Melamine doors
Melamine doors are board — chipboard or MDF — with a decorative melamine surface fused on under heat and pressure. They come in a wide range of solid colours and woodgrain looks, the surface is hard-wearing and easy to wipe clean, and they are the most cost-effective finish.
Melamine doors are flat, so they suit modern, handleless and slab-door kitchens rather than shaker profiles. The edges are covered with edging tape, and the edges are the weak point: if water gets in behind an edge it can swell the board, which is why we use moisture-resistant board and properly sealed edges near sinks and dishwashers.
Wrap (foil) doors
Wrapped doors — also called foil or vinyl-wrapped — are shaped MDF doors with a thin PVC skin vacuum-pressed over the face and edges. Because the board is routed first, wrap is the usual way to get shaker and other profiled designs at a mid-range price, in one seamless skin with no edging tape.
The weak point of wrap is heat. Steam from kettles and heat from ovens, toasters and air fryers can soften the glue over time and lift or peel the foil, and a lifted foil can't simply be repainted. Next to ovens we fit heat deflectors or use a different finish on the doors that take the heat.
Duco (sprayed) doors
Duco doors are MDF doors sprayed with paint or lacquer, in any colour you choose, from matte to high gloss, and they can be profiled like wrap. The finish is seamless and looks the most premium of the three.
Duco costs the most and takes longest to make. A hard knock can chip it, but unlike wrap a damaged duco door can be touched up or resprayed rather than replaced.
Wrap vs melamine: the short answer
Choose melamine for durability and value, especially in a busy family kitchen or for built-in wardrobes. Choose wrap when you want a shaker or profiled look without the cost of duco — and keep it away from direct heat. Many kitchens mix them: melamine carcasses and wardrobe doors, wrap or duco on the doors people see first.
