Pros and Cons of NEXGEN Cabinet Doors in Velour Touch Colours

Are Velour Touch NEXGEN cabinet doors the right choice for your project? Learn about the advantages, disadvantages and more.

A variety of NEXGEN cabinet doors - from left to right, dark grey, white, light grey, light blue, and brown.

We all appreciate the low-budget, high-volume projects like apartment complexes, hotels, and unit housing that come our way. These projects offer the stability of guaranteed work for a set period, making our jobs a lot more manageable. 

But let’s be real – the competition is fierce. To even have a shot at these projects, you must offer high quality at a low price. So, when it comes to painted, thermofoil, or other solid-color cabinet doors, what’s a cost-effective alternative?

Have you considered NEXGEN cabinet doors in the Velour Touch™ colours?

Here at Cutting Edge, we’ve worked with the Velour Touch product line for over two years and the NEXGEN cabinet doors for over five years. We know these products inside and out, including their benefits, drawbacks, and potential issues.

To help you make an informed decision about offering these doors, we’ve gathered all the essential information you need. Keep reading to find out:

But first, here’s a quick refresher on what NEXGEN doors are.

NEXGEN™ cabinet doors are a prefinished product

In 2016, Olon Industries Inc. developed and trademarked the first NEXGEN™ doors. With an MDF core and a TFL or polyester wrap, NEXGEN doors are much less expensive than the alternative options.

An infographic showing how the MDF core of NEXGEN doors is wrapped by polyester and TFL.

For more information about NEXGEN doors, check out this article that goes into the nitty-gritty of NEXGEN doors – what they are, how suppliers make them, and more. 

The Velour Touch™ collection was also developed by Olon Industries Inc. This collection offers solid colours in a soft-touch, matte finish to mimic painted doors.

Now, let’s dive into the pros and cons.

Pros of NEXGEN cabinet doors in the Velour Touch colours

Are NEXGEN doors the perfect option for your low-budget project? The choice is yours, but here are four reasons they might be the right decision. 

1. Cost-effective alternative to painted doors

Painted cabinet doors are not cheap. In fact, by the time you buy the cabinet doors and pay for the painted finish, you are likely paying around $50 per square foot. 

This cost means they aren’t a good option for low-budget projects.

However, the Velour Touch collection of NEXGEN doors mimics painted doors exceptionally well. Every detail is spot-on – from the mitred joint and the recessed panel to the solid colour finish. Until you get close, even experienced cabinet makers have difficulty deciding whether it is a painted or NEXGEN door.

On the left, a white Velour Touch NEXGEN cabinet door. On the right, a grey painted door.

And how does the cost compare? At less than $25 per square foot, Velour Touch NEXGEN doors easily beat painted doors.

2. Stable, durable, and fade-resistant

Thanks to the MDF core, NEXGEN doors are stable, with minimal tendency (unlike wood) to warp or twist over time. 

Plus, the TFL or polyester wrap adds its own host of benefits. With heat, scratch and fade resistance, you would be hard-pressed to find a more durable alternative.

Not only is it difficult to damage a NEXGEN door, but also, thanks to its fade resistance, any replacement pieces perfectly match the original doors. The colour and finish doesn’t change over time.

3. Matte soft-touch finish

If you have ever worked with solid colour products, like high-gloss or matte slabs, you are well aware of how noticeable fingerprints are on those finishes.

However, Olon Industries has conquered this issue. The Velour Touch collection has a unique matte and soft-touch finish that is fingerprint-resistant. 

No more worrying about leaving fingerprints on the cabinet doors as you install them!

4. Variety of options in popular solid colours

And finally, the Velour Touch collection has 12 solid colours. Velour Touch covers the gamut of popular painted finishes, ranging from white to blue to black.

However, this point leads us to the first drawback.

Cons of NEXGEN cabinet doors in Velour Touch colours

Although the Velour Touch collection has a lot going for it, you may decide to go a different route due to these four drawbacks.

1. Cutting Edge only stocks three colours

Due to limited warehouse space, Cutting Edge only stocks three of the 12 colours in the Velour Touch collection. The Velour Touch collection isn’t the only option out there, and we have to keep a representation of other collections, colours and finishes in stock.

The lack of stock may mean you can’t order the required colour for your project. 

You might wonder why we can’t stock additional colours as needed – we will look at that next!

2. A minimum order quantity prevents us from bringing in new colours

Our supplier has a minimum order quantity for Velour Touch products. Although we would love to bring in the colour you need, we must order enough material for 600 doors each time. 

If your project requires close to (or more than) 600 cabinet doors, you can ask us to bring in a new colour.

3. It may take up to eight weeks to restock

Due to the high demand for NEXGEN products, our supplier can take up to eight weeks to complete and ship our orders. To help reduce the effects of this lead time, we keep a minimum quantity of each product in stock and reorder material well before we need it.

However, if you send in a large order when we are low on stock, we may have insufficient material to complete your order. In this case, we may have to delay your order; our team will inform you if this occurs.

4. The solid colour finish makes the mitre joints more noticeable

NEXGEN material can have slight variations in thickness, leading to slightly off-level mitre joints. Although wood-grain, patterned or textured wraps will camouflage any variance, a solid colour wrap does not.

You are more likely to notice off-level mitre joints in a solid colour option. This shows up as a thin shadow line along the mitre joint.

While this isn’t a structural concern, it can affect the appearance of the cabinet doors. At Cutting Edge, we will warranty NEXGEN cabinet doors with mitre joints that are more off-level than the thickness of a sheet of paper.

Velour Touch doors are a cost-effective option for low-budget projects

Now it’s time for the results!

In our opinion, NEXGEN cabinet doors in Velour Touch colours are an excellent option for low-budget products. They succeed as a cost-effective alternative to painted doors. In addition, the stability and durability allow them to stand up well long-term. And, thanks to the fade-resistant wrap, any replacement pieces will match the originals.

However, the final choice is yours. If the drawbacks outweigh the benefits, you should consider another option.

Ensure NEXGEN cabinet doors fit in the budget

When there is a chance to snag a high-volume project, like unit housing or an apartment building, you need to ensure you are competitive to have a chance. When the project calls for painted doors or an alternative, Velour Touch cabinet doors are a strong contender.

Now that you fully understand the pros and cons of Velour Touch NEXGEN doors, it’s time for Cutting Edge to give you the confidence you need to make the right decision. So, take the next step with our assistance – discover the cost of NEXGEN cabinet doors in Velour Touch colours.

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