Most people choose cabinet doors by look first, and that’s a fair place to start. The doors are most of what you see in a kitchen. But the material behind the look decides how the doors handle steam, spills and busy mornings, how they age, and where they land on your quote.
We’ve been building cabinets in our own Burnaby shop since 2006, and we make six kinds of doors: hardwood mitre, hardwood square, painted MDF, thermofoil, laminate, and aluminium frame with glass. Here’s how those cabinet door styles compare.
Hardwood mitre doors
Look. On a mitre door the frame is cut at 45 degrees and joined at the corners, so the moulding runs unbroken all the way around the panel. That continuous line is what gives it a more formal look. The panel can be flat, or raised for a more traditional door.
Durability and care. These are solid hardwood, stained or painted. Wood is grown rather than manufactured, so grain and colour vary within a species and even within one door. Stain shows that variation, and lighter stains show it most. Paint on hardwood will show some grain over time.
Cost. Solid hardwood sits at the top of the door price range.
Best for. Traditional and formal kitchens, and anyone who wants real wood grain to be part of the look. See all the profiles on our hardwood mitre doors page.
Square doors, including shaker
Look. On a square door the frame meets at right angles, so the moulding stops at each corner. It’s the simpler joint and the cleaner look, and it’s the frame behind every shaker door. Ours use a 2 1/4 inch frame with either a flat panel, which is the shaker look, or a raised panel, which pushes the door toward traditional.
Durability and care. Square-frame doors come in hardwood, MDF or thermofoil, so they take on the strengths of whichever material you choose.
Cost. It depends on the material. Painted MDF shaker doors sit in the middle of the range, a thermofoil door costs less than a painted or solid wood one in the same profile, and solid hardwood is at the top.
Best for. Shaker and contemporary kitchens, or a kitchen that needs to sit somewhere between modern and traditional. Browse the profiles on our square cabinet doors page.
Painted MDF doors
Look. Premium 3/4 inch MDF, sprayed in our shop anywhere from a satin finish to high-gloss polyurethane. Because we spray the doors ourselves, you aren’t tied to a supplier’s colour chart. It comes in slab, shaker and raised panel profiles. Satin hides marks best, while high gloss looks striking but shows everything.
Durability and care. MDF has no grain, so nothing telegraphs through the paint as it ages. It’s also stable. It doesn’t move with the seasons the way solid wood does, so doors stay square and the finish stays intact at the joints. The trade-offs: MDF can’t be stained, and a deep chip is a refinishing job rather than a quick touch-up. The finish seals the door, but wipe up standing water and don’t drape a damp towel over it.
Cost. Painted MDF sits in the middle of the range, above thermofoil and laminate and below solid hardwood.
Best for. A clean painted kitchen in any colour you like, from a flat modern slab to a classic shaker. More on our painted MDF doors page.
Thermofoil doors
Look. A vinyl film is heat-pressed over a machined MDF core, wrapping the face, the profile and the edges in one continuous skin. There are dozens of colours, including woodgrain prints, in slab, raised panel and shaker profiles.
Durability and care. There’s no edge band to lift and no seam at the corners for moisture to find. Thermofoil resists staining, cracking, chipping and warping, and it wipes clean. Heat is the one thing to watch. Keep it away from sustained heat, especially when the oven runs a self-cleaning cycle. It also can’t be refinished. A painted door can be resprayed years later, while a thermofoil door gets replaced.
Cost. Thermofoil costs less than a painted or solid wood door in the same profile, and flat thermofoil doors are among the least expensive options we offer.
Best for. Family kitchens, laundries, mudrooms and rental suites. If the kitchen takes a beating and the budget is real, this is usually the answer. See the colours on our thermofoil doors page.
Laminate doors
Look. High-pressure laminate gives clean lines and strong colour choices, which suits a minimalist, contemporary kitchen. We carry over a hundred solid colours, woodgrains and textured finishes, and the full set of samples is at our Burnaby showroom.
Durability and care. Laminate is the most durable door we make. It’s a hard surface that stands up to daily use. Keep abrasive pads away from it, skip cleaners with bleach or ammonia, and wipe spills rather than letting them sit.
Cost. Laminate costs less than painted or solid wood doors, and it’s one of the least expensive options along with flat thermofoil.
Best for. Bold modern kitchens and busy households that want the toughest surface for the money. Browse the colours on our laminate doors page.
Aluminium frame doors with glass
Look. A slim aluminium frame around a glass insert. Most of the door is glass, so the cabinets read lighter than a run of solid fronts. Frames come in aluminium, stainless steel and pale bronze, in several profiles.
Durability and care. A metal frame doesn’t swell or warp with steam the way a wood frame can, which is why these doors also work on bathroom wall and linen cabinets. Clean the glass with an ammonia-free cleaner sprayed onto the cloth, not onto the door, so nothing seeps in behind the frame.
Cost and timing. Prices depend on the type and size of each door, so every order is quoted. Aluminium frame doors take 8 to 12 weeks from order.
Best for. Display cabinets, glassware and bar cabinets, and contemporary kitchens. On a tall wall cabinet they can also be fitted as lift-up doors. See the frames on our aluminium cabinet doors page.
How to narrow it down
A few questions do most of the work:
- Do you want to see the wood grain? Choose hardwood, in a square or mitre frame.
- Do you want a painted colour that can be refinished one day? Painted MDF.
- Is the kitchen busy and the budget firm? Thermofoil or laminate. Laminate is the most durable, and thermofoil also comes in shaker and raised panel profiles.
- Do you want to show off what’s inside? Aluminium and glass on the uppers.
Door style is one of the biggest swings in what a kitchen costs. If you’re working out a budget, our guide to custom cabinet prices in Vancouver explains what else moves the number.
Keeping your cabinets and changing the doors
If your cabinet boxes are still sound, new custom doors change the look of the kitchen for a fraction of the cost of a full remodel. Refacing takes 3 to 6 weeks in production, then a few days to a week to install.
Getting your doors made
Every door we make goes on cabinets built in our Burnaby shop and installed by our own crew. Cabinets take 3 to 6 weeks to build and 1 to 2 weeks to install. Cabinets and doors are priced by quote after a free in-home estimate, where we measure the space. Our cabinetry carries a 5-year warranty, and hinges and drawer glides carry a lifetime warranty.
See what a full project involves on our custom kitchen cabinets in Vancouver page, or contact us for a free estimate. You can also call (604) 559-8080, Monday to Friday, 9 to 5.