Why its better to buy 3D Laminate Doors rather than to make HPL Doors

If you sell 3D Laminate thermofoil doors to cabinet shops it is very important to understand the value that your components have in terms of saved labor, time and hassle for the cabinet shop.

As we are all aware, the total sales of traditional High Pressure Laminates such as Wilsonart and Formica are much larger than the laminate sales of 3D Laminates. The reasons are:

1. HPL can be used for Kitchen Countertops. Because their product has a phenolic back and the papers are melamine impregnated, it allows for heat to be better distributed through the back of the product and then dissipated. With 3D PVC Laminates a hot placed on the top (even for a short time) will cause the material to wrinkle or even cause surface damage.
2. HPL is sold through distribution and even the smallest cabinet shop can use the material without having expensive CNCs or press machines.
3. There are currently greater design offerings from the traditional Laminate companies
4. Architects and specifiers are not afraid to specify the product because they know that the material is readily available and most anyone can process the material. With 3D Laminates there is often a breakdown between specification and implementation.

I've been around various aspects of cabinet and countertop manufacturing and have been in literally over 1,000 fabrication shops. One of my favorite shows of all time is "How its made" on the Science Channel. Over the past years I have been certified to fabricate Solid Surface, run the press machines and have been in a wide variety of production plants extruding, calendering, impregnating, laminating and coating. From each process I pick up a little insight on how our product fits into the entire picture.... So this morning one of our team members forwarded me a video on producing HPL doors that he thought I might like.

Making HPL Doors- Video 1

Making HPL Doors- Video 2

Making HPL Doors- Video 3

Making HPL Doors- Video 4


As I watched these videos I was reminded of how truly difficult and time consuming it is for a cabinet maker to produce his own Laminate doors. If you watch the videos you will notice that each step of the process is very laborious and time consuming. The video shows him:

1. Cutting the boards on a table saw
2. Sanding the boards then cleaning
3. Cutting edgebanding from HPL sheets
4. Stacking the boards to glue sides with roller then drying
5. Doing a second coat and drying again
6. Snapping laminate to approximate size, lay them out then glue (2 coats)
7. Applying edgebanding and nipping
8. Routering edgebanding on doors
9. Filing edgebanding so no sharp edges
10. Cutting out laminate sheets
11. Two coats of rolled glue on laminate sheets then drying
12. Putting sticks on door faces so laminate sheets can be placed
13. Putting on laminate and then pulling out sticks
14. Using a softwood board to rub down laminate for a good adhesion
15. Filing laminate smooth so no sharp edges
16. Cleaning up doors

The above is just a general outline to show or remind how tedious and how much labor it takes to produce a HPL door.

So why should the cabinet shop buy 3D Laminate thermofoil doors from you?
1. Saving time. Instead of spending time making the doors the cabinet guy could be building another set of cabinets or marketing his services.
2. Saving space. Shop floor space is one of the largest expenses for cabinet shops.
3. Hassle: Ordering your doors takes a lot less management involvement than managing the production of the doors in house.
4. Key Talent. Instead of a Cabinet shop having their key guy making doors he could be focused on getting more boxes produced or managing the flow.
5. Uniqueness. 3D Laminate doors have no edgebanding and specialized profiles can be added so that another cabinet shop won't be able to source the exact doors if he is unaware of which door supplier was used. This is a big selling point for the cabinet maker that is often unused.
6. The veneer factor. 3D Laminate doors can be marketed in slab version as a replacement to veneer doors. You have to remind the cabinet shop that the best colors can be used as an upsell over HPL doors ! Dackor even stocks matching phenolic back film for the veneer replacement look.

So what can your shop do to better promote your doors through cabinet shops?

1. Give them a good display system for the doors. If the doors are not displayed then they simply won't sell as well.
2. Make sure that your literature gives example Kitchens. If people don't see proof they won't believe a 3D Laminate Kitchen is capable of looking great.
3. Understand your customer's shop. If you know their shop is small you might bring up the value of outsourcing doors in terms of savings in space, time and labor. Of course the cabinet shop knows this however it certainly does not hurt to politely bring it up in conversation.
4. Don't be afraid to charge for rushes. Favors given when you start will end up training your clients to delay ordering. Charge 20% for rush orders so as to keep your door production running smoothly.
5. If you use distributors or Independent Reps be sure to have a Sales Manager travel with them routinely. Don't assume that because you landed a Distributor or Rep that your product will sell itself. If you travel with them you'll get triple the results. By showing them how easy it is you equip them to sell better when you are not around.

In conclusion, we should all remember that 3D Laminate doors add a lot of value to the Cabinet Industry and its our job to highlight those values. Since less than 8% of Kitchens in North America use 3D Laminates and in Europe its over 65% I am sure that many Cabinet Shops are actually serving as a filter to NOT specify the product. With more education, better literature and understanding I believe that the Cabinet Shop will someday better embrace 3D Laminate doors.