ok... let me tell you that if your KD say that all they're plastic he/she need to do a little bit of research. thermofoil in the italian cabinetry industries (for my knowledge) is always the less expensive, is a particle board covered with a sheet of plastic. Laminate is a step above, but again laminate there are different thickness, if you look the picture above you can see how the triangle piece has a very thick dark surface, I'm pretty sure that ikea is thick like paper, and again laminate is applied to particle board. Lacquer cabinets (matte or glossy) are MDF and then ship to a company that paint the doors, most of the companies that I know are 5 coat of paint, and if has to be glossy are 7 coats... again Ikea probably is 4~5 for glossy, I'm not sure. Acrylic is like the word itself.. the door is made in acrilic material 3/4" and is a total plastic, no wood in the door. I'm pretty sure if you pay attention you will see that a lacquer glossy is the most beautiful door, sometimes are soo smooth that looks like a car paint, and no other products can beat that, but is also the most expensive. tomorrow I will take a picture of glossy white laminate and glossy white lacquer door, hoping that you will see the different.

I love slab doors, and white slab doors are a very cool choice. White slab is clean lines. A lot of people need busy. They want each element to beautiful due to detailing. But elements can be beautiful because of their purity. A couple of things to keep in mind, what is the norm on GW is not necessarily the norm where you live or in your demographic. You should consider the style of your house when deciding on the style of your kitchen. Everyone looks at pictures during their kitchen remodel and second guesses their choices- be prepared. My kitchen is a combination of walnut slab perimeter and painted slab door island. I definitely got the advice to 'do something different' with the island doors. I heard 'they will be so plain' . They are not plain, they are simple. They have clean lines. Clean lines soothe me. My house is busy architecturally from the presence of exposed beams. It is busy in general because we have a lot going on. Here are some pictures from Houzz to help you. You may want to think about the tone of your kitchen, what will balance the white slab? Will you go cool, or will you add natural elements, texture, color for warmth and contrast? It can all work, just make deliberate choices to ensure that it does. [Contemporary Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2103) by Vancouver Architects & Designers mango design co [Contemporary Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2103) by Other Metro Interior Designers & Decorators Deborah Freedman Design [Contemporary Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2103) by Miami Architects & Designers Jorge Rosso Architecture/Interiors

nyccarrie f.y.i. when two or more Ikea cabinets get installed together in a cabinet run, the two touching sides = 1.5" thickness. The (Ikea) Blum Tandembox glides get screwed directly onto this. Now, if your cabinetmaker can make his frames fairly thin, and can put the drawer glides onto some wood that fits inside that space, then your "space loss" is almost nothing. A good question to ask him now is which drawer glides he is thinking of using, or which ones. Another good question to ask him now is how he physically attaches the glides to the cabinet sides (i.e. with spacers or not, and so how far apart are the glides of one cabinet from the glides of the next cabinet ...). At Ikea, you (or he) can buy fully assembled Blum drawers with Tandembox sides and glides for less than the cost to him of getting Blum Tandembox glides from a professional distributor. This is the big thing about Ikea. http://www.ikea.com/us/en/search/?query=deep+drawer+Rationell Hth. Here is a link that might be useful: deep drawer Rationell (Tandembox Blum) Ikea

Wood ... real wood in a style that blends with the rest of the house has the best chance of still looking good. But trying to guess "in" and "out" so as to not get labeled "outdated" is impossible.