Melamine doors
Board with a laminated face and ABS edging. Flat panel only.
Melamine is a moisture-resistant particleboard with a decorative laminate pressed onto both faces, and a 1mm ABS edge on all four sides. It is what most flat-pack and builder kitchens are made from.
It is the only finish where we can colour-match a single replacement door to an existing kitchen, because the same board ranges are still in production. Send us a photo of your existing door and we will tell you if a match is available.
Good for
- Cheapest
- Colour match to existing kitchens
- Hard-wearing face
Keep in mind
- Flat panel only
- Edging visible as a fine line
- Not for routed profiles
Colours
- Classic White
- Warm White
- Light Grey
- Charcoal
- Black
- Natural Oak
- Blackbutt
- Walnut
- Concrete
We can colour-match most major Australian board and paint ranges. Send a photo or the colour name with your quote.
Styles in this finish
Questions people ask
What is the cheapest kitchen cabinet door finish?
Melamine, from $59 a door. It is flat panel only. The cheapest way to get a shaker or other profiled door is thermoformed vinyl, from $99.
Can you colour match a replacement door to my existing kitchen?
Usually for flat melamine doors made in the last 10 to 15 years, because Polytec, Laminex and Formica keep most colours in production. Send a photo and the colour name if you know it. For vinyl wrap and painted doors an exact match to an older kitchen is unlikely, so most people replace all the doors on that run.
What is the difference between thermoformed and 2-pac doors?
Thermoformed doors are MDF wrapped in a heat-pressed vinyl skin; they are seamless, cheaper (from $99) and come in fixed colour ranges, but the vinyl can lift near an unshielded oven and cannot be repaired. 2-pac doors are MDF sprayed with polyurethane paint; any colour, any profile, repairable, but about 60% dearer (from $179) and slower to make.
Are vinyl wrap (thermoformed) kitchen doors any good?
For most kitchens, yes. They are the standard profiled door in Australian flat-pack and builder kitchens and last 10 to 15 years. The known failure is heat: the vinyl lifts on the door next to an oven or above a kettle. Fit a heat strip on the cabinet beside the oven and keep the kettle away from overhead doors.
What is a PET door?
A PET door has a thick polyester (PET) or acrylic face laminated onto MDF with matching edging. It is the most scratch-resistant finish and is how most "super matt" anti-fingerprint doors are made. Flat panel only; from $129 a door.
Are the doors moisture resistant?
Melamine doors are made on moisture-resistant (MR) particleboard. Thermoformed, PET and 2-pac doors are made on MR MDF. None of them like standing water, so wipe the bottom edge of the sink door and keep the dishwasher seal in good order.