What is Matte?

Matte is a description used to characterize finishes that lack the mirror and shine properties of gloss. The various choices involved in selecting and finishing kitchen cabinets do offer several opportunities to choose matte. For example, painted finished can be matte which means they have no shine to them. There are even veneers that will dry to a matte finish. General opposition to matte is that it leaves a project seeming unfinished.

A matte finish will provide a raw nature to the project. Cabinets that are left matte may resemble a work-in-progress rather than a finished project. An advantage that prompts some to enjoy matte finishes is that they are less likely to show smears and other characteristics associated with being touched or used. An alternative to the matte finish that can give a project these benefit while still providing a completed aesthetic is the satin finish.