Deciding on what you want your cabinet doors to be made out of is only one decision you face when it comes to picking out kitchen cabinets. From the inside out, there are plenty of options to consider. Let’s look at three cabinet door surfaces and give you something to ponder to help you make an informed decision.

3 Cabinet Door Surfaces to Choose From

cabinet door surfaces

Regardless of what material is on the inside of your cabinet doors, you also need to decide what the outside of them looks like. Do you want them to look like wood or sport a colourful exterior? You have a few options when it comes to your cabinet’s exterior, but here’s a look at some of the more common options for residential kitchen cabinets. At Revival Home Renovations, we typically go with either sprayed, stained, or PVC wrapped doors.

Sprayed (painted)

For those who want a rainbow of colour choices, sprayed doors are an excellent option. Typically, they are crafted from MDF and are sprayed in any colour imaginable. Wood expands and contracts, causing joints to open or form cracks in the paint. With MDF, that’s not an issue, so you can be confident of great coverage.

While sprayed doors are a great option, they are not as durable as some other doors. For those with kids or larger dogs, beware! They tend to wear faster and can be vulnerable to little fingers or claws. Their warranty is also limited, so make sure you inspect them thoroughly once they arrive. The price is right though, so definitely a great option to consider.

Wood (stained)

If you are looking for wood surfaces on your cabinet doors, stain is a nice way to go. The stain is a top coat and as the wood expands or contracts, you don’t notice the movement in the finish of the doors. The durable surface typically comes with a 6-month warranty too, which is offers peace of mind for consumers.

While stained wood will always hold appeal in kitchen cabinets, you need to keep in mind a few of the cons that come with this choice. The cost of wood is quite high currently, which puts this option out of reach financially for many people. For those who can afford it, you still need to watch for issues that are inherent with wood. Due to its porous nature, it tends to warp and twist over time. While the wood grain often hides this, it is something to keep in mind before committing to this cabinet door style.

PVC Door (wrapped door)

A completely different option for cabinet door surfaces is the PVC wrapped door. They don’t come in quite as many colour options as sprayed doors, but there are still lots to choose from—approximately a hundred colours on offer. They are a great value and come with a 10-year warranty, far surpassing the previous surfaces mentioned. For this style, PVC is wrapped over MDF. The finished product looks like a painted surface, but with the added bonus of providing a very structurally stable surface.

While this style of cabinet door is a great option to consider, you should know that it does not stand up well to heat. Toasters, kettles, and especially slow cookers can damage the surface, if you are not careful, so be careful of placement of small appliances in your kitchen.


Kitchen cabinets are a major part of any kitchen. Being aware of the choices available is important when making a decision on what cabinet door surfaces you plan to choose. That’s why Ryan from Revival Home Renovations brings samples of the various options to show you and explain the differences to you in person. Because having choices is important, but understanding the materials you are dealing with is half of the battle.