Nothing?

Anne, cost is an advantage of many cabinet options. If your motive is to turn & burn, with style not being primary motivation, thermofoil has some advantages in this regard. If this kitchen is in a home that you intend on living in and using for the next 20 years, I would suggest that you consider, at a min., buying from the CDN equiv. of Canyon Creek Cabts., a WA company building nice modular cabts. that offer good value, leaving enough money for stone or solid surface countertops. Happy Houzzing.

This is my forever home. Not turn and burn. I'm concerned about laminate holding up over time, but my husband wants a "flat front" cabinet, which I've only seen in laminate.

Medallion also does a flat front veneer door. I think your edge banding is peeling off. You wouldn't have that with thermofoil, just laminate. Plywood veneer also is edge banded, but usually with solid wood. http://www.medallioncabinetry.com/Inspiration/DoorGallery/DoorDetail?Door=3fa94abd-3edf-49c5-9298-48c736115b63

I'd like to find out more about Thermofoil. Where do you suggest I look? How does it compare to laminate and veneer for price and durability?

I have several rooms with flat front cabinets, and they are all veneer. My kitchen cabinets are 25 years old, and the veneer has not peeled at all.I have a 1 year old bathroom vanity with veneer doors, and the quality is not great, and I don't expect it to last very long. As with everything else, there are good quality, well done veneers, and there are cheaply made veneers. I would not hesitate using veneers again, but I would go for the best quality I could afford. Re: thermofoil, don't, as it's not sturdy and long lasting based on my own experience with it.

Sorry, I got veneers and laminates mixed up. Veneers are much better than laminates.

There is a super long discussion on thermofoil cabinets where you will read more than you ever want to on the subject. I chose them because in my research the options for finishes for a white gloss flat front cabinet are lacquer, acrylic and thermofoil. I have young kids and I decided against acrylic because it scratches and has sharp edges and against lacquer because for the expense I did not want to take the chance of chipping since it's not as easy to touch up as regular paint and I've heard its hard to get right in the first place. I don't know how long the finish will last (the company I used has a 25 year warranty as long as you use heat shields around the range) but I decided to go with what would give me the look I wanted with a better chance of withstanding wear of kids for the price. I am ok with having to replace a door here or there if past problems with thermofoil cabinets do end up applying to the new products out there.

This is the long discussion I referenced
http://houzz.com/discussions/267979

@samo7o5 you read my mind. I was just going to ask for the link.
@smileyface2013 Are you saying that veneers are less durable now? or just that particular cabinet is of poor quality? Are veneers usually put on plywood or mdf?

Here's my two cents on the slab door question. These days, the best quality wooden slab doors are generally veneered MDF core material, with thin (usually 3mm, about 1/8") solid wood edge banding. ...most often on frameless, european-style cabinet construction, with doors and drawer fronts abutting one another to create a smooth face broken only by 5mm spaces between the elements.

Sometimes with book-matched panels, meaning grain runs through from one element to the next. Sometimes with new exotic wood veneers, which are engineered from narrow strips of wood, creating a very regular striated look.

Very nice quality laminate doors are also available, again banded with heavier material, usually PVC. Melamine (low pressure laminate) and high pressure sheet laminate are both available. Again usually on frameless casework.

I'm not aware of much better quality thermoform product these days with a slab door appearance. Still is nice thermofoil out there, but usually more traditionally shaped doors.

Many custom cabinet makers will slab up a solid wood door. It's just a larger version of what they do to make a raised panel door without the edge treatment and the stile and rail. No veneer or edgebanding to peel of or sand through. More of a forever product (though nothing is really forever).

My new kitchen cabinets in 1980 were white laminate. In last year's remodel, guess what I chose? White laminate. Just be sure to get good ones, from a reputable cabinet firm. My old cabinets were still in fairly good shape so we installed them in a workshop. BTW, my 1980 Formica countertops were still nearly perfect - just a dated look I wanted to change.

I would like a shaker/arts & craft look but DH wants slab front because they're easier to keep clean. Our designer/estimator is suggesting Thermofoil as a compromise, shaker style but with the plastic coating to keep dirt out of the joins. I just haven't seen a nice wood Thermafoil that doesn't cost more than real wood. So is there an alternative that would keep us both happy with reasonable cost?
@Ironwood Would slab doors be cheaper? I've been told that slab doors are more likely to warp.
@Someone's in the Kitchen I don't want a white/grey/black kitchen. I'd prefer wood, but I'd be more likely to consider Thermofoil if it came in a nicer (arts & crafts influenced) colour. Do such things even exist? I know I haven't seen them,

It sounds like a routed wood door might be a good compromise. Like C02 in the first link. It has no cracks to clean out. I have seen several styles, but nothing quite the craftsman look. They are better than thermofoil imo. And usually a good price.
http://www.kibdirect.com/products/cabinets/pro-line-cabinets/

http://www.rotafurn.com/html/rubberwood.html

Hi Anne, to answer your question, I was just trying to show how the quality of a product affects how it will hold up. I went a little cheaper on the bathroom vanity, and it showed even before it was installed, even though it was from a well known manufacturer. Regarding slab doors, I was told that the plywood (underneath the veneer) won't warp or is less likely to warp than solid wood. I haven't had any warping issues in my 25 year old slab kitchen cabinets which are very good quality.

