Thermolaminated and 2Pac doors can look alike from across the room. Both give you a smooth coloured face on an MDF door, and both come in Shaker and other profiles. The difference is how the colour gets onto the board, and that changes your colour choice, your profile choice and the price.
We offer both: painted doors finished in 2Pac, and thermolaminated doors from Polytec's Thermofoil range. Here is how they compare.
What is a 2Pac door?
A 2Pac door is MDF that has been routed to its profile and then sprayed with two-part polyurethane paint. Ours are 18 mm moisture-resistant MDF, with a white melamine back unless you order the door double-sided. Because the colour is paint, it can be any colour: choose one of our 12 standard colours or give us the name and code of any Dulux, Taubmans or Porters colour.
A custom paint colour costs the same as a standard one. A 60 × 80 cm METOD Shaker door is $335 in Cool White and $335 in a colour you have matched to your walls.
What is a thermolaminated door?
A thermolaminated door is MDF that is shaped first and then wrapped in a decorative finish applied with heat and pressure, rather than sprayed. Polytec sells its version as Thermofoil, and that is the range we offer. Our Polytec Thermofoil doors are bought in as finished doors from Polytec and delivered to our Mortdale factory, where we drill the hinge and drawer holes, then pack and ship them. They are 18 to 21 mm thick depending on the profile.
The colours are Polytec's own: 51 in all, made up of 25 Smooth colours, 7 super-matt Matt colours and 19 Woodmatt woodgrains. Smooth and Matt doors are backed in white or black melamine unless ordered double-sided. You can browse every colour on our Polytec Thermofoil doors page.
How do the colour choices differ?
This is usually the deciding question.
- 2Pac is any paint colour. If you need to match existing joinery, a designer's specification or a colour you already have on the walls, 2Pac is the one that can do it.
- Thermolaminated is a fixed palette. You choose from Polytec's 51 colours. You can't order a Thermofoil door in a Dulux colour.
- Only thermolaminated does woodgrain on a profiled door. Polytec's Woodmatt range puts a textured timber look onto Shaker, Reeded and other profiles. 2Pac is solid colour only.
Which profiles can you get in each?
The two ranges overlap on the classics and differ on the rest.
- Painted 2Pac: Plain, Mini Shaker, Slim Shaker, Midi Shaker, Shaker, French Shaker, Round Shaker, Coastal, Finger Pull and Arch. See them on the painted Shaker doors for METOD page and its sister collections.
- Polytec Thermofoil: Plain, Outline, Linear, Wide V-Groove, Slim V-Groove, Classic Shaker, Fine Shaker, Micro Shaker, Bevel Frame, Reeded, Fine Reeded and Scallop.
If you want reeded or scalloped fronts, that is Thermofoil. If you want Arch, Coastal, Finger Pull or Round Shaker, that is 2Pac.
Which costs more?
Same door, same size: a 60 × 80 cm METOD door (597 × 797 mm), as priced on our site in October 2026.
| Door | Painted 2Pac | Polytec Thermofoil, Smooth or Matt | Polytec Thermofoil, Woodmatt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plain | $285 | $285 | $370 |
| Shaker-style profiles | $335 | $285 | $370 |
| Bevel Frame, Reeded or Fine Reeded | Not offered | $355 | $465 |
| Scallop | Not offered | $395 | $515 |
A plain door costs the same either way. For a Shaker-style door in a solid colour, Polytec Smooth or Matt comes in $50 a door under 2Pac, provided one of Polytec's colours suits you. Across a kitchen of 20 Shaker-style doors at this size, that is a $1,000 difference.
How can you see them before ordering?
- 2Pac: an 80 × 160 mm finish sample is $10, and its value comes back to you as a discount code on a joinery order of $1,000 or more. A full-size 400 × 200 mm painted drawer front is $55 in white, or $55 to $100 in your colour, made to order in about four weeks.
- Polytec Thermofoil: we don't stock a Polytec sample at the moment. Polytec sends free colour chips direct, and you can see full-size Thermofoil doors at our showroom at 600 Princes Highway, Tempe.
Everything else is on our samples page.
Which should you choose?
Choose 2Pac if you need a particular paint colour, you want to match something already in the house, or you have your heart set on Arch, Coastal, Finger Pull or Round Shaker.
Choose thermolaminated if you want a woodgrain on a profiled door, you like reeded, scalloped or V-groove fronts, or you want a Shaker-style door for less and one of Polytec's 51 colours is right.
Both are made to order in 4 to 6 weeks and both fit IKEA METOD, PAX and BESTÃ…. The quickest way to compare them on your own kitchen is to paste your saved IKEA plan into the 3D Kitchen Planner and switch between the two finishes. For the wider picture, see our guide to custom IKEA doors.
Common questions
Is thermolaminated the same as Thermofoil?
Thermofoil is Polytec's name for its thermolaminated door range. When we say thermolaminated, we mean those Polytec Thermofoil doors.
Can I get a thermolaminated door in a Dulux colour?
No. Thermolaminated colours are limited to Polytec's range. For a Dulux, Taubmans or Porters colour, choose painted 2Pac.
Is 2Pac more expensive than thermolaminated?
For a plain door they cost the same. For a Shaker-style door in a solid colour, 2Pac is $50 more per 60 × 80 cm door than Polytec Smooth or Matt. Woodmatt woodgrains cost more than either.
Can I order a Polytec sample from Customea?
Not at the moment. Polytec sends free colour chips, and full-size Thermofoil doors are on display at our Tempe showroom.