If time and money weren’t an issue, we’d all love to furnish our kitchens with the highest quality materials. Exquisite stonework surfaces, gleaming metal kitchen doors, and warm wood finishes would be the order of the day.
With the cost of raw materials becoming ever more expensive, such an extravagant kitchen design becomes more of a dream than a potential reality. It’s not just the cost, either. Granite worktops and wooden kitchen doors are heavy to lift and difficult to install, often needing professional assistance if you want the job doing right.
Fortunately, there is a solution. Faux finishes are a cost-effective and easy-to-install alternative to the real thing, putting the kitchen aesthetic you’ve always wanted well within your reach. In this article, we’re going to talk about how to incorporate faux finishes into your kitchen and the effect they can have.
But first:
What is a Faux Finish?
Faux is the French word for fake but is more commonly used in fashion and design because of the connotations of the word in English. A more accurate synonym for faux would be imitation -it looks like something that it’s not, but it isn’t pretending to be that thing. In kitchen terms, a faux finish is usually a vinyl or acrylic wrap fixed to a surface to give the impression of being made of wood, metal, stone, or whatever material you’re attempting to invoke. These wraps can be applied directly to a wall or floor, applied to a work top or machine-wrapped around made to measure cupboard doors as a veneer.
Why Choose a Faux Finish?
We’ve discussed the savings in time and money already, but there are other benefits. Faux finishes are durable and hard-wearing. They are waterproof, unlike untreated wood, and stain resistant, unlike some stone surfaces and, again, untreated wood. Being typically made of plastic, faux finishes are easy to clean and don’t require special cleaning solutions like metal or stone. They are also highly versatile. If you want to give your kitchen an eclectic look, you can mix and match your imitation materials in a way that would be impractical with the real thing. You could have high-gloss kitchen doors on your cupboards, each one representing a different metal. You could choose an all-stone effect kitchen island, or part-stone, part-wood to give a rustic castaway look.
The possibilities are endless.
Faux Metal Finishes
Faux metal veneers look great on any surface. Despite being vinyl or acrylic, high-gloss kitchen doors can attain a fine sheen similar to real metal but at a fraction of the price and weight.
With mixed metals being on-trend for 2023, our metal effect cupboard doors are an excellent way to achieve the look on a budget. Choose from copper, or even a fabric metal design for a more textured look.
Faux Wood Finishes
What makes faux wooden kitchen doors so attractive is the type of wood you can mimic. While the traditional favourites of oak, beech, and pine are available to pick up pretty cheaply, you can opt for something a little more unique, such as Japanese pear or even driftwood.
Faux Stone Finishes
Another of this years kitchen design trends is stone finishes. The majority of natural stones fall under the category of luxury materials and carry a mid to high price tag. You can still achieve the look without breaking the bank by opting instead for faux stone finishes.
Our high-gloss kitchen doors deliver incredible results and are available in a variety of designs including limestone and graphite.
Whatever finish you want for your kitchen doors and drawer fronts, you will find something to interest you in our online store. View our full range and order online today for fast UK delivery.