Firstly, All materials fingerprint!
So there is a different conversation to be had which is below
Why does some cabinetry show fingerprints?
The oils from our skin (which always has bits of dirt and grim) will always attach to welcoming surfaces. This is why dusting for prints works
What makes a finish fingerprint resistant?
You need finishes that fall into either of these categories
-A finish which doesn’t show where you leave finger prints (Light colours, timber looks and heavy matt/texture finishes)
-A finish which doesn’t show fingerprints left on them easily(Premium finishes available from Fenix, Polytec, Laminex)
Example of fingerprints on black vs white Thermolaminted
Finishes which don’t show fingerprints
So we now know it’s the oil which is being left behind which we see, so why don’t we see them on light colours, timber looks or heavily textured doors?
Light colours - As the oil we leave behind is reflecting with light, it’s reflecting the lighter colour so it’s not as noticeable
Heavily textured/Matt finishes - As the surface isn’t a flat surface it’s not a noticeable, But as you move closer towards Gloss they become more noticeable.
Woodmatt/timber finishes - The changes of Colour contrasts (and on some texture) make it not possible to see them
Fingerprint Resistant Finishes
From above we now know that adding texture will reduce the visible fingerprints, so what else can be done? There is 2 additional steps that can be done for the darker colour finishes
-How hydrophobic(water repelling)/Oleophobic (Oil repelling) the surface is
-How much light is bouncing back off the surface (through the water and oil) which we then see
The fingerprint resistant finishes from Laminex, Polytec and Fenix use varying levels of both of these, but all 3 companies don’t provide any information on how successful they are and just say fingerprint resistant which makes comparing the products and if it’s worth spending the extra money difficult
I wanted to do a rough test of how the finishes cope with water, oil and fingerprints which you can find here
Article of testing cleaning and marking use on fingerprint resistant cabinets
The TLDR of the above article is The fingerprint resistant finishes Polytec, Laminex and Fenix
-All reduce reflection of light with Matt finishes
-Have water and oil repelling benefits
-When cleaned don’t absorb any of the oil so you don’t get streaking easily
Here is links to the different products and colour ranges they offer
Fenix finishes (who have some additional benefits over the others)
Price points to achieve a fingerprint resistant/easier to clean kitchen in these colours
Lets work on the idea of the Cabinetry for a kitchen being 25k for a light coloured Melamine or Laminte. Below would be the rough increases in pricing to do the same kitchen in the other finishes I mentioned
Laminate/Melamine in light colours Matt finish 25k
Wood looking finish with texture 28.5k (+3.5k)
Ultramatt or Venette from Polytec 30k (+5k)
Absolute Matte from Laminex 33.5k (+8.5k)
Fenix 37.5k (+12.5k)
My Thoughts
There is massive differences in the price of the kitchen without even changing how you use it. So to spend the extra money comes down to what you love. Choosing between the extra cost to achieve what you love or cleaning fingerprints whenever they bother you comes down to what you’re comfortable with.