Painted can always be touched up or repainted. Laminate is harder to repair or paint over down the line.

Would you in reality leave something spilled for two days without wiping it up? I don't really understand the current criteria for choosing a bulletproof finish: almost any modern finish will stay in decent shape if you clean up after yourself, almost anything will be ruined with neglect.

I've had both, lovely laminated years ago and painted (2 types) now.

Let me preface by saying that I like "chippy" and worn and don't mind patina. So far the painted have held up perfectly, both the factory-painted (Plain & Fancy) and the vintage cabinets we reused, painted last year.

Laminate looks good and wipes up easily. However it can burn and nick and peel. Painted can always be repainted and touched up.

I'm still waiting for the factory-painted cabinets to crack at the seams (they haven't as yet) but that depends on humidity and the house.

Of the two, I prefer the painted surface wise and, as pal said, they can be repaired.

But either is a good choice.

Thank you both, palimpsest and rococogurl!
We are probably going with painted Kraftmaid...
Happy new year to you!

We got thermofoil. They're hated around here but I am messy, and I have two even messier little boys who have a lot of growing up to do. Durable, easy-care finishes were a must. We have white shaker-style doors from IKEA and Corian countertops in Rain Cloud (an E-class color that was actually more expensive than real Carrara marble and looks very similar, but won't stain or etch).

I gotta say "just clean up after yourself" isn't as easy as you make it sound when there are children involved. I can TELL them to wipe up the jelly, but if I walk in hours after the fact ... well, I've got to scrape hard candy off the kitchen surfaces. Painted wood and marble wouldn't have worked for me. Maybe when the boys are grown.

OOOh... hate to hijack but kichen 1921, could you please post pix of your kitchen?
We are doing white cabs from IKEA too, but slab front (Applad) and also doing the Corian Rain Cloud (with 40% off at the time we ordered, so we got lucky).

I also think that with our 2 small boys, I would be worried about them with painted more than I will worry about the thermofoil. I also figure I could replace an IKEA door or part easier and cheaper than something painted, which would be hard to match (new paint vs old usually shows a difference).

I'll take a few and post a new thread later this afternoon, dianalo. It's not quite done yet, but the cabinets and counters and appliances are in and the walls are painted, so it should give you a pretty good idea. All that's left to install are the floors (chestnut-look vinyl, continuing my "plastic kitchen" theme) and backsplash (white subway tile).

I haven't ruled out replacing the Adel White with something wood and painted from Scherr's in the future when the kids are less destructive, but for now, let me tell you -- when my three-year-old took a red pen to every single cabinet in the kitchen, I was SO GLAD they were IKEA thermofoil. They cleaned up good as new with baby wipes. BABY WIPES! I made him clean up his own mess! Worst case scenario, even replacing all the doors probably would have been cheaper than repainting wood if they had been beyond cleaning.

Seriously. Thermofoil is totally worth considering if your kitchen sees heavy use/abuse.

Boy, maybe my 5-year old DS and 14 month-old DD aren't as messy as yours, but they would never take a red pen to cabinets.

I'm going with painted cabs. Thermafoil looks plastic and cheap to me. I've had them in apartments over the years and couldn't stand them.

^It must be nice to have perfect children. I'm really happy for you.

Of course, when my youngest DS was 14 months, I might have said the same thing, since it hadn't happened yet. Suffice it to say, it was a total surprise to me when he did, at age 3.

Really, if you prefer painted cabinets, that's fine, but I was only trying to offer the OP another option and my personal experience with it. There's no need to subtly insult my kids while openly insulting my cabinet choice. Kids can be destructive. That's no secret. I'm glad you've had such good luck or that your parenting is perfect, or whatever, but not everyone will have that same experience. My cheap, plastic cabinets have saved me a lot of money and heartache. YMMV.

There is no explanation why kids do what they do at any age. I am sure the thermofoil cabinets will looks wonderful and I cannot wait to see pics!

Kids - after my daughter was grown and moved (good thing too) I discovered that she had "carved" her name in the drawer front of my antique dresser. It's very faint, and you can only see it if the light is just right. The letters are about 5" tall and there are 9 of them (long name). She must have done it when she was learning to write her name, based on the form of the letters, and I found it about 15 years later during the second time we moved homes.

Another thing about kids - when they are grown they will tell you things they did as "Kids" that you really don't want to know about! Keep that in mind if you think your kids are really well behaved.

I've got off white painted cabinets. I paint the door components before assembly, and that takes care of most of the problems with paint "cracking".

I don't think the plastic/super smooth look makes something look cheap, it's just a different look. I wanted mine to look hand painted, and that is exactly what I'm getting. I think they look great - and a lot like what my 135 year old home may have had way, way back.

