The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Melamine Cabinets
Posted on: 1 February 2017
Melamine cabinets are made out of a hardened composite resin, which provides them with a distinctive set of material advantages and disadvantages when compared to traditional wooden kitchen cabinets. Understanding the features and drawbacks associated with melamine cabinets can help you decide if they are the right fit for your kitchen remodel or not.
Advantages of Melamine Cabinets
Durability: Melamine is a highly durable material and is able to withstand physical trauma to a greater degree than wood is. This means that minor dings and scratches are much less likely to bend your cabinets out of shape or leave the finished scratched. Furthermore, they are more moisture and heat resistant when compared to wood, allowing for them to better stand up to the stress associated with heavy kitchen work.
Customization: Melamine offers a much wider range of color and shading options when compared to wood, as it is made out of synthetic materials. This means that you can emulate the appearance of other types of materials (including wood), or get a truly unique color, shade, or pattern put onto your cabinets, providing you complete control of what your kitchen looks like.
Consistent Appearance: Unlike wood, melamine provides a smooth and consistent finish, without variation in grain or texture. This provides a much cleaner aesthetic to your kitchen when compared to traditional wooden kitchen cabinets, which many homeowners find highly attractive.
Disadvantages of Melamine Cabinets
Weight: Melamine is a heavy material, especially when compared to wood, which makes the installation process much more labor intensive and lengthy. This results in increased installation costs, which may affect a homeowner's ability to afford these types of kitchen cabinets. Further, this heavy weight means that specialized construction and supports need to be put in place to ensure that they will not simply fall off of the wall. However, it should be noted that this heavy weight is also what gives melamine its high durability and long lifespan.
Cost of Repairs: Melamine is extremely hard to repair, as in order to repair a chipped or damaged surface, the entire cabinet needs to be resurfaced, which is a lengthy and expensive process. While this is somewhat offset again by the fact that melamine cabinets are extremely durable and able to withstand most wear and tear fairly well, it is important to keep the costs of potential repairs in mind, especially for homeowners who are operating under a tight remodeling budget. For more information on kitchen remodeling, check out a site like http://www.jkcdesignco.com.
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