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The Pros & Cons of Thermofoil Cabinet Doors

December 12th, 2008 Leave a comment Go to comments

There are so many options for kitchen and bathroom customers to choose from in the area of cabinet doors. Thermofoil (or, “MDF”) cabinet doors pros and cons are something that you need to be aware of before you make your decision. What is an MDF door? Well, the term stands for medium density fiber board. When refereed to by cabinet makers, it means a vinyl wrapped door. MDF and vinyl wrapped doors are both the same as “thermofoil cabinetry doors.” There are basically four price categories that I feel cabinetry doors fall into. The MDF style  falls  into a medium price range cabinetry doors category with a high end look. Eventually, I will be adding an article about the different types of doors and the price ranges of each category.

The Benefits of Thermofoil Cabinetry Doors:

Below is a comprehensive list showing the cons of MDF. I have added an explanation, further below, about the benefits of thermofoil cabinetry doors.

Seamless
Cheaper than the traditional style painted door
Less expensive than real wood with a similar look
Easy to clean

The MDF (or, “medium density fiberboard”) doors fall in a medium price range (cabinet door price ranges). They were originally designed as an alternative to the traditional five piece painted, real wood doors. In comparison to the traditional option, the MDF doors do not have any seams. Painted doors with seams will eventually show cracks in the paint due to the expansion and contraction of the wood. This is why the thermofoil cabinet doors gained such popularity when the were first introduced to the market. The cost of them is about two thirds less than having a painted traditional door. With the rising demand, manufactures began to get creative and simulate a real wood door with the natural finish or stained look. At first, the styles had the grain running in one direction and several years later the thermofoil doors took on the five piece look, with wood grains running in different directions. Among the benefits of having thermofoil doors is that they are easy to clean. The round inside corner style option separates them and gives them a unique look as well.

The Disadvantages of Thermofoil Doors

Here’s a short listing of the disadvantages of thermofoil doors. There may be other problems but, these are the ones that I have encountered the most.

Possibility of the glue letting loose of the core underneath
Not heat resistant
After long periods of time the colors change
Doors are not easily replaced for several reasons

The cons are certainly something to consider but , it really has been my experience that people go for this style because it is very good looking and the price is right. Many people in my area, who buy houses to remodel and sell, use these doors often. Most manufactures of the MDF doors will have a five year guarantee against thermofoil problems such as  De-lamination and discoloration. It’s an inconvenience when all of the doors have to be replaced because the glue coating was not thick enough to hold the plastic for longer than a couple of years. With thermofoil a very common problem is people are not informed that the doors are not heat resident. So, when they self clean the oven, the extreme amount of heat effects the vinyl and it peels away from the core. Installers can place a heat shield between the stove and cabinet doors but many companies do not. In fact, manufactures of the doors recommend a 5” spacer to be installed between the two. After long periods of time doors that need to be replaced are hard to match colors to. The reason is because some of the lighter solid colors have a tendency to yellow. Also, the vinyl colors vary with different batches that the doors are made with. Sometimes there is just a shad difference in color from doors manufactured within a year from each other.

These thermofoil style cabinet doors are an excellent product for the person who is looking for the high end look but does not have a large budget. Although there are problems with heat sources, now that you understand this disadvantage you could guard against it ever occuring. There are advantages and disadvantages to every type of cabinetry door. My personal opinion is that the pros far out weigh the cons.

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  1. Susan Kibbe
    March 23rd, 2009 at 20:40 | #1

    Our home is 10 yrs old & the kitchen, Thermofoil, cabinet doors are peeling. What do you recommend? Can these be painted & if so how should it be done? We’d rather not replace the doors in the current housing market.

  2. admin
    March 23rd, 2009 at 21:10 | #2

    Hi Susan, are you talking about peeling the vinyl completely off and then painting the doors? Either way you can paint the vinyl coating or the fiberboard underneath. Check with a local paint company for the proper primer and top coat.

