How can you tell the difference between laminate and wood cabinets?

Author: Alvah Murazik  |  Last update: Monday, June 13, 2022

If you feel the surface, hardwood typically has texture and grains, while laminate is hard, glassy, and has a plastic feel to it.

How do I know if my cabinet is laminate?

Laminate Cabinets

Thermofoil is a vinyl laminate that is heated and pressurized onto an MDF core. This process leaves a completely smooth surface that does not show any seams. The lack of seams around the door's joints can be a clear indication that your cabinet doors are a laminate material.

How do I know what kind of cabinets I have?

Cabinet brands that belong to the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association (KCMA) will have a sticker on the back side of the sink door or side wall of the cabinet. On the sticker there should be a code or the cabinetry name in the middle of the label.

How do I identify wood cabinets?

Non-porous woods are softwoods. Ring, semi-ring, and diffuse-porous woods are all hardwoods. If you can't sand your piece, look inside of drawers cabinets, trim boards, or even the bottom of legs for an untreated end grain view. It will really help you out with identification.

Are my cabinets laminate or veneer?

A sure way to recognize wood laminate is when the grain does NOT follow through your piece. Wood Veneer is a sheet or thin layer of 'quality-natural-hardwood' that is adhered to a lesser quality wood surface.

How to tell the difference between laminate and veneer (Furniture Flippers NEED to know this!)

What kind of wood is under laminate cabinets?

What is under laminate cabinets? Laminate cabinets tend to be made from cheap or pressed woods underneath their laminate film exterior. These cabinets are usually made from MDF or particleboard which is then covered with the laminate coating.

How do I know if my cabinets are veneer?

​Check the edges of the doors and drawers​. If they are solid wood, you'll see end grain on the tops and bottoms. If they're engineered, you'll see edging material with a longitudinal wood grain, which looks unnatural.

How do I know if my cabinets are cheap?

Cheaper cabinets will often use thin panels which then require metal hanging rails with brackets, rails, and a picture frame construction. Sometimes they leave the panel out completely, so the wall shows through.

Can u paint laminate cabinets?

The least expensive option is painting laminate cabinets. Laminate is not an ideal surface to paint, but it can be done.

Are laminate cabinets cheaper than wood?

Laminate cabinets are generally significantly less expensive than wood cabinets, making them an attractive option for those looking for a contemporary style and operating on a budget.

What are fake wood cabinets made of?

What is laminate, you ask? It can basically be any type of furniture, cabinets, or wood-like product that is made by attaching a thin layer of printed plastic (sometimes called Melamine or Thermofoil) to a substrate of plywood or particle board.

What does veneer wood look like?

If you just feel a smooth surface and not the ridges and raisings of a natural grain, it is most likely veneer. Look for discrepancies in the grain. If you notice that the surface of the piece is has the same grain pattern across all sides, chances are it's veneer.

How can you tell real wood from fake wood?

If it's light and easy to move, it's probably fake. Real wood has a distinctive and not altogether symmetrical grain pattern. If you notice the grain has small variances, that's a good indication it is real. If it's repetitive and similar all over the furniture, it's likely fake.

Is wood laminate real wood?

Laminate is a multi-layer synthetic flooring product. It is designed to imitate the appearance of real wood. The core layer of laminate flooring is manufactured primarily from melamine resin and fiber board material.

Can you stain laminate?

You canNOT stain laminate. It's not wood! The stain has nothing to soak into, and will literally sit on top of the laminate and never fully dry. It will be a nasty sticky mess forevermore.

What is a laminate finish?

What are laminates? A composite artificial material. The most commonly used finishing layer for MDF, plywood, particle board, wooden furniture, wall panels and flooring are laminates. Essentially, a composite artificial material, they are made by pressing together thin layers of flat paper and plastic resins.

What are Formica cabinets?

Formica is non-porous, which makes it a smooth material, and hence it is not easy to apply paint on it evenly. Read on! Painting kitchen cabinets by hand is the best option for laminate cabinets. It makes them look a lot better than the original finish.

Can I stain laminate cabinets?

Can you stain laminate cabinets? You can stain laminate cabinets using tinted polyurethane stain or gel stain. Since laminate isn't real wood, using ordinary liquid wood stains will leave you with a streaky and splotchy surface: that's because they won't get absorbed.

Is laminate a good choice for kitchen cabinets?

Laminate cabinets are more affordable than traditional wood cabinetry, and they are very easy to maintain. They are also less vulnerable to heavy wear and tear, making them an ideal option for young families.

How long does laminate kitchen cabinets last?

Kitchen cabinets should be replaced whenever they are in poor condition or whenever you feel that it's necessary to freshen up your kitchen's style as interior design trends change. High quality kitchen cabinets can last for up to 50 years. That is assuming the cabinets have been keep in good condition.

How do you reface laminate cabinets?

Three Simple Steps to Transform Your Kitchen Cabinets: Reface Cabinets
  1. Remove the doors and drawers and cover the front edges of the cabinets with peel-and-stick wood veneer.
  2. Hang the new doors with easy-to-adjust, easy-to-install cup hinges.
  3. Attach new drawer fronts to your existing drawers.

What to do with peeling laminate cabinets?

Good-quality wood glue and a clamp to hold the laminate against the core is a good way to repair laminate coating that is peeling. Once the glue has set and dried, you can begin to clean the cabinet doors and drawers.

Can you sand laminate cabinets?

In short, you can't. Sanding the laminate surfaces to “scuff” the finish and provide a surface for the primer to adhere to is a critical step in the process. But first, remove the doors, drawers and hardware. Then, take time to look over the cabinets and repair any spots where the laminate is coming loose.

Previous article
How high is too high for curtains?
Next article
What surfaces will vinegar harm?