Comparison
Melamine vs thermofoil
Melamine fails at the edges, thermofoil fails from heat. The right choice depends on where your oven is.
What settles it
Choose melamine if…
Choose melamine if you want a texture that credibly imitates wood in matte, and your cabinets are not up against a heat source. Insist on PUR-bonded edges rather than EVA: that is what decides whether the banding survives beside the dishwasher.
Choose thermofoil if…
Choose thermofoil if you want a perfectly uniform front with no visible joint or edge, including on curved shapes. Provided no door sits directly against an oven without a side heat shield.
Criterion by criterion
Rated 1–5, comparative within the category.
| Melamine | Thermofoil | |
|---|---|---|
| Durability | 3/5 Durability: 3 sur 5 | 3/5 Durability: 3 sur 5 |
| Heat | 3/5 Heat: 3 sur 5 | 2/5 Heat: 2 sur 5 |
| Staining | 4/5 Staining: 4 sur 5 | 4/5 Staining: 4 sur 5 |
| Scratches | 3/5 Scratches: 3 sur 5 | 3/5 Scratches: 3 sur 5 |
| Repairable | 1/5 Repairable: 1 sur 5 | 1/5 Repairable: 1 sur 5 |
Melamine
Board faced with a thermally fused decor paper. Stable, light, and available in textures that imitate wood credibly in matte.
What they don't tell you Edges are the weak point: edge banding lifting near the dishwasher is the most common failure. Ask whether edges are bonded with PUR or EVA, PUR holds up far better to steam.
Thermofoil
A PVC film thermoformed onto MDF, which allows continuous shapes with no joints and a perfectly uniform finish.
What they don't tell you Heat delaminates the film. A door immediately beside an oven with no side heat shield eventually blisters, and that is not covered by warranty.
Worth knowing before you sign
Neither repairs well. A marked door gets replaced, not touched up. If the kitchen has to survive children and dogs for ten years, painted MDF is the only option in this range that can be filled and repainted.
Often confused
Thermopal, Egger and Uniboard are not materials but manufacturers of decorative board, mostly melamine: a "Thermopal" cabinet is, unless stated otherwise, a melamine cabinet, whatever the name suggests. Conversely, thermoformed, thermofoil and RTF (rigid thermofoil) all mean the same thing: a PVC film heat-moulded onto an MDF panel.
Other comparisons
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Thermofoil vs polymer
Same look from two metres; polymer handles heat better and can be touched up, thermofoil costs less.
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Polymer vs painted MDF
Polymer gives a factory finish impossible to reproduce on site; painted MDF repairs and repaints in ten years.
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Thermofoil vs painted MDF
Both are MDF doors. Thermofoil is sealed under a PVC film that cannot be repaired; painted MDF, under paint that can be touched up.
Take the next step
Talk to a designer
You have settled the choice. A designer will tell you whether it is the right one for your kitchen specifically.
Reply within 24 to 48 hours. No obligation.