    Here’s a tip… In this housing market many cabinet companies are starving for work. You may be able to get a very reasonable deal on replacing your doors.

  3. Dave
    April 17th, 2009 at 11:32 | #3

    Hi,
    Another question for you on the thermofoil doors - We have white cabinetry doors made by Aristokraft. The doors are out of warranty and they no longer are making those cabinet doors. So our only choice is
    1) replace all the doors and the drawers or 2) try to paint them by taking the laminate off all of them? (is this even possible) 3) try to find a syringe with glue and shoot it through the laminate. Would this work? We are just trying to fix them to sell the house. It is about 14 years old. Any other suggestions, would be much appreciated. I personally will never again have a cabinetry door made from the laminate.
    Thanks for your help.

  4. admin
    April 17th, 2009 at 13:16 | #4

    Hey Dave, I’d go with option 1. Your cabinet color should be easy to match. With the economy being the way it is you may be able to get a professional cabinet maker at a reasonable price.

    Option 2 would require a lot of work in order to get the doors to look good. I think the vinyl would really have to be loose everywhere on the doors before I’d consider trying to peel the plastic off.

    If your handy at “do it yourself” projects and your hinges are in good shape, order new doors and switch them out yourself. I have always used Doormark Doors http://www.doormark.com and have had great success. Installing new doors would be a lot less labor intensive in comparison to trying to peel and paint.

  5. Lorraine
    May 7th, 2009 at 21:27 | #5

    Hi,
    I have thermofoil white matte kitchen cabinets. One of the door has developed a bubble in it. How can I repair it?

    Thanks for your help.

  6. admin
    May 8th, 2009 at 04:24 | #6

    Where is the bubble at on the door Lorriane? The chances of repairing it are slim in any case.

    I have repaired damage that was just on the thin edge of a Thermofoil white door before.

    In this situation there was only damage to the edge of the door. It was not noticeable in the front. I was able to trim off the damage with my table saw and then glued a piece of white PVC edging on the door to replace it.
    Read this article- How to Replace Thermofoil Doors

  7. pat
    September 3rd, 2009 at 21:05 | #7

    Hi,

    Will more expensive Italian thermofoil cabinets have the same problems?
    We do stir fry cooking almost everyday (oil & water), is it better to go with painted wood cabinets?

  8. admin
    September 4th, 2009 at 13:17 | #8

    If you decide to use the thermofiol doors just be aware of extreme heat sources and where they are in relation to the doors. There is a significant difference in cost between wood door and MDF vinyl coated cabinet doors. Wood doors will last longet than the MDF style in the long run.

  9. Susana
    October 24th, 2009 at 06:35 | #9

    Hi,
    I am going for the European lacquer look so I am going to use white high gloss thermofoil doors and wood for the inside of the cabinets in my kitchen renovation.
    Is all thermofoil basically the same quality or is there such thing as high end and low end thermofoil and how can you tell the difference?
    Where can I find heat shields to put next to the range and how do they show in appearance on the outside when it is next to the range?
    Doing a kitchen remodeling is overwhelming and I appreciate any help you can give me. Your website is very valuable in this economy. Thank You. Susana

  10. admin
    October 27th, 2009 at 13:24 | #10

    I have used DoorMark doors http://doormark.com/ for many years. There products are excellent and the customer service ranks high on my list as well.

    Around the range most manufactures recommend that your doors should be six inches away from the edge of the stove. I personally have never used what you are referring to as heat shields.

    The damage that I have seen around ranges was due to using the self cleaning feature on the oven. Always remove the drawers and open the doors of the cabinets to the left and right of the oven when self cleaning. If the doors are hinged next to the range, remove them from the cabinets.

  11. February 2nd, 2010 at 16:09 | #11

    is there a difference between thermofoil doors and laminate doors? we are going to have our kitchens cabinets refaced but i’m confused. thank you jane

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