Kitchen Materials Guide

The carcass is the structural core of your kitchen — the box that every door, drawer, and worktop attaches to. It is the least visible part of your kitchen and the most consequential. In Lebanon's climate, a poorly specified carcass is the leading cause of kitchen failure within 5–10 years.

CHEAP RAW PARTICLEBOARD (chipboard): The lowest-cost option. Cheap raw particleboard absorbs moisture, swells, and loses structural integrity — particularly in Beirut's coastal humidity and in any kitchen adjacent to a sink or dishwasher. We do not use cheap raw particleboard in KITWOOD kitchens.

WATER-RESISTANT HIGH-DENSITY CHIPBOARD (E1, 18mm): High-density, ecological, water-resistant chipboard (particle board) is the standard we use for every carcass across our entire range — dimensionally stable in humidity and built to the E1 low-emission grade. Our panels are sourced from high-density European board brands such as EGGER, CLEAF, INNOVUS, and KRONOSWISS.

WATER-RESISTANT MDF (E1): Used alongside our chipboard carcasses for door panels and finished components where a smooth, consistent surface matters. The water-resistant E1 grade resists swelling in moisture and provides an excellent base for lacquered and decorative finishes.

Our recommendation: Never accept a cheap raw particleboard carcass in a Lebanese kitchen. Insist on the ecological, water-resistant E1 grade — in Beirut's humidity, that is what determines whether a kitchen lasts five years or twenty.

Kitchen door finishes determine the visual quality of your kitchen. Each material has distinct properties relevant to Lebanon's conditions:

LACQUER (painted finish): Our most specified finish. Applied in a controlled spray-and-cure facility, lacquer delivers a flawless, smooth surface available in a virtually unlimited colour palette. Resistant to everyday marks and moisture. Repairable in the rare case of damage. UV stability depends on application quality — KITWOOD's lacquer process is rated for Lebanon's light intensity.

NATURAL WOOD VENEER: Real wood sliced from the log and applied to the door substrate. No two panels are identical. Available in oak, walnut, wenge, and other species. Finished with UV-resistant lacquers to prevent colour shift in direct Lebanese sunlight. The most natural-looking kitchen door finish — and the most demanding in terms of care.

HPL (High-Pressure Laminate): A paper-overlay finish pressed under high pressure. Highly durable, scratch-resistant, and available in a wide range of patterns including wood effects and stone-look. A practical choice for high-use kitchens. Less premium in appearance than lacquer or veneer, but genuinely durable.

ACRYLIC GLOSS: A plastic-overlay finish delivering a mirror-like gloss. Very popular in the 2010s, now less specified in premium kitchens. Extremely susceptible to visible scratching and fingerprints. Not our recommended choice for a kitchen that receives daily use.

Our recommendation: For most Lebanese kitchens, a lacquered door in matte or satin finish offers the best balance of aesthetics, durability, and repairability.

The worktop is the hardest-working surface in your kitchen. In Lebanon's kitchen environments — high cooking activity, heat exposure, and occasional moisture — material selection is critical.

ENGINEERED QUARTZ (Silestone, Compac, and others): Our most recommended worktop for Lebanese kitchens. Non-porous (resistant to staining and bacteria), highly heat-resistant (up to 150°C), consistent in colour and pattern, available in a wide range from plain to marble-effect. Requires no sealing and minimal maintenance. The cost-to-performance optimal choice.

NATURAL MARBLE (Calacatta, Statuario, Arabescato, Carrara): Genuinely beautiful. Unique veining on every slab. The most sought-after worktop in Lebanon's luxury kitchen market. Requires regular sealing (annually), is susceptible to staining from acids (lemon, wine, olive oil), and will develop a patina over time — which many owners embrace. Not recommended for heavy-use kitchens without careful maintenance discipline.

LARGE-FORMAT PORCELAIN SLAB (Dekton, Laminam, Neolith): The newest category of kitchen worktop material. Extremely hard, heat-proof (up to 300°C), scratch-resistant, and available in large formats with minimal joins. Ideal for island slabs. The most durable worktop option available — but significantly more expensive to fabricate due to its hardness.

SOLID WOOD: Warm, natural, and uniquely characterful. Best suited to secondary surfaces (breakfast bars, islands) rather than primary cooking worktops. Requires periodic oiling and is susceptible to water damage around sinks without careful sealing.

GRANITE: A natural stone with better heat and scratch resistance than marble. Less fashionable in contemporary Lebanese interiors, but genuinely practical. Requires sealing but is more forgiving than marble in daily use.

Our recommendation: For most KITWOOD kitchens, we specify engineered quartz as the primary worktop. Natural marble is specified where the client understands and embraces its maintenance requirements and characteristic patina.

Kitchen hardware — hinges, drawer runners, soft-close mechanisms — is the most undervalued investment in any kitchen. A high-quality cabinet with poor hardware fails quickly. A well-made cabinet with Blum hardware lasts decades.

BLUM (Austria): The international standard for premium kitchen hardware. Blum's Tandem drawer system and Aventos lift mechanisms are specified by the world's leading kitchen manufacturers. Rated for 100,000+ cycles (equivalent to 30+ years of daily use). Soft-close as standard. The brand we specify across all KITWOOD collections.

GRASS (Austria): A premium alternative in specific hinge applications — specified in our higher-value collections.

NO-BRAND HARDWARE: Imported from China and sold without brand identification, unbranded hardware fails quickly. Hinges de-adjust, runners stick, soft-close mechanisms fail — typically within 3–5 years. Not used in KITWOOD kitchens.

Our recommendation: Insist on Blum hardware as a non-negotiable requirement. Ask any kitchen company to show you their hardware brand before committing. It is the single specification detail that most distinguishes long-lasting kitchens from disposable ones.

Lebanon's Mediterranean climate creates specific material stress conditions that European kitchen systems are not always designed for:

HUMIDITY: Beirut's coastal humidity (regularly 60–85% relative humidity) accelerates particleboard swelling and delamination. Water-resistant, E1-grade materials are required.

UV EXPOSURE: Lebanon receives significantly more UV radiation than Northern Europe — the market where most kitchen systems are designed. Door finishes without UV-stable lacquer or coating will fade visibly within 3–5 years in south-facing kitchens.

HEAT: Lebanon's summer temperatures (regularly 32–38°C in Beirut) combined with cooking heat stress worktops and adhesives. Engineered quartz and porcelain perform better than cheaper laminate surfaces under these conditions.

For a complete kitchen spec that performs in these conditions, visit our kitchens Lebanon page to see the full KITWOOD specification approach.