aesthetics

• Budget – what you have to spend

When choosing your kitchen cabinets, the most important decision you’ll make is not the colour, size, style or handle types, it’s the cabinet finish. The cabinet finish you choose can create a dramatically different look regardless of the material the cabinets are made of. We’ll walk you through the options you can choose from and some of the advantages and disadvantages of both.

Textured Melamine

Laminex and Polytec have a great range of textured melamine in a range of plain and timber looks that give the appearance of timber veneer. This is an affordable option and has a beautiful grain to touch. You can play around with the direction of the timber grain and run it horizontal or vertical.

Sheen Melamine

If you are after a slight gloss to your kitchen, a sheen melamine board is a great alternative to achieve a gloss kitchen. Keep in mind with any lighter colours, you will notice a thin black edging.

Ultra Matt Melamine

This fantastic new product is a revolution to the industry! You can create the look of a matt 2-pack high end kitchen with this affordable ultra matt product. Laminex call it AbsoluteMatte and Polytec called it Legato.

This velvet smooth finish is fingerprint resistant, is great for a handless kitchen and creates a contemporary look. Most people find it intriguingly tactile and we love that it also features antibacterial protection for added peace of mind in the kitchen.

Vinyl Wrap

Vinyl Wrap is made by stretching a thin sheet of vinyl over a cut and routed piece of MDF. First, glue is applied to the door and edge and then the vinyl is vacuum sealed to the door so you get a seamless look with no visible edges. Its thermoformed surface makes it resistant to the usual knocks and bumps of a busy household and is easy to keep clean. Vinyl wrap gives you the flexibility to introduce a range of profiles and is available in gloss, matt or textured finishes in various colour profiles.

2-Pack

2-pack is a paint finish that is sprayed on just like a car. Due to being a paint finish, the colours are endless as you can colour match to pretty much any paint brand. The finish is quite seamless and is available in many more door profiles than vinyl. Vinyl doors aren't as crisp as profiles on 2 pack doors. Do keep in mind the hard corners on a 2-pack kitchen can be prone to chipping.

Timber Veneer

Timber veneer is real timber, sliced very finely and pressed onto an MDF board. It is a renewable and sustainable resource. It has been used for many years, and the timeless beauty of antique furniture attests to the lasting quality of veneering art.

Decorative Veneer is produced by slicing or peeling selected logs to an approximate thickness of 0.6mm. You can select from a range of ways the timber is cut, as it provides many grain patterns and finishes. It’s durable and can be sanded back if damaged or scratched.

Timber veneer is a premium finish and can be quite costly, but combine it with vinyl or 2-pack to balance the budget and keep a cohesive look. Use veneer in low-impact areas such as vertical surfaces (cabinet doors, for instance).

Your Cabinetry

We know that kitchens have morphed from cooking quarters into entertainment meccas that project life into the rest of the home. At Melissa Lunardon Interior Design, we have seen and designed kitchens of all shapes and sizes. But regardless of the size, shape or colour of these kitchens, the one thing that can ruin any perfect arrangement is an unsuitable finish. Let us help you choose the best finishes to suit the purpose of your new kitchen, who’s going to be living there and how much money you want to spend. Because your future memories deserve it.