Repairing Vinyl Wrapped Kitchens

Contents

What are Vinyl Wrapped Kitchens?

What Causes the Vinyl to Bubble?

The Issue of Bubbling or Peeling Vinyl Kitchen Doors

How to Avoid Bubbling or Peeling in Vinyl

Repairing Bubbling Vinyl on Kitchen Cupboard Doors

When the doors of your kitchen become damaged and the laminate or vinyl starts to lift or look loose, it is usually possible to remove the surface layer and expose the MDF beneath. This MDF can then be prepped, primed and repainted. A heat gun makes it easier to lift the laminate and once the MDF is exposed, we can apply a primer that is suitable for MDF. After the primer dries, the surface can be sanded and smoothed, allowing our spray teams to proceed with their standard spraying technique. Damaged or “blown” doors are a frequent issue that we come across, often arising from poor manufacturing, moisture or heat getting through the laminate or vinyl or even prolonged exposure to sunlight and cleaning products.

What are Vinyl Wrapped Kitchens?

Vinyl doors start with MDF cut to the desired shape. Glue is applied and vinyl is pressed onto the surface, where heat adheres it firmly. While vinyl wrapped kitchens have gained popularity over the years, many issues are cropping up in relation to them.

What Causes the Vinyl to Bubble?

In recent years, kitchen manufacturers have begun using more eco-friendly adhesives, as previous options were found to have harmful effects on the environment. Unfortunately, these newer adhesives are not as durable, leading to an increase in customer complaints about lifting, peeling and bubbling laminate and vinyl. As a precaution, customers may be better opting for wood or painted kitchens, as manufacturers can no longer guarantee the longevity of vinyl options as they once did. Heat, moisture, sunlight and cleaning can all contribute to vinyl lifting.

Three members of our team, Charlie, Emma and Dave, worked on the above kitchen in Leeds over the summer. The vinyl had started to come away from four of the doors beside the extractor fan and the oven, which must have been due to the heat. The vinyl on the rest of the doors and drawers was still intact and so the vinyl did not need to be removed from those. Our customer choose RAL 9001 Cream as the colour for her kitchen spray and her feedback following the spray was that “the team were brilliant and thank you, our kitchen looks amazing”!

The Issue of Bubbling or Peeling Vinyl Kitchen Doors

Blown, bubbled or peeling doors can make your kitchen look neglected and diminish the overall aesthetic of your home, which is disheartening, especially if you have invested in a new kitchen that you expected to last a long time. If you notice that the vinyl on your kitchen doors is beginning to lift and the MDF is exposed, it is advisable to cover the MDF to prevent further damage. If moisture seeps into the MDF, it can swell, leading to irreversible consequences.

How to Avoid Bubbling or Peeling in Vinyl

To keep your doors free from bubbling or peeling, consider the following tips:

1. Keep toasters, kettles and similar appliances as far from the doors as possible, as the heat and humidity from such appliances can damage the vinyl.
2. Close the blinds when the sun is shining directly through the windows.
3. If there are damp issues in your home, invest in a dehumidifier to protect the vinyl from moisture in the air.
4. Address any small nicks in the vinyl right away, as moisture or heat can cause further damage in these areas.

Repairing Bubbling Vinyl on Kitchen Cupboard Doors

If you notice a small section of vinyl that is bubbling or lifting, it might not be too noticeable and could be due to a nearby toaster or kettle. It is wise to relocate any heat-emitting appliances to prevent additional damage. For lifting vinyl, avoid using glue to fix it yourself, as this can ruin the MDF underneath and make it unsprayable. If the detached area is minor and located in an inconspicuous spot, it may temporarily suffice but it likely will not last. Our recommended solution includes the following steps:

1. We will visit your kitchen to assess whether the MDF beneath the vinyl is suitable for spraying.
2. If the surface can be worked on, we will need to spray the entire kitchen rather than just one or two doors, to achieve a consistent colour and sheen.
3. We may only need to remove a few vinyl covers or we might have to take them all off; typically, the fixed items in the kitchen remain unaffected.
4. Our skilled Spray Technicians will carefully use a heat gun to remove the damaged vinyl.
5. They will then prepare the MDF surface with a suitable primer compatible with the MDF and our coating.
6. Once the primer is applied, we will smooth the surface and proceed with our regular spraying process.

As well as vinyl wrapped kitchens, our teams also spray paint vinyl wrapped wardrobes and other bedroom furniture. If you have any queries or would like an estimate for a spray to be carried out, you can click here to get in touch with us.