Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
kacee2002_gw

Please tell me about your Thermofoil cabinet finishes

kacee2002
9 years ago

Planning a modern, clean line kitchen in our new house. Considering thermofoil cabinets as we like the European modern look. At least for the uppers. Anyone have them?

Comments (13)

  • meganmca
    9 years ago

    Our thermofoils are from '91. They do clean easily. However, over heat-producing things, they like to, um, un-mold. I call it melting ;). Corners of upper cab doors went first. This isn't just stove related, the one over the toaster (used about 1/week) is also messed up at the corner/bottom edge). I don't like them...

  • homepro01
    9 years ago

    European cabinets are usually acrylic or laminate. Thermofoil is not heavily used. Another forum poster just requested information about doors like this. See my response in the thread linked below.
    Good luck!

    Here is a link that might be useful: Euro cabinet fronts

  • kacee2002
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I saw that link and at the bottom they are referred to as Thermofoil. I am confused.........

  • Gooster
    9 years ago

    I agree with the old type of thermofoil; they tend to "melt" and they also "split", allowing water intrusion. However, perhaps an expert will chime in with info on any technology improvements and the differences with acrylic and laminate.

  • christina222_gw
    9 years ago

    Don't do it. We had thermofoil and they turned yellow and started peeling up from having the toaster under them, also a cabinet by the dishwasher did the same. I've heard some do it near the ovens also though mine didn't.

  • homepro01
    9 years ago

    The website for maplecraftusa is not the best. They also sell Thermofoil. If you navigate to their home page, you will see the options. They use one request form for pretty much all their styles. They also have aluminum and glass doors. I don't know all the technical details of the terminology but I have samples of the acrylic and it is the same material I see at Poggenpohl with their acrylic doors. They also have the metal edge banding which I like.
    Homepro01

    Here is a link that might be useful: maple craft home page

  • carolmka
    9 years ago

    We have thermofoil cabinets that were installed in 1995. The base cabinets have worn the worse and have bubbled, they also have yellowed. The worse part is that they cant be repaired or easily painted. And they look cheap. Frankly my whitewashed oak cabinets in my townhouse looked better. With all of the options available, I would put thermofoil at the bottom of my list.

  • Debbi Branka
    9 years ago

    We have only had ours for 4 years. The thermofoil doors themselves are much nicer than the ones that were in the house (not orange-peely like the old ones). The doors themselves are pure white and staying nice. A filler panel we have in the corner is yellowed a bit (it isn't thermofoil - just a panel). One drawer edge has "melted" just a bit on the inside edge of the drawer. This is on a drawer next to the oven. The cabinet on the other side of the oven is perfectly fine. They clean super easily - that's my favorite part about them. If I had the money to get whatever cabinets I wanted, I would have had painted white wood, but the thermofoil has been alright so far. It does look very pretty.

  • juno_barks
    9 years ago

    You could look at the Ikea ABSTRAKT doors.

    They have a 25 year guarantee. I recently asked whether I should purchase some extra doors in case of future damage, and the sales person in kitchens told me that with the 25 yr guarantee, should something happen down the road (even 20 years down the road), Ikea would replace the doors. And that if the doors were discontinued, they would replace all the doors, even if only a couple were damaged, so the kitchen would still match.

    Here is a link that might be useful: [sexy euro-style cabinets[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/ikea-gloss-grey-cabinets-phbr0lbl-bl~l_3876)

  • crcollins1_gw
    9 years ago

    Is your decision driven primarily by price? They are cheaper than paint, but you'll pay for it in the long run, if it's a place you intend to stay in for a while. They just don't hold up, and as someone else said, you can't repaint them. There are a lot of other sleek, modern options besides thermofoil that I would explore before going that route.

  • susanlynn2012
    9 years ago

    Thank you everyone for your input on the Thermofoil cabinets versus painted cabinets. I just read this over and will read it over again after my tax deadline.

  • suanderpen
    9 years ago

    We redid our kitchen in 2012 and used white thermofoil. The cabinet boxes were made by a local cabinet maker and the thermofoil doors were made in Canada...can't remember the name of the company something with a P. I was initially anti thermofoil after a bad experience with yellowing on a bathroom vanity. The contractor and cabinet maker told me that thermofoil is much improved ...not the same product as was used on the vanity. They also suggested that the Canadian thermofoil is a better quality product, as thermofoil is more popular in Canada than in the USA ,where it is looked down on as "cheap". I was nervous and there were a lot of negative thermofoil posts on GW but I trusted the cabinet maker and contractor. Two years later, I still love my kitchen. The cabinets are a breeze to clean. I have a double oven ... no cabinet heat damage or peeling, cracking or yellowing. This is a very used kitchen ... we like to cook... the white is the same color as it was when installed. Heat shields were installed for the ovens and I always put on the exhaust fan when cooking on the stove. I have no regrets

  • jerilynzone7
    9 years ago

    Have used Therofoil cabinets in two rental properties. One 14 years old. Others about 8 years old. No discoloration or damage of any kind. Always sparkle like new after wipe down with cinch general cleaner. Worked out for hard use areas. And look fresh and nice. Can not say anything negetive. All bought from HD and we assembled and installed.