Matt finish kitchen unit doors

My daughter has Matt finish cabinets in her kitchen in a dark navy and they always look great, a quick swipe with a microfibre cloth keep them looking like new. I should add she has two small children who come with very sticky fingers!

I have pale matt doors and like them. I would not have dark matt doors, they would show every mark.

I have matt kitchen doors they don't particularly show every mark and they are a light colour

We have just had our kitchen refitted with dark blue matt doors. They do get marked but, as Llamedos says, they are easily wipe able. I love them.

Great thanks for your replies. No children here so only our adult dabs to worry about.

kittylester

We have just had our kitchen refitted with dark blue matt doors. They do get marked but, as Llamedos says, they are easily wipe able. I love them.

Same here.

The worst one for marking is the (integrated) fridge door, I guess because fingers are handling greasy , you need to keep going back and forth to get stuff while you are preparing food.

* greasy jars

It depends what the cupboard doors are made of. I inherited matte glass-fronted dark grey units, a German brand (not transparent glass). Very expensive we discovered when adding to them. Very attractive but a total nightmare - every drip of water or fingerprint shows. I tried endless products before finding that a damp Flash Magic Eraser followed by a dry microfibre cloth did the trick. Too high maintenance, I would never have anything like them again.

We had a new kitchen this year and chose a Matt finish, the colour is described as aqua, but I would say it’s more like a mid-teal. We are delighted with them, we also chose flat, handless doors which are easy to clean, the ones that take the heaviest traffic are, as previously mentioned the integrated fridge, freezer and larder cupboard (the latter is my favourite part of the kitchen) but we have had no problems.

Can you borrow a door from the showroom and handle it a lot for a couple of days as you go about your ordinary kitchen activities?
We borrowed a door for a weekend about 5 years ago.

Thanks again for all your experiences. We’re looking at ‘j’ handle doors so handless. Hadn't thought about having a loan of a door for a few days - will see if the company are agreeable to that.

I've had my kitchen for just over a year now with matt Cashmere coloured doors. It still looks like new despite grandchildren and dogs and the usual spills. I love it.

Light ivory mat here, plus 2 big dogs who run in from the garden, shake mud and one of them is inclined to jump up, leaving muddy paw prints near the are I use to prep food. Yes I know, it’s a training issue 🐶
Quick wipe with a damp cloth, all is well

Going to bite the bullet and go for it. Dark blue matt kitchen its going to be. Thank you for all your replies.

Matt can look quite dull unless you have a bright room. A relative has dark blue matt units and they make the room look dark. Gloss for me every time although it shows fingerprints.

Pixieboots. 9th Dec:

If you're painting over high gloss doors with any paint finish you need a good primer coat or two to ensure it doesn't scratch or rub off.

Brewers decorating Centres have a product line called Benjamin Moore Paints. They do a Matt finish/system which has a basecoat specifically formulated to adhere to Formica and plastic coated kitchen units. Matt is the best finish and kills the kitchen lights from bouncing everywhere.

I've spent decades as a Decorator it's what I used on my own Kitchen. Ivory Matt Finish and Light Oak worktops.

Check it out and ask to see the paint ranges designed for Kitchen Units/Doors. Take your time and don't allow yourself to be rushed.

If your unit door's are flat remove the handle and use a mohair 4 inch mini roller. it will give a spray like finish and no brush marks.
Don't "ladle" on the paint and try covering in one Coat. Painting on a non absorbent surface usually requires at least two primer coats of paint. Don't be afraid to roller it out and lay off with straight light finishing strokes once covered.

If your Kitchen is small or narrow dark colours will draw it in and make it look smaller. Light colours will make it seem bigger and brighter.
Darker colours only work om tennis court sized kitchens. not in Pantry sized rooms......

I think dark and moody would work for me Martin0987. Rich and dark can be fabulous in small spaces if properly thought through and with correct lighting choices for focus and drama.

Obviously you need to see what you are doing but Dark blue with pale marble type work surfaces or quartz composite, ceramic or a pale wood for example would work.
I like a bit of drama!

Pixieboots

Going to bite the bullet and go for it. Dark blue matt kitchen its going to be. Thank you for all your replies.

You have good taste!

Its a large kitchen diner approx 32ft x 16ft with a large window and two large patio doors with a living area of approx 16ft x 16ft again with a large window, making the whole area an L shape. Lots of room and lots of light.
The floor is Carrara marble throughout which gives good light space so looking at speckled whiteish worktops.
Currently its graphite gloss drawers with steel grey cupboards and black speckled worktops. We thought of spraying the doors but the bar handles are a pain for catching trouser pockets etc so going for handless J handles.

Sounds lovely, Pixie.

We have dark blue matt large drawers rather than cupboards which I love. We have creamy Corian work surfaces and a mix of cream and glass cupboards. We are really pleased with our eventual choices - and I think the kitchen designer was glad to see the back of us!!