Glossy Kitchen Cabinets

You can find out here the advantages and disadvantages of high-gloss kitchen cabinets. We will also show you how the different materials work and how you can best clean them.

How do high-gloss kitchen cabinets work?

High-gloss kitchen cabinets reflect the light. This makes them look particularly bright.

The glossy surface of the high-gloss kitchen reflects light. This applies to both kitchen lighting and daylight. These lively reflections create an optical depth. They brighten up every room.

Small kitchens in particular benefit from this effect. Light-colored materials are also recommended. In addition, a high-gloss kitchen looks luxurious and exclusive.

Before you decide on a high-gloss kitchen, however, you should weigh the advantages and disadvantages:

Advantages of a high-gloss kitchen cabinets

The kitchen space looks bigger. This effect comes about through the reflective surfaces. The effect is particularly strong with white kitchen fronts.
High-gloss kitchen cabinets are timelessly elegant and look high-quality.
The fronts are easy to care for and can be cleaned with a damp cloth and a little washing-up liquid.
A high-gloss kitchen can be combined very well with other furniture and materials. The fronts look particularly good together with built-in devices with a stainless steel look.

Disadvantages of high-gloss kitchen cabinets

Small and large scratches, dents, or dents are clearly visible.
In contrast to real wooden fronts, the damage cannot simply be repaired, polished away or sanded off.
A real lacquer front is very expensive.

Materials for the high-gloss kitchen cabinets

The surface of high-gloss kitchens is not just made of paint. The material is very robust, but also a bit more expensive. Alternatively, you can also design your kitchen with other high-gloss materials. In the following, we will therefore give you an overview of different coatings for high-gloss kitchens.

Real paint
Kitchen fronts made of lacquer are very high quality. For this purpose, a carrier plate is painted in several layers. First the base coat is applied, then a hard coat. In the last step, the piece of furniture is polished to a high gloss. This complex process is quite expensive, but it is also robust and durable. Such a surface is particularly hard-wearing and waterproof.

Foil
The cheapest alternative to real paint is a film. It is pressed onto the carrier plate with high pressure.

Since the foils are available in one color and with different patterns, you have a large selection here.

A film is easy to care for, but also quite sensitive to shock. In addition, the film can peel off at the corners over time. In some cases, bubbles also form if there is too much water vapor.

Lacklaminat

Turn your kitchen back into a bright kitchen by covering the facades with lacquered laminate.

You can also transform your existing kitchen into a bright kitchen by covering it with lacquered laminate. For this purpose, kitchen facades are also laminated with plastic film. However, this has also been painted.

This makes kitchen facades look better than unpainted foils. They are also less susceptible to scratches.

Available as an acrylic, solid acrylic sheet, or as a carrier sheet coated with acrylic as the surface. Acrylic kitchen facades are easy to clean. If they are specially sealed, they are also scratch-resistant.

This variant of a very bright kitchen looks like a glass facade. However, it is significantly cheaper.

Glass
You can also use glass to design the facades of a bright kitchen.

A carrier material is also used here. Safety glass plates are applied to this. If you paint the glass plates with a special paint from the back, it creates a beautiful color effect.

Glass facades are heat resistant and easy to maintain. This is an advantage. The disadvantages are that they are quite heavy and expensive.

Cleaning the high-gloss kitchen cabinets

In order for a high-gloss kitchen to look high-quality, it must be cared for accordingly. Otherwise, streaks and scratches quickly make a worn impression. A big advantage of the high-gloss kitchen is that the fronts can be cleaned very easily.

The right cleaner

When choosing the materials, use your existing kitchen unit as a guide. If you want a completely new fitted kitchen, it is best to buy everything from one manufacturer or to choose a model that goes together.

High-gloss kitchens require little maintenance. Use a clean, damp cloth to remove fingerprints and other dirt.

A clean, damp cloth is important for cleaning. Usually that’s enough. If the dirt is a bit more stubborn, use detergent. A drop of it is often enough.

A glass cleaner is also a gentle alternative for cleaning.

Note: Avoid scouring milk or other aggressive cleaning agents that contain abrasive grains. That makes the surfaces rough and unsightly.

Cleaning accessories
A good way of cleaning is window cleaners that run on a battery. Use them with a little detergent.

If you only use one cloth, avoid microfiber cloths. They leave very fine sanding marks and scratches. Chamois leather is better suited.

In contrast to kitchens made of solid wood, a high-gloss kitchen does not require regular maintenance. You don’t have to oil or impregnate them. You should even avoid common care products. They usually only settle on the surface and cause streaks. As a result, they reduce the shine and thus also the effect of high-gloss kitchens.