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Textured Melamine Kitchens

March 27, 2021 | Updated on: January 31, 2022

Textured melamine kitchen with high gloss doors

The kitchen is everyone's favourite room. Families gather to cook, share meals and conversations and, these days, do everything from homework to office work at the dining table. Kitchens just might be even more vital now than they've ever been, thanks to events in 2020 that caused folks to spend more time indoors, in need of a space where tasks of all sorts can unfold.

And that has led plenty of people just like you to decide to invest in a kitchen renovation in 2021. Whether you're planning on a DIY project with just a few upgrades, or you're hoping to go all out with a professionally designed renovation, you'll be facing lots of choices in materials, colours, fabrics and lighting sources. And one of those most important choices will be this: what material will your new kitchen cabinets be made of? Many people like painted, solid wood kitchens, but nowadays the trend is to use textured melamine kitchen cabinets because they look great and at the same time melamine is extremely durable.

Kitchen-Form

Textured melamine cabinets are one of the most popular choices in Canadian kitchens today, and we're here to explain why. We'll examine the pros and cons, the textures and colours, and why you should consider melamine when the time comes to decide on your choice of new cabinetry and joints. Even you don't want to change the whole kitchen, you can replace the existing cabinet fronts with textured melamine cabinet doors.

What Is Textured Melamine?

Textured melamine is, to put it as simply as possible, compressed wood particles and super-thin paper that are then coated in plastic resin. This makes melamine an incredibly strong and durable material, one that's able to stand up to sticky fingers and other everyday hazards in a busy kitchen. It comes in lots of different colours, and that makes it a great choice for just about any kitchen design, particularly for those of busy families who need cabinets that can endure lots of traffic and the constant busyness of a hectic kitchen environment. Melamine also withstands heat and moisture really well, and of course, most kitchens have plenty of both.

Melamine can come in different textures, and can therefore have the depth and appearance of a material like bamboo, or many different kinds of wood. Depending on your choice of colour, melamine can give your cabinets that look and feel like expensive wood but at a much lower cost. (We'll get to that soon!) And it bears repeating that textured melamine cabinets are much more durable than wood, as melamine isn't sensitive to the same problems wood is, like moisture and stains. And textured wood grain melamine gives you the look of “traditional” wood but at a lower cost and with longer life – a smart choice for a busy family! One of the trends we're seeing is textured white melamine, white textured melamine frameless cabinets kitchen, which give kitchens a modern, clean look that's growing in popularity.

The Most Popular Textured Melamine Colours In Canada

Textured melamine color options

Melamine kitchen cupboards and doors come in plenty of colours – everything from blue to black to grey to white and all kinds of shades in between. But since melamine isn't wood in the traditional sense, you may be wondering how do you paint textured melamine kitchen cabinets? You can paint textured melamine, but with a couple of cautions: first, it's important that you “rough up” the melamine surface with sandpaper, which enables the paint to adhere better. And we recommend you talk with a specialist at your local paint supply store to make sure you buy the correct paint for melamine – you can't just use the stuff you've got in your basement from a prior DIY project!

In Canada, the most popular colours of melamine cabinets are neutrals like white textured melamine kitchen, textured melamine grey kitchen, textured melamine light gray kitchen and definitely black textured melamine kitchens, which reflects current tastes and trends in kitchen design colour schemes. A huge plus of melamine is that the colour, whatever one you choose, presents in a highly uniform and smooth way. Wood, on the other hand, can look uneven and present in different shades because of varieties in the grain.  So if you're particularly partial to an even colour in the appearance of your cupboards, melamine is a great choice.  While lots of folks like the look of painted wood, today the trend is to use textured melamine grey kitchens, as they look fantastic, are extremely durable and long-lasting, and are less costly than other wood kitchen solutions.

Cost of Textured Melamine Cabinets In Canada

One of the best features of this very modern material for your kitchen is that it's less expensive to cut and shape cabinets than wood is, making it a significantly more economical choice. Although the precise cost of textured melamine cabinets depends, of course, on the number you need for the size of your kitchen, melamine almost always comes in with a lower price tag than other wood products. So... it's more durable, less expensive, and more uniform in appearance – all of which makes it a smart choice for your renovation, even if budget isn't your top priority.

