Most people call any shiny or smooth kitchen door “laminated”. There are actually three common types, and each one wears out in a different way. Here's how to tell which you have, and whether it can be wrapped.
The short answer
If your doors are smooth, factory-finished and not painted, they are almost certainly thermofoil, laminate or melamine. All three can usually be wrapped. What changes is the preparation, and that depends on how the door is made and how it's failing.
Why it matters
Each type fails in its own way. Thermofoil peels and bubbles, usually next to the oven or under the kettle, because heat breaks down the glue. Laminate is tough, but its edge strips can lift. Melamine chips easily, and if water gets past the edge tape the chipboard swells.
Knowing which you have tells us what needs fixing before any film goes on.
How we prepare each one
Thermofoil: any loose or bubbling skin is stripped back to the MDF, edges are filled and sanded, then the door is primed.
Laminate and melamine: the surface is cleaned, degreased and lightly keyed so the film grips. Chips are filled and lifting edge strips are glued back or trimmed.
All three are then wrapped in architectural film, around the edges and onto the back, and heat-formed so the corners hold.
When a door can't be saved
If MDF or chipboard has swollen from water, the shape of the door has gone and no finish will hide it. We'll tell you at the survey which doors are worth wrapping and which should be replaced, and we can often match a new door to the rest of the kitchen.
Not sure which you have?
Send us a close-up photo of a door edge and the back of a door. That's usually enough for us to tell you what they are and what's involved.
Thermofoil
What most people call laminated An MDF door, shaped first, then covered with a thin plastic skin that is heated and vacuum-pressed over the front and edges. It's used on most gloss and many shaker-style doors from the big kitchen retailers. The back is usually a plain white finish. No join on the edges; peels near the oven Yes, once loose skin is stripped
Laminate
High-pressure laminate (HPL) Layers of paper and resin pressed together under high pressure and heat, then bonded to a board. It's tough and hard to scratch, which is why it's used on worktops and commercial furniture. Doors are flat, with a separate strip along each edge. Flat door; thin line or strip on the edges Yes, it wraps very well
Melamine
Melamine-faced chipboard (MFC) A thinner, lower-pressure version of laminate, fused straight onto chipboard. It's used for most cabinet carcasses and many budget doors. The edges are finished with a separate tape, which is where water gets in and the board swells. Edge tape; chipboard shows through chips Yes, if the board hasn't swollen
