Custom Appliance Panels

  • Intermediate
What You'll Need
Appliance Panels
What You'll Need
Appliance Panels

If you are designing your own kitchen, then you may be considering purchasing some custom appliance panels. These really help to create an individual feel to even the most basic of kitchens, as you can have as many different designs as you choose. They may also help you to create a feeling of uniformity in your design, by following a pattern from the fridge to the cooker top to the dishwasher. Whatever you need them for, custom appliance panels can make your kitchen stand out from the crowd.

What Are Appliance Panels?

Appliance panels are large sheets, typically combined board and Formica, which are stuck over the outside of large appliances such as fridges or desktops. You can also purchase stick-on vinyl which serves the same purpose. They can help to conceal a dishwasher by hiding it behind a similar facing to your cupboards, or they can be used to make your fridge fit in with the rest of the room. Custom appliance panels sometimes have themes, so they may resemble oil paintings, or have floral or nature patterns on them.

Where Can I Use My Appliance Panels?

Most modern appliances designed for use in a kitchen come with Panel Ready designs which means that you can fit your panels on most electrical items in your kitchen, from fridges and freezers to wine coolers, trash compactors, and dishwashers. Cookers are generally not considered to be suitable for these covers, as the heat can affect the vinyl or Formica covering.

The panels are designed to overlay the appliances so that no metal or machine-type edges can be seen. To those that don't know, there is no difference between the pan cupboard and the dishwasher, or the fridge and the pantry cupboard. These models are typically the cheapest, although they cannot be easily changed if you decide that you don't like the appearance of the panel.

Trim-models cost less than overlays and are more easily changed. These panels are made of sheets of wood or metal, covered with a laminate, either supplied by the manufacturer or made by yourself. Families might wish to use the outside laminate of their fridge as a whiteboard, for example, and this can be added. Trim-model appliances are usually supplied with a panel, unlike overlays, so you can always change back if your first panel does not work out well.

Some panel suppliers have developed a Middle Way, which is a panel with the flexibility of the Trim-Model which also has the capacity to mimic the rest of the cabinets in the kitchen. The sheet used in the trim is quite thick, and is followed by an overlay that is wrapped around the panel, and covers the Trim-model entirely.

What Other Types of Panels Are There?

If you are interested in having a panel in your kitchen, then you can also obtain customized appliance covers for the cooker hood, which can be designed to match your cabinets or worktops, and handles and knob panels which can also help to give these tools the appearance of being perfectly in tune with the rest of the kitchen.