And another factor to consider is this: many melamine cabinets are made in an eco-smart way that causes less residual harm to the environment. Considering how important that is today, many consumers are pleased and relieved to hear that their kitchen renovations will not cause major damage to the natural world. If you would do price comparison textured melamine or lacquer finish cabinets you will notice that the price for textured melamine is way less than solid wood, but it gives you a similar great look.

Textured melamine kitchen with Blum horizontal doors

Melamine Finishes: Which one to choose?

Melamine comes in several finishes, including textured embossed melamineand textured wood grain melamine. Let's look at the difference between these finishes, and what you should consider before settling on one for your new cabinets. The finish you select depends entirely on the look you're going for. For example, if you want your cupboards to look like wood, leaving the melamine in its “natural” state is your best option. (It can be glossy or matte). But if you want them painted, avoiding shine is the way to go, just as you would when painting your walls. Your cabinet maker or kitchen designer can go through an array of looks and help you decide which one is best for the size and colour of your new kitchen.

One option that's particularly beautiful for a modern kitchen design is silver pine textured melamine. It's light, stylish and almost Nordic-looking, which is fabulous when you want a sleek, 21st-century kitchen that is airy and easy to keep clean.

What Is MDF and How Textured Melamine is Made?

MDF stands for medium-density fiberboard. This material is much denser, and heavier than melamine, making it a less than ideal choice for kitchen cabinets. It can be difficult to cut and shape, so professionals usually steer clear of MDF during a kitchen reno. It can also be as expensive as, say, maple cabinet doors. But if you happen to see an MDF you love, ask your expert for close proximity to it in melamine – you'll be glad you did. Textured melamine board is a very durable and great-looking product that most kitchen manufactures prefer to use. Textured melamine panels and textured melamine doors for the kitchen are the most common use for this type of that material. If you wondering how to paint textured melamine kitchen cabinets, please talk to the professional painters first as this can be a quite complicated process.

Joints For Hanging Melamine: Textured melamine lockers

Because the core of melamine is particle board, joining the cabinet doors, hanging them and doing other tasks can be tricky, as melamine cracks and splits easily at the corners if you use traditional methods. To avoid this problem, don't use traditional screws and joints. Use dadoes and glue and butt joints and you'll avoid any potential problems when hanging the melamine cupboards, panels and doors. Naturally, the professional doing your renovation will know this, but if you're tackling a DIY project, be sure to talk to an expert at the hardware store about the melamine you're working with.

Textured Melamine Lockers:

Melamine isn't just for the kitchen and bathroom! It's commonly used for lockers, too, in gyms, schools, and other facilities where these storage units have to stand up to a lot of use. Melamine resists stains, moisture, and other elements in the atmosphere that can harm other materials, so it is ideal in places that need lockers to “be tough.” Lots of use but little wear and tear – that's why melamine is so popular for storage units everywhere. MDF board with wood textured melamine facing is a great way to save money and get the durable product for your lockers or closets.

To Summarize:

Doing a renovation means committing time and, often, significantly big bucks to getting the kitchen of your dreams. Because of many technological advances in made to melamine over the past few decades, it is, more and more, becoming the first choice of designers and cabinet makers all over Canada. Consumers, too.

It withstands the harshest treatment and environmental changes that kitchens go through, day in, day out. It's economical, yet absolutely gorgeous, too. The variety of finishes available in melamine is stunning, and just about any taste and style can be satisfied with this revolutionary

building material.

Be sure to do some research into melamine textures, talk your choices over with your professionals, and consider melamine for your next renovation project especially if you will be using wood textured melamine MDF option. We think you'll be very glad you did. Classy and stylish kitchens aren't just about wood anymore. Melamine is here to stay, in all kinds of kitchen designs, styles and surfaces!

 

FAQs

Article by:

Valentina Melnikova - Lead Designer at Cut2Size

valentina@cut2size.ca

Office 403.366.7411

Hi there! I’m a millwork designer and an owner of a kitchen cabinet manufacturing company. With a team of professionals, I work on designing and manufacturing high-end millwork. Combining professional designing and manufacturing skills is what allows us to develop and translate our plans into a reality through our uniqueness and exclusive ideas. Our employees are highly skilled and creative thinkers that also utilize their professionalism and experience to take millwork to the next level. I’m very familiar with the industry and I take on each project from the design to the final product. With that said, if you’re looking for design advice or technician help, you’re in the right place.