Formahome kitchen materials and fittings in Ireland

FROM WHAT MATERIAL IS BETTER TO CHOOSE A KITCHEN

In this article, we will talk about all the popular furniture materials and accessories to help you decide on the configuration of your kitchen. We will tell not only about the components for Formahome kitchens, but also about popular kinds of materials available to order in Ireland.

The most popular material for making a kitchen cabinet (carcass) is laminated chipboard. The choice of this material for the base of the kitchen is both practical and economic.

In Dublin, you can order a kitchen cabinet from a variety of materials: MDF, plywood, wood, HPL, metal, plastic, glass. All these materials are very different in their characteristics. Each has its pros and cons when used as a carcass material. But what they all have in common is that they are significantly more expensive than chipboard. It is more convenient to use these materials for the manufacturing of kitchen doors, so we read about their properties in the section on doors and choose the best one.

WHICH FRONTS ARE BETTER FOR THE KITCHEN

Laminated chipboard

Laminated chipboard is the most popular furniture material from which kitchen door fronts are made. The production technology is very simple: the wood chips that remain on the sawmills is mixed with glue and pressed into slabs and topped with decorative laminate.

Advantages of laminated chipboard:

• Inexpensive;
• Huge range of decors and colors;
• Will serve you more than 20 years with careful use;
• With a certificate, it is recommended for children's furniture.

Disadvantages of laminated chipboard:

• The chipboard swells if water gets under the laminate;
• Scratches with a kitchen knife.

MDF

MDF is an abbreviation for medium density fiberboard. It is made by dry pressing of wood dust at high pressure and temperature. Because of its homogeneous structure, MDF is perfectly milled so you can obtain a shaker-style door with only one slab of material.

Painted MDF

Painted MDF is obtained if the MDF door front is spray painted. You can paint it yourself with a brush and paint from your grandfather's garage, or you can use a robotic paint machine which costs €‎500,000. In both cases, the result will be called painted MDF.

Commonly, painting MDF will be done with a hand tool and, as a result, a low level of quality is achieved. The range of colors, nuances and painting technologies is so large that we will talk about them in another article.

Advantages of painted MDF:

• Can be painted any color;
• The paint protects the MDF from water;
• Will serve you for more than 20 years subject to the painting technology;
• In the presence of all certificates, it is recommended for children's furniture.

Disadvantages of painted MDF:

• The possibility of cracking, peeling or yellowing of the paint over time, when proper painting techniques are not used or if you use low-quality paints and varnishes;
• The sawdust swells if water gets under the paint;
• It scratches even with a dusty cloth.

Veneered MDF

Veneered MDF is obtained by gluing veneer (a thin cut of natural wood) onto kitchen door fronts using a press and then varnishing it. This technology has a lot of nuances and subtleties. Sometimes MDF veneering will be carried out using hand tools and as a result, the quality is very unstable.

Advantages of veneered MDF:

• Looks like natural wood;
• A huge range of wood species and colours;
• Will serve you for more than 20 years with careful observance of technology;
• In the presence of all certificates, it is recommended for children's furniture.

Disadvantages of veneered MDF:

• The possibility of cracking or swelling of the veneer over time, in case of improper gluing technique or the use of low-quality veneer;
• The veneer swells if spilled water is not immediately removed from the surface;
• Scratches with a kitchen knife.

Vinyl MDF

Vinyl MDF is obtained by gluing a vinyl film to the door front using a vacuum press. This technology is very simple. To break it, you need to try hard. But remember to ask for certificates for MDF and PVC film.

Advantages of laminated MDF:

• Inexpensive;
• Huge range of decors and colors;
• Will serve you more than 20 years with careful use;
• With a certificate, it is recommended for children's furniture.

Disadvantages of laminated MDF:

• PVC film may melt or crack at temperatures above 150°C;
• The sawdust swells if water penetrates under the film;
• Scratches with a kitchen knife.

Plywood

Plywood is a composite material manufactured from thin layers, or "plies", of wood veneer that are glued together with adjacent layers. In terms of thickness, plywood can consist of three or more layers of veneer. For the production of plywood, birch, poplar, pine, spruce, and larch veneers are often used. For furniture use, plywood is either varnished or laminated.

Advantages of plywood:

• Unique plywood design;
• Will serve you more than 20 years with careful use;
• With a certificate, it is recommended for children's furniture.

Disadvantages of plywood:

• Plywood swells if spilled water is not immediately removed from the surface;
• Scratches with a kitchen knife.

Advantages of natural wood:

• Unique texture design created by nature;
• A huge range of wood species and colour;
• Will serve you more than 20 years with careful use;
• Water-resistant;
• With a varnish certificate, it is recommended for children's furniture.

Disadvantages of natural wood:

• Possibility of cracks and bowing of door fronts over time;
• Does not respond well to sudden changes in temperature and humidity;
• Scratches with a kitchen knife.

