Wood, lacquer or concrete? Which material is right for your kitchen

Once the layout of a kitchen is determined, the choice of materials significantly defines the character, feel, durability, and maintenance effort. This decision is a balance of aesthetics, budget, and daily use requirements. This guide provides a technical overview of common material types, analyzes the differences between authentic materials and their alternatives, and offers recommendations for various usage profiles.

1. The kitchen made of wood: Solid, veneered, and decorative

Wood surfaces give a kitchen a warm and cozy atmosphere. However, there are significant constructive, qualitative, and price differences.

Solid wood

• Description: Fronts or countertops consist of continuous, solid wood.
• Advantages: Extremely durable, robust, and repairable. Scratches and dents can be sanded out. Open-pored oiled surfaces can positively contribute to the room climate.
• Disadvantages: Highest price range. High maintenance effort for oiled surfaces (regular re-oiling required). As a natural material, solid wood reacts to fluctuations in humidity and temperature with swelling and shrinking (risk of warping).
• Suitability: For purist concepts with a high budget and willingness for regular maintenance.

Real wood veneer

• Description: A thin layer of real wood (veneer, usually 0.5 to 1 mm thick) is applied to a dimensionally stable substrate panel (MDF or chipboard).
• Advantages: Appearance and feel are almost identical to solid wood. Significantly more affordable and dimensionally stable (lower risk of warping).
• Disadvantages: Deeper damages that reach through the veneer to the substrate panel are difficult or impossible to repair.
• Suitability: The best compromise between authenticity and everyday practicality for a real wood kitchen.

Wood decor (reproduction)

• Description: The wood look is applied to a substrate panel using a plastic coating. There are quality differences here:
  • Simple foil/decor paper: The cheapest variant with low resistance.
  • Melamine resin coating: The standard for robust and easy-care surfaces.
  • Laminate (HPL): The most durable variant, very scratch and abrasion resistant.
• Quality feature "synchronized pore": In high-quality decors, the tactile surface structure exactly follows the visible wood grain, creating a very authentic feel.
• Advantages: Extremely easy to care for, scratch-resistant, moisture-resistant, and by far the most affordable option.
• Disadvantages: It is a reproduction without the unique tactile feel and value of real wood.
• Suitability: Ideal for intensive family everyday life and budget-oriented planning.

2. The kitchen front made of paint: real paint, lacquer laminate, and foil

Smooth, often glossy surfaces characterize modern kitchen designs. The quality and durability depend directly on the manufacturing process.

Real paint

• Description: In a multi-step process, several layers of paint are applied to a substrate panel (usually MDF), sanded in between, and polished. Different types of paint (e.g., UV paint, water-based paint) and gloss levels (from ultra-matte to high gloss) are distinguished.
• Advantages: Offers unparalleled optical depth effect and color brilliance. Enables a seamless look as the edges are also painted.
• Disadvantages: Highest price category. High sensitivity to scratches, especially on high-gloss surfaces. Repairs are elaborate.
• Quality feature "Anti Fingerprint": Especially with matte, dark lacquers, a special surface coating reduces the visibility of fingerprints.
• Suitability: For design-oriented kitchens with lower mechanical stress and a high budget.

Lacquer laminate and acrylic fronts

• Description: These are the technologically most advanced alternatives to real lacquer. In lacquer laminate, an industrially lacquered, multi-layer PET foil is laminated onto a carrier board. In acrylic fronts, an approx. 1 mm thick, dyed acrylic layer is applied.
• Advantages: Offer an appearance very close to real lacquer. However, they are significantly more robust, scratch-resistant, and easier to maintain at a lower price. Light scratches on acrylic fronts can be removed with special polishing pastes.
• Disadvantages: Do not achieve the absolutely perfect, mirror-like brilliance of real, polished lacquer.
• Suitability: The most rational choice for a high-quality high-gloss kitchen in daily use.

Foil front (high gloss)

• Description: A thin, glossy plastic foil is applied to the carrier board.
• Advantages: The lowest price.
• Disadvantages: Lower durability. The foil can peel off at the edges after years, especially near heat sources (oven, dishwasher). The surface is softer and more prone to scratches.
• Suitability: For price-sensitive entry-level solutions.

Care tip for all glossy fronts: Do not use microfiber cloths. These can contain fine abrasive particles and over time cause a network of fine hairline scratches. Soft cotton cloths are the better choice.

3. Kitchen fronts made of concrete: Real concrete vs. concrete look

Concrete in the kitchen creates a purist, urban aesthetic.

Real concrete

• Description: A thin layer (a few millimeters) of real fine concrete is hand-applied to a carrier board. Each front or countertop is unique.
• Advantages: Authentic, unique tactile and visual feel.
• Disadvantages: Extremely high weight, which places special demands on the carcass construction, fittings, and floor statics. The surface is naturally open-pored and must be carefully sealed with an epoxy resin or wax impregnation and regularly maintained to protect it from stains caused by oil, wine, or acid. Additionally, a very expensive option.
• Suitability: For architecturally demanding projects where the authenticity of the material is paramount.

Concrete look (replica)

• Description: The aesthetics of concrete are replicated on easy-care carrier boards. Common materials are robust laminate or special quartz-containing resin-based fillers that create a textured surface.
• Advantages: Significantly lighter and cheaper than real concrete. The surface is closed and pore-free, making it extremely easy to care for and resistant to stains.
• Disadvantages: It is a replica and does not have the authentic, cool tactile feel of real concrete.
• Suitability: The practical and easy-care alternative for the urban style.

Combination tip: Concrete often feels cool. It unfolds its full potential in combination with warm materials like wood (e.g. oak) to create a cozy atmosphere.

4. Other high-quality material worlds

• Ceramics: Extremely hard, scratch-resistant, heat-resistant, and pore-free. Used for worktops and increasingly also for fronts (on lightweight carrier frames). Very easy to care for, but also very expensive and brittle (risk of breakage at edges).
• Glass: For fronts (back-painted) or niche claddings. Hygienic and easy to care for, but prone to fingerprints.
• Nanotech materials (e.g. Fenix): Innovative, ultra-matte surfaces with anti-fingerprint properties. Superficial micro-scratches can be thermally repaired.

5. Conclusion: Recommendations by usage profile

• For intense family everyday life: Robust and easy-care materials are crucial. Recommended are fronts made of laminate or melamine resin and worktops made of laminate or quartz composite.
• For the design-oriented household: Aesthetics and tactile feel are paramount. Real wood veneer or matte real lacquer fronts are a good choice. For high gloss, lacquer laminate or acrylic offer the best balance of appearance and durability.
• For the purist: Materials like ceramics, glass or concrete look emphasize a minimalist style. Real concrete is an option for uncompromising, authentic designs with a high budget.

Understanding the technical differences between the original material and its high-quality, often more practical everyday alternatives is the key to an informed decision.