Are you looking for durable and easy-to-maintain cabinets that look great? This list can help!
Kitchen cabinets and bathroom cabinets are common features in any home, and they come in all shapes and sizes. While their colors and designs may vary, there is one other area where they vary too–their finishes.
In this article, we will explore some of the more durable and easy-to-maintain cabinet finishes for your home.
The Most Durable and Easy-to-Maintain Cabinet Finishes That Everyone Should Know
Great-looking cabinets are every homeowner’s dream, but everyone wants cabinets that last throughout the years. Understanding finishes and the impacts they can have on your cabinets can help you make the most of your space and the cabinets that store your belongings!
The Importance of Finding Durable, Easy Cabinet Finishes for Your Home
Cabinets are a home essential, but keeping cabinets safe is very important if you want to keep them looking nice as your home ages. The finish on your cabinets can play a large role in this. Some finishes can provide protection and add to the durability of your cabinets, while others may offer less support.
The material finishes that you choose will ultimately determine what your cabinets can withstand. Let’s explore some of the more popular options.
Cabinet Finish Spotlight #1: Stains
When it comes to wood, few treatment options are quite as popular as staining. Staining is a practice that goes way back, and it is still very popular as a treatment method today. A good stained finish can look absolutely amazing, all while highlighting the natural appearance of the wooden texture underneath.
Stain may not seem that protective, but it can actually protect cabinets from some forms of damage indirectly. Since stain can go deep beneath the surface of wood, it is possible for damage not to show quite as much. This gives it a more durable appearance, all while allowing you to end up with a beautiful stained appearance that really livens up your home.
There is one area where staining can add durability, and that is when it comes to water. Stain soaks into wood, sealing up its pores and offering a surprising amount of protection against fluids. However, if you really want a long-lasting, beautiful, and durable finish, consider pairing staining with some kind of top coat for even more protection.
Cabinet Finish Spotlight #2: Waterborne UV Finish
Eco-friendly options are becoming more popular by the day, and this is a great option because it limits volatile compounds and minimizes unpleasant chemicals. This makes it a great feature in the home—especially if you’re shopping around for your kitchen.
In addition to giving you a more sustainable and safe option at home, you also receive an absolutely beautiful look. This finish is fast-drying and dries under a UV light. The final appearance is a perfect mirror image of natural wood, and its beautiful appearance is just the start.
Durability is a critical consideration if you want your cabinets to look great as the years come and go, and that means being resistant to the most likely types of damage. The most common risk with cabinet finishes is scratching, and this finish really excels in this area.
When you choose cabinets with a waterborne UV finish, you are receiving cabinets that look great and are ready for regular use!
Cabinet Finish Spotlight #3: Lacquer
If you want cabinets that offer a great appearance and are incredibly resistant to damage, this popular finish is for you. Lacquer is a top-performing cabinet finish that is well-known for its shiny appearance and incredible resilience. Whether your cabinets are blue or the natural color of wood, lacquer can help them look great while also offering exceptional protection.
Available in a wide range of designs, lacquer can bring a truly special look to cabinets. It is often shiny, but it doesn’t have to be. However, it always offers a very nice and polished look that many homeowners love.
When you want cabinets that look great and can last your everyday cooking frenzy, look no further–lacquer can offer exactly that. It is generally regarded as the most durable finish for cabinets. While some other options will scratch, chip, or flake, lacquer is durable and long-lasting.
Depending on the one you choose, you may find that it does end up discoloring over time. However, this modern style tends to look great for years!
Cabinet Finish Spotlight #4: Varnish
Although we like to keep things tidy in the kitchen and bathroom, it isn’t always that easy. Varnish is one particular material that really helps with this problem. To understand why it is so effective at this, it will help for you to understand what varnish is–a sealed layer that sits on top of cabinets, allowing them to stay safe, secure, and protected.
Cleaning varnish cabinets is a breeze, even if your pasta sauce gets a little too spirited. All you have to do is wipe it down, and then you can move on with your day.
While varnish being resistant to stains and messes is an obvious benefit, this finish really can last quite a while compared to some other options in other ways too. It doesn’t just protect against splashes–it can also protect against staining and exposure to heat. This makes it invaluable in the kitchen!
Pair all of this with the fact that it is also fairly resistant to scratches and other types of standard damage, and you’ve got a really wonderful finish on your hands. Even better, varnish can be used to give your cabinets a more put-together look!
Cabinet Finish Spotlight #5: Melamine
Some finishes you can add to your cabinets all on your own, while others really come built in. Melamine is certainly on that list. Some people consider it to be a cabinet material all its own, while others think of it as more of a cover or finish on top of the underlying material, which is often plywood or a similar type of material.
As a finish, melamine can bring a lot to your home with a surprising amount of durability. Although you may expect this material finish to be less strong than some of the others on this list, don’t count melamine out just yet–it is actually known for its surprising durability. Melamine can offer some really great protection for kitchen cabinet designs in particular.
The reason this material is popular is because it is more durable than many natural materials. It can withstand all kinds of threats, whether it is water spills, high heat exposure, or even some general forms of physical damage.
Melamine offers enough protection to give you great cabinets that are able to balance a beautiful design with the support you need for everyday living!
Cabinet Finish Spotlight #6: Paint
Sometimes, the simplest solution is the best one, and paint is a design solution that humanity has been using for generations. We paint our homes, our fences, and, yes, our cabinets too! Of course, it is important to remember that not all paints are created with equal quality.
Paint can and will protect your cabinets from certain types of damage because it does create a physical layer on top of the cabinet materials themselves. Any time you add a layer to something, no matter how thin, you do give it some degree of protection. Remember, today’s paint options are not the same ones we were using years ago–they’ve gotten a lot better.
In the modern world, paint is a completely unique material all its own, and it can bring quite a bit of durability to your cabinets if you choose the right one.
When paint is applied to cabinets, it can have a lasting visible impact, especially when it is applied in layers. This layered approach offers more protection, and some paint is surprisingly strong. Applying a good few layers of paint to your cabinets can offer a durable visible barrier. Ultimately, this means that common types of physical damage are a much smaller concern.
While you don’t want to be too careless, you can absolutely count on paint to protect against scratches and scrapes. If you accidentally crush or break your cabinets, a layer of paint can even help to seal it back up.
In addition to physical damage, paint can also protect against some forms of water or splash damage. Since paint is often resistant to water, it can keep it from getting inside–and some variations are highly resistant to staining.
Bring Cabinets You Love to Your Home
Everyone loves beautiful cabinets, especially when they stay looking great year after year. If you’re looking to learn more about cabinet finishes and which options are right for you, our team of experts is here to help you get started.
We offer kitchen cabinets Denver homeowners absolutely adore, and we can help you find the right ones for your home too. Connect with us today to learn more!