01
What thermofoil is
Thermofoil is a thin plastic film pressed over an MDF or HDF door. It is smooth and even when it is new, and it is in a lot of kitchens around Montreal.
The trouble starts with age and heat. The film lifts at the edges or bubbles near the oven or the kettle, and the colour dates the whole room. Many people assume the only fix is new doors. Often the MDF core is still sound, and a door with a sound core can take a new finish.
02
Why regular paint will not hold
The film is slick and non-porous. A coat of ordinary paint sits on top of it with nothing to hold on to, so it does not stay.
Three things make paint stay on thermofoil: sanding to give the surface a key, a primer that grips, and a two-component coating that cures hard. I use two coats of BIN shellac-based primer and two coats of Renner Italia 2K mixed with its hardener on site. That coating is made for cabinets: durable, washable and designed to resist chipping.
03
Peeling film: take it off
Where the film has let go, I take it off. I remove the loose film down to the MDF, sand the core smooth, and fill chipped or slightly swollen edges before any primer goes on.
In a Brossard kitchen in July 2026 this was day two of the job: the espresso thermofoil came off the island and the doors, and the MDF underneath was primed and sprayed white. You can see it on the Brossard thermofoil project.
04
Sound film: sand and prime
Where the film is still bonded flat, it stays. It is degreased, sanded and primed for adhesion, then sprayed with the same 2K colour as everything else.
One kitchen often has both cases. Doors near heat often lift first, while doors on the far wall are still tight. Each door gets the prep its own surface needs, and after two coats of colour they all look the same.
05
When a thermofoil door is better replaced
Some doors are past saving, and I will say so from your photos. The usual reasons:
- The door is warped by heat from an oven, a toaster or a kettle.
- The MDF is swollen and soft from water, usually under the sink or beside the dishwasher.
- The door is broken, or the core is delaminating.
06
How to check your own doors
Take a close photo of a door edge next to the stove, one next to the sink, and one wide shot of the kitchen. Look under a lifted edge: MDF that is hard and flat can hold a finish; MDF that is soft or swollen cannot. Send those photos with a free photo quote and I will tell you which doors can be refinished and whether any should be replaced.
A thermofoil kitchen follows the same 5-day on-site process as any other: about five days for a typical kitchen, with the film removal happening during the prep days.