By Brandon Tintinger, Brandy and Co Media. Photo: our first kitchen in Metamark MiA, fitted in Durban.
If you like your kitchen's layout but not how it looks, wrapping the cupboards is a cheaper way to change it. We fit three architectural film ranges: Cover Styl, Metamark MiA and the Cover Styl Eco Range. They are different products, and the cheapest one saves you less than you would expect.
I have been fitting architectural film for four years. In that time we have wrapped about 20 kitchens, plus fridges, counters, lifts and hotel rooms. Here is how the three compare from our experience fitting them.
The short answer
- Cover Styl is the one we fit most and the one I would put in my own kitchen. It has the widest choice of finishes, a 10-year manufacturer warranty, and it is the easiest of the three to fit well.
- Metamark MiA is a good film at a lower price, with a smaller range. It only recently became available in South Africa, so we have fitted one kitchen in it so far.
- The Cover Styl Eco Range is the budget option. It costs the least, has the lowest service temperature rating, and is the hardest of the three to fit.
The three films side by side
| Cover Styl | Metamark MiA | Cover Styl Eco Range | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where it sits in our offering | Our first choice | Lower-priced alternative | Budget |
| Finishes to choose from | More than 200 | 41 | 25 |
| Fitted price on the same kitchen | Our benchmark | 13 to 20% less | 16 to 23% less |
| Film thickness | About 220 micron for NE77; varies by finish | 165 to 250 micron | About 200 micron |
| Stated upper temperature rating | 100 to 110°C | 110°C service temperature | 70°C service temperature |
| How we find it to fit | Easiest | In between | Hardest |
| Who we deal with in South Africa | Cover Styl South Africa | Maizey | Cover Styl South Africa |
| Our experience with it | Most of our kitchens | One kitchen so far | Some jobs |
The thickness and temperature figures are from the technical information for each film. The fitting assessments are ours. The price differences compare similar solid-colour finishes on the same kitchen, and will vary with the finish and the job.
You can check the figures in the Cover Styl data sheets, the Metamark MiA technical sheet and the Eco Range technical information.
Why the cheapest film does not make the kitchen much cheaper
The film is only part of what you pay for. Preparation and installation are a large part of the price whichever film you choose. The cupboards still need to be cleaned, prepared and wrapped properly.
Take the kitchen in our NE77 case study. We quoted R19,000 to wrap it in Cover Styl, and the client accepted the quote and had the work done. For that same kitchen in a similar finish, we estimate about R15,200 to R16,500 in Metamark MiA and about R14,600 to R16,000 in the Eco Range.
Choosing Eco would save about R3,000 to R4,400 on that kitchen. For some buyers, that makes the job affordable. For others, the wider choice of finishes and the higher heat rating are worth the extra cost.
Cover Styl
This is Cover Styl's main collection: woods, stones, metals, fabrics and solid colours, in more than 200 finishes. If you have a specific look in mind, this is where you are most likely to find it.
It is also the film our installers prefer. The adhesive holds without grabbing too early, so we can position a panel and smooth it properly. That balance makes it easier to work with than the other two.
Cover Styl gives these films a 10-year warranty against yellowing, delamination and cracking. The warranty has conditions. The film must be fitted by an installer Cover Styl has certified, on a suitable surface, to their guