Do white kitchen cabinets stay looking nice?

Amarante

Fri, Jan 04 2019, 7:08 am

amother wrote:

Wow! Just wow! Beautiful classic kitchens! Thanks for the inspiration.

(Aint no contemporary formica kitchens here).

If you are looking for more inspiration, take a look at Smallbones Kitchens which is a luxury UK kitchen designer. As I posted upthread, I found Crown Point Cabinets' to have incredible inspiration ideas in their photo galley

You can get great inspiration for storage ideas as well as styles from looking at well designed kitchens.

https://www.smallbone.co.uk/de.....tchen

http://www.crown-point.com

People should definitely buy what they like and within their budget, but even the moderately priced kitchen cabinet lines like Kraftmaid don't produce formica doors anymore as they aren't considered to be desirable for most people building or remodeling a kitchen.

Here's a link to Kraftmaid which is a moderately priced semi-custom line.

http://www.kraftmaid.com

http://www.kraftmaid.com/produ.....0Sure

amother

Salmon

Fri, Jan 04 2019, 9:41 am

amother wrote:

Wow! Just wow! Beautiful classic kitchens! Thanks for the inspiration.

(Aint no contemporary formica kitchens here).

Are you sure Floralwhite?

https://goo.gl/images/gx5FDR

amother

Seashell

Fri, Jan 04 2019, 10:00 am

amother wrote:

Are you sure Floralwhite?

https://goo.gl/images/gx5FDR

Those aren’t Formica cabinets. Italian high end kitchens are an extremely glossy finish that resembles lacquer and are probably among the most expensive options one can get.

amother

Salmon

Fri, Jan 04 2019, 10:14 am

amother wrote:

Those aren’t Formica cabinets. Italian high end kitchens are an extremely glossy finish that resembles lacquer and are probably among the most expensive options one can get.

Are you sure ?

I have high gloss formica, and they look just like those. They are without a chip or blemish after 5 years. My kitchen gets heavy duty use.

amother

Salmon

Fri, Jan 04 2019, 10:23 am

Amarante wrote:

We went with semi-custom as there was no increase in quality for the increase in price. My cabinets are as well built as good furniture. Every size cabinet we needed was available in semi-custom.

We did have some costum work done on the island as we have unique features there.

The reviews at kraftmaid would make me nervous to use them. They do have slab white cabinets available.

dancingqueen

Fri, Jan 04 2019, 10:44 am

I checked with dh, our cabinets were custom wood, then painted white. They really have stayed pristine BH for over 7 years. And our kitchen isn't white on white on white, there is contrast and I love the brightness. I really dislike a dark kitchen.

For renovating ideas I looked a lot on pinterest and houzz.

amother

Seashell

Fri, Jan 04 2019, 11:07 am

amother wrote:

Are you sure ?

I have high gloss formica, and they look just like those. They are without a chip or blemish after 5 years. My kitchen gets heavy duty use.

If these are expensive Italian cabinets, they aren’t Formica. Formica or laminate is used for relatively inexpensive cabinets. The picture just looks like a white slab door but the difference is obvious in person.

I haven’t heard of anyone installing Formica cabinets recently except on this forum so maybe it’s a frum thing.

People with white kitchens currently have either painted wood or MDF with frameless full overlay construction if they are going with a more traditional look - eg Shaker style doors which are currently the most popular. Very contemporary high end Italian style with slab doors are lacquer finished.

amother

Salmon

Fri, Jan 04 2019, 12:10 pm

amother wrote:

I asked DH why he didn't go with lacquer because our home is definitely high end. He said it doesn't hold up as well as high gloss formica. He said lacquer is great for someone who doesn't cook much.

As I said, my cabinets are perfect 5 years later and I cook everything from scratch. I also hardly ever have to have them cleaned. And I like everything pristine.

It could be that formica is used in frum homes, even high end, because frum kitchens are used extensively.

amother

Seashell

Fri, Jan 04 2019, 12:15 pm

amother wrote:

I think it is what lots of frum people have and people probably get what they see other people having.

Many people cook extensively in kitchens with either wood stained or painted wood or MDF cabinets and their cabinets look fine. Unless you are actively abusing your cabinets, they will look fine for many years. The factory finishes are different than the kind of finishes on furniture and are much more durable.

Laminate is not considered to be a high end choice for cabinets just as laminate/Formica counters are not considered high end.

But people should get what they want and like because it is their kitchen.

Amarante

Fri, Jan 04 2019, 12:26 pm

amother wrote:

I don’t understand your Kraftmaid comment as they are a very well reviewed semi custom line with lots of options as well as upgrades. I have no stake in Kraftmaid but just put them out there as a popular mid priced semi custom line. It’s good to look at as many inspiration photos as you can because you get ideas especially in terms of their storage types of options.if you haven’t built a kitchen in awhile, taking time to really educate oneself about every aspect is really helpful in terms of making decisions

amother

Salmon

Sat, Jan 05 2019, 4:41 pm

Amarante wrote:

I just read the comments, and it would make me not use them. I also have no stake in any kitchen company. That cabinets are shipped and have to be replaced disturbs me. That people complain about service disturbs me. BH I didn't have any defects, nor did I have any issues with service.

I don't have patience for defective merchandise.

amother

Aubergine

Sat, Jan 05 2019, 9:20 pm

OP here.

You guys lost me. There are so many kinds!

Now I'm thinking of doing a two tone kitchen. Dark cabinets on the bottom where there is more grime to hide. Light counter and the higher up cabinets would be white. Any thoughts?

I'm list on what they should be made out of. I want them to be nice and last but price is a biggie too.

I think I'm also going to start a new thread asking people what design options they most recommend.

amother

Lavender

Sat, Jan 05 2019, 9:27 pm

I'm now installing a Cubitac kitchen, all in this beautiful shale color, shaker style. It looks SO high end and beautiful! I have no regrets.
I've had the same style Cubitac cabinets for years, in my old house. I haven't any complains for the last near-decade. My entire kitchen cost about $10k.

https://cubitac.com/dover-shale/

amother

Cyan

Sat, Dec 14 2019, 5:42 pm

For the shaker style or any grooves or crevices in cabinets aren’t they a pain to clean well.
I have shaker style with bead board as the insert. Solid oak. They are old - at least 20+ but don’t know much more.
They are a pain to clean.
Grime gets in every groove. - especially grease in the upper cabinets above the stove. To clean well I need toothpicks and toothbrushes.
I always say my next kitchen will be flat everything, no handles, no grooves. Nothing with detailed cleaning.

Rubber Ducky

Sat, Dec 14 2019, 6:25 pm

amother [ Aubergine ] wrote:

OP here.

...Now I'm thinking of doing a two tone kitchen. Dark cabinets on the bottom where there is more grime to hide. Light counter and the higher up cabinets would be white. Any thoughts?

I've got a 2-tone kitchen going in now for a family with 6 kids (I am a kitchen & residential designer). Dark stained maple base and tall cabinets and painted white uppers. Light countertops. This seems a good compromise if you like white but are concerned about upkeep. Most of the damage done by kids is to base cabs.

amother

Aubergine

Sat, Dec 14 2019, 7:16 pm

amother [ Brown ] wrote:

OP, do you mind sharing what you did in the end and how it came out? did you do formica or painted or stained. what colors did you chose?

looking for some inspiration...

I wanted a white counter so I went with sparkling white quartz and then I saved money by keeping our old cabinets which are a medium wood color. So I didn't end up with any white cabinets.

We also got a light floor and we repainted the walls to a brighter white instead of the creamy color they were before. So we have the brighter kitchen that I wanted without changing the cabinets. I'm happy.

(Of course I wanted new cabinets so I could get more drawers etc, but this was the best way to accomplish my goal while staying in budget).