Just saw this question in discussions, relates to your issue of thermofoil:

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/need-help-choosing-new-kitchen-cabinets-dsvw-vd~667481

Anne, Thermofoil doors are available in a small number of applied vinyl colors - some of them wood-grains. But wood grain pattern will all run the same direction, Won't look at all like real wood doors. Routed MDF doors are a good product, and can be painted any color of the rainbow -- commonly available in shaker styling.

I'm not sure, though, why DH is concerned about re: keeping real wood cabinetry clean. If I was drawn to the craftsman look I'd do quarter sawn or rift sawn oak reverse-raised panel cabinets in a heart beat, as opposed to slab doors. If the concern is dust settling on the square-edged inside frame profile, consider a beveled inside profile, which will diminish this occurrence, and still look great in the craftsman tradition. Here's an example from a recent project of ours.

@Someone's in the Kitchen, those doors look beautiful, We have a shaker style door now but dirt gathers in the cracks where the stiles meet the panel. Over the years DH has taken to "cleaning" this by scraping dirt away with a knife edge, which has also taken the finish away as well. I tried to take a picture here. He's pretty adamant that we not have this "crack that gathers dirt" in our new cabinets. I tried taking a picture to illustrate.

While the bevel profile I've shown will certainly minimize anything collecting there, a joint still exists where the center panel meets its frame -- and the entire craftsman cabinetry look builds around the visual geometry of these panelized frames. See photos. I'm thinkin' you'll either have to hide DH's knife or consider a different style goal.

It's the play of light and shadow that these warm wooden frames create, Anne, that is the craftsman signature.

I have laminate cabinets in my office and the do great. I love the flat front design also. I know that Brookhaven cabinets make a beautiful wood flat front cabinet. Look them up on the internet. Good luck!

I have flat front kitchen cabinets. I agree they are easier to keep clean. Mine are a natural cherry and they showcase the wood tone and grain beautifully. They are combined with a dark grey countertop and grey glass backsplash with a darker floor. The wood is the shining star of the kitchen. Everyone always comments on the cabinets because it is not something you see too often, yet is classic.

IMO wood is the only way to go. Think of re-sale value plus wood holds up better.

@MLX This is our forever home, it's our kids who'll have to think of resale.

@Therese Your cabinets sound lovely. Can you post a picture please?

@Design Connection Brookhaven does have some lovely wood flat front cabinets, but they all look so European modern. It makes me wonder if my problem is a deeper one of aesthetic incompatibility. Not surprising when I think of my m-i-l 's love of mid-century danish modern. It's what DH grew up with, after all.

@Someone's in the Kitchen Hide his knives! The perfect solution. LOL I wonder if you think a painted cabinet would fare any better? Particularly if the profile is beveled? This guy just doesn't understand the concept of patina, let alone the beauty of "distressed" furniture. I, on the other hand, actually have a hard time seeing the "damage" he complains about. I must speak to him tomorrow when he gets back from his trip.

If you are willing to use a painted cabinet, everyone should be happy! ...use an MDF door routed into a beveled shaker shape, and nicely painted - whatever color you choose. There will be no "crack" (unless DH finds his knives and makes one himself ;-) This will take on a transitional or conemporary look, depending on hardware, countertop, etc. companions you select.

Or - especially considering DH's leanings toward smooth doors - rift oak makes a very nice looking slab door material, as do some of the recent exotic veneers machined into beautiful engineered striations. These could be leaned in a "craftsman direction" for you, again with hardware, countertop, and trim detailing selections; as well as basic cabinetry arrangement.

I'm googling "rift oak" as we speak. Looks like it might be a custom job. Is it available in a veneer, do you know?
That took me down memory lane. Went to a site on rift oak, which linked me to blog about oak planks, which took me to Gamble House in Pasadena. My uncle worked for USC for many years as a sheet metal worker and one of his last jobs was to reproduce all the exterior lamps at Gamble House. He did some beautiful work and was very proud of it. Unfortunately he died some years back, but the last time I saw him, he took me to Gamble House to show me some of his handiwork.
Thanks for that.

And I'm not really keen on painted cabinets but it isn't a good compromise unless everyone feels they didn't get what they wanted, right?

rift oak is red or white oak cut out of the log in a specific way to create straight-grain boards. The wood looks just like the quarter sawn oak in my beveled fame above, except that it does not show the medulary rays - squiggly marks running across the grain. Look particularly at the left-most element board in the flat center panel. That's rift oak, which is definitely available in veneered slab door cabinets (be sure you find doors with 3mm solid edge banding, not veneered edge banding.) I can help you find a supplier near you , if you want to carefully explore this direction.

Here are my cabinets. Not great shots, but I personally love all of the different colors in the wood. While they are flat, they aren't plain. I guess I am lucky, my husband says do whatever you want!

@someone I'm in Vancouver Canada, don't know if you can still help me, but if you can point me to a supplier I'd appreciate it
@Theresa They are lovely. They look cozy, if that makes sense.

@Someone If I understand this correctly. The first photo is likely quartersawn, the second looks rift? These are photos of my old china cabinet.

You are a quick study, Anne. Correct. While your area would be a beautiful spot to visit, we very rarely do projects at such a distance. I suspect that the cabinetry line we work with for this type of product has a dealer near you. I'm checking on this, and will try to let you know. If we lose touch in this thread before I get back to you, feel free to e-mail me mark@somekitchen.com.

I have a Vancouver contact for you, Anne. But I'd prefer to discuss this info by phone or e-mail. So contact me if you'd like. Mark

Right! I just sent an email to info@somekitchen.com

Custom hand finished wood cabinets will give you the longest wearing product.