HOW TO CHOOSE A KITCHEN COUNTERTOP

Countertops are usually the area most subject to wear and tear. Therefore, the requirements for the kitchen worktop are the highest. They need to be: resistance to scratches, to water, to a hot frying pan and the possibility of repair. There are many types of kitchen countertops on the market. Let's see what material is better for the kitchen?

Countertop made of laminated chipboard

Advantages:

• Inexpensive;
• Huge range of decors and colors;
• Will serve you more than 20 years with careful use;

Disadvantages:

• Scratches with a kitchen knife;
• The chipboard swells if water gets under the laminate;
• Laminate chars on contact with a hot frying pan;
• Joints are visible;
• Not easily repaired.

Quartz countertop

Advantages:

• Not scratched by a kitchen knife;
• Not afraid of water;
• Does not char from a hot frying pan, but with close contact with it for more than 5 seconds, quartz may crack;
• Natural stone shine;
• Huge range of decors and colors;
• The joint is perfectly glued;
• Excellently repaired;
• Will last you forever.

Disadvantages of countertops made of quartz agglomerate:

• Expensive.

Countertop made of artificial (acrylic) stone

Advantages:

• Not afraid of water;
• Huge range of decors and colors;
• The joint is perfectly glued;
• Excellently repaired;
• Will serve you more than 20 years with careful use;

Disadvantages:

• Scratches with a kitchen knife;
• Charred on contact with a hot frying pan;

Countertop in HPL (High Pressure Laminate)

Advantages:

• Not afraid of water;
• Huge range of decors and colors;
• Will last you more than 20 years with careful use.

Disadvantages of HPL countertops:

• Scratches with a kitchen knife;
• Laminate chars on contact with a hot frying pan;
• Joints are visible;
• No possibility to repair.

Countertop made of natural wood

Advantages:

• Unique texture design created by nature;
• A huge range of wood species and colours;
• Not afraid of water;
• Excellently repaired;
• Will last you more than 20 years with careful use.

Disadvantages of countertops made of natural wood:

• Scratches with a kitchen knife;
• Charred on contact with a hot frying pan;
• The joints are visible.

Tempered glass countertop

Advantages:

• Difficult to scratch with a kitchen knife;
• Can be painted or tinted any color;
• Water resistant;
• Not afraid of a hot frying pan;
• Will last you more than 20 years with careful use.

Disadvantages of tempered glass countertops:

• Joints are visible;
• Can be smashed to smithereens if the edge is hit with a frying pan; 
• Not subject to repair.

Countertop made of natural granite

Advantages:

• Unique texture design created by nature;
• Not scratched by a kitchen knife;
• Water resistant;
• Does not char from a hot frying pan, but with close contact with it for more than 5 seconds, granite may crack;
• Joints are not visible;
• Excellently repaired;
• Will last you forever.

Disadvantages of natural granite countertops:

• Porous material and impossible to wash absorbed stains.

Natural marble countertop

Advantages:

• Unique texture design created by nature;
• Difficult to scratch with a kitchen knife;
• Water resistant;
• Does not char from a hot pan, but with close contact with it for more than 5 seconds, the marble may crack;
• Joints are not visible;
• Excellently repaired;
• Will last you forever.

Disadvantages of natural marble countertops:

• Porous material and it is impossible to wash the absorbed stains;
• Marble reacts chemically with acids and lemon stains cannot be washed off.

Ceramic countertop

Advantages of ceramic countertop:

• Huge range of decors and colors;
• You can sharpen kitchen knives on ceramics;
• Water resistant;
• Not afraid of a hot frying pan;
• Will last you more than 20 years with careful use.

Disadvantages of ceramic countertops:

• Joints are visible;
• Can be broken if hit hard with a cast-iron skillet;
• Not subject to repair.

Stainless steel countertop

Advantages of stainless steel countertops:

• Water resistant;
• Not afraid of a hot frying pan;
• Scratches can be polished;
• Will last you forever.

Disadvantages of stainless steel countertops:

• Only 1 color;
• Scratches with a kitchen knife;
• The joints are visible.

Concrete countertop

Advantages of concrete countertops:

• Water resistant;
• Not afraid of a hot frying pan;
• Scratches can be polished;
• Will last you forever.

Disadvantages of concrete countertops:

• Only one color;
• Scratches with a kitchen knife;
• The joints are visible.

FURNITURE FITTINGS FOR THE KITCHEN | WHAT'S BETTER?

Mechanisms are important components for kitchen furniture and should be invested in. We have equipped Formahome kitchens with ideal price-quality ratio fittings. You can look for reviews on the Internet about any of the components we offer, in order to be absolutely sure of the quality of Formahome kitchens mechanisms.

Blum fittings are very popular. Indeed, Blum products are of very high quality, popular in Europe and are the basic mechanism of many German kitchen manufacturers. Formahome kitchens are equipped with Blum mechanisms as standard. To make a Formahome kitchen with Blum fittings, you can place a special order.

But it is better to see our material samples in person. You can visit our showroom, perform scratch tests, heat resistance tests, and water resistance tests yourself! So you are welcome anytime.