My main gripe with some of the laminates is the particle board that is used. Now if they put that stuff on a plywood core, I might consider it.

Days-old red wine cleans off my painted cabinets with spit. :)

Some thermafoil/laminates look good--depends on the style of cabinet as well as the manufacturer.

Same with wood. There's good, bad, and ugly.

Find something you like, get a sample, run it through some abusive tests, and if it passes, don't worry what it's made of.

fori --- re: spit... LOL!!! :)

re: mustard 2 day test..... Personally, I would hope to clean up mustard/messes immediately. However, at times things do spill on to the sides of a cabinet and I don't see them initially (from a party, guests, cooking, etc.).... I don't think a 2 day test is unreasonable when life happens!

I was considering thermofoil too, especially since they have changed a lot in the past few years. They no longer are as shiny or limited in color. The great Martha Stewart has put her name on those type of cabinets for her new cabinet line for HD, and I'm sure she doesn't think they are cheap and plasticky.

My hesitation was the ability to touch up as time went on. I also have wonderful perfect boys, right up until they start moving!!! There is no telling what mishaps may come their way during the course of a day. I just had my cabinet maker here the other day and immediately ruled out inset. While I don't think the boys will swing on the cabinet doors I cannot rule it out! =) I can't be adjusting them all the time; as it is I am already taking a leap going back to white. I just promised myself I will wipe them down every night!

Accidents happen and in my house happen regularly. I think you are smart to think ahead. I do the dirt test for everything that comes into my house just to see if the upkeep will add to my stress level. My children have pluck and spirit and are very self sufficient, hence the accidents! We had baths with wooly caterpillars, pots and pans run through the microwave(s), smoothie explosions, trapped chipmunks-you name it. Love my messmakers!

Geez, I wasn't suggesting my kids are perfect. Over-supervised, probably, but not perfect. I'm just saying that white painted cabs and small children exist in the same house without the cabs suffering.

As I type, my 5 year-old is having a screaming tantrum because every time he puts a new lego piece on his helicopter another falls off. Tragic. Not perfect.

Here's a recent thread about the cleanability of painted cabs.

Here is a link that might be useful: White cabs: are they hard to maintain

I have painted white and black cabs (white perimeter, black island), and our kitchen is 2.5+ years old. Our black cabs have not stood up as well as the white, not by a long shot. The white hasn't chipped and has been super-easy to clean, either with a sponge, with Windex & a microfiber, or with diluted SoftScrub. Oh wait, it has kinda worn away, maybe? on the edge of the dishwasher door -- I think the moist heat has gotten to it. You can only see it when the door is open but it doesn't bother me.

The black has chipped which has surprised me. So I've just attacked those areas with a Sharpie and it's been fine. Seriously, you'd have to get on the floor and up close to the cab in question to find where I've colored it in.

We also have miles of calacatta marble and no problems -- tons of etching but no stains, not that I'd care.

I have two sons, 6 & 4, and the world's messiest, slobbiest husband. He is also our primary cook (easily does 90% of the cooking) and is an elaborate one at that, so I am not complaining! My 4 year-old is severely (developmentally) disabled, so he is unable to understand consequences (he climbs, he spills, he loves to bang the cabinets with tongs, etc.). Anyway, stuff happens. Kids are kids. I refuse to yell at him for things he cannot possibly understand, as much as I feel like going berserk at times.

The thermofoil we saw was, for us, unacceptable, and our kitchen is capital H high end. We live in the Rocky Mountains, so the air is incredibly dry. I don't know if that would make a difference with the seams, but thus far we have not had a single problem. Not a one.

I agree with what you wrote -- it IS a matter of preference. Neither finish is bullet-proof, both are manageable.

breezygirl -- my 6 year-old also becomes frustrated when his Lego creations fall apart. There are times I want to throw them away rather than deal with the tears. But I love the creativity they inspire!

I have laminate/thermafoil now and looking to replace it with a wood cabinet, something perhaps with a glaze.

Unfortunately, I have some cabinet skins that are peeling away. Quite a few of upper cabinets above the stovetop has grease stains that I can't get out.

I think the cabinets are from a company called "Decorative Cabinets" so perhaps going with a well-known brand will save you the headache of peeling cabinets.

I like the idea of going with real wood. You can always refinsh the cabinets when the kiddos get older. Then again, perhaps the better known & proven brands like Kraftmaid, really hold up well and will replace any cabinets if that happens? Definitely find out about their warranties!

I would LOVE to get white cabinets but we have tons of kids running around here so thinking I'll go with a medium tone wood.

Good luck to you!

Just an FYI for those doing IKEA cabinets. Remember they are components, so you can always change out cover panels and doors while keeping the cabinet carcasses. It's a little harder to do this with other kinds of cabinets.

And when it comes to kids, never say never. I've got 3, 9, 7 & 5 and I've seen a lot. Oi Vey! I've had sharpie, non-washable crayons, dry erase marker, and a zillion other things on furniture and cabinets. The blue sharpie was on a built in oak desk and oak banister bottom (sorry don't know what that part is called). That took some serious elbow grease to get out! Most recently, my youngest used a dry erase on a single sheet on the kitchen table. It bled through. Urgh. Oh well, it's on my list to be refinished anyway.

I do have an IKEA thermofoil Adel white door that is peeling at the seam. Granted, it's being used as a countertop under my dish drying rack, but the damage happened after just a few encounters with water. So, if you have spills, especially around the sink, it doesn't take much to ruin it.

In case you're wondering why I have a door as a countertop, it was a sample door I picked up in the AS IS section for a couple bucks. I'd had it sitting in the closet for a couple of years. When we started the reno, I realized the door was the perfect size to fit on top of one of my old cabinets.

I've only got 4 cabinets installed and 4 others that are working as my temp kitchen. So far the paint is holding up nicely. We do A LOT of smoothies around here, so I've got berry colored drips or blueberry stains. They all seem to wipe up easily, even when dried on. As for cracking, some of mine were already cracked when we got them. They were a display kitchen, so who knows how long they were there. We get pretty humid here (DFW) so I'm sure that has a lot to do with it. I don't worry too much about perfect cabinets.

And I just have to say, Legos rock. Of course you'll have to remind me that I said that when it's time to vacuum ; )

Lol - about kids not taking a marker to something! My ds was approx 2 when he was visiting my parents. 2 of them, 1 of him and yet somehow he managed to take a black sharpie to their very pale peach leather leather imported couch set! He did some damage to them in just seconds. He was in the yard with my mother and came in to see my father, who had gone to pee for a moment but was in the bathroom by the door and knew he was there. He came out of the bathroom a few feet away (baby gate firmly in place to keep him in the den) and saw the damage to one couch. Dh & I ran over from across town and barely had the heart to point out the tons he did to the second couch around the side. It took baby wipes (wonderful!), leather cleaner and just about everything in my mother's cabinets for 3 adults to work on it and get much of it out while my father kept a tight watch on our son.
Unless you never answer a phone, pee or take a load out of a dryer, you will have your story someday about each kid. I'd be worried if kids did not try to experiment with interesting objects. From his point of view at that age, he saw nothing wrong with it. It was fun.
There are many different kinds of thermofoil just as there are different kinds of any material. You can get quality or not either way. We were trying to approximate the look of white painted metal cabs but have the function and versatility of today's cabs. Slab front thermofoils were our best solution. I do not want my kitchen to look "high end" but am trying for simple and homey/vintage, while using also good materials. I am tired of seeing everyone try to have a French chateau looking kitchen or a bistro in their suburban mid-century tract homes. We can't all have villas or overly decorated kitchens without cheapening the look. Once the masses get a hold of a look anyway.....

uau! I got lots of answers and lots to think through, but basically my conclusion is to just go with what we like. Ease of cleaning is a big concern of mine. Thank you all!
Are the painted cabinets wood, or is DMF better ?

I wish all these big families with artistically oriented kids with sharpies and crayons or without them the very best in the years to come. Pretty soon your kids will be as all as ours, who are saying that we will NEVER remodel the kitchen. Because if we do, what will DH and I talk about at dinnertime?

>And when it comes to kids, never say never. I've got 3, 9, 7 & 5 and I've seen a lot.

Yes, and even when they are nearly 14... I have a very nice mahogany desk with blue nail polish on it... grrr....

I have the white plastic cabinets in my kids bathroom. LOVE them! And I was one of those who hated plastic, thought it looked cheap, etc. But I figured it couldn't hurt to put them in the bathroom and save a few bucks. Well I like them better than my stained maple in my master bathroom which already have stains from hard water on them after just a couple of years. Also I have a maple bedroom set that was painted white. It was a very expensive amish built set. The paint is chipping everywhere and I can't keep the dirt off of it (this started happening at only one year old). I will NEVER have white painted wood cabinets or furniture again (or at least not w/ kids in the house).

Ahhhh! I have white thermofoil in my kids' bath and they're popping up on two spots where the water has dripped down the cabinet (or just from humidity). I'm not sure what from. But there's bubbled out thermofoil on two cabinet doors in their bathroom and it drives me nuts. No one has noticed it but me of course. We went with a national mid-range company for both our natural wood cabinets with brown glazing in the kitchen that have held up beautifully and the thermofoil too. So for our new house, we will NOT be using thermofoil!