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Melamine
Melamine cabinet doors are the standard at the lower end of the market but they can also look good in a better appointed kitchen. Melamine doors offer huge choice of colour and pattern choices. A careful choice of handles can really set a melamine faced kitchen off.
A great advantage of melamine doors is that they are virtually maintenance-free. Wood needs a lot of love and attention as it is a natural product and prone to changes in temperature and humidity, lacquer needs care as the surface finish can be damaged more easily but melamine only needs the occasional wipe over with a clean damp cloth and it is clean again. Melamine doors suffer from a lot less wear and tear and will stay fresh for a good number of years.
Melamine is most commonly used in usually single-colour form but it is also produced in modern, up-to-the-minute patters. Melamine kitchen doors can also imitate the the patterns of timber, as shown by the example on this page. Melamine is a cheap option for giving a tired old kitchen a lift and bringing it back to new-looking.
Melamine veneer is made by layering various components under high pressure and temperature as shown in the illustration below. This veneer is then adhered to customwood or particle board to be cut to shape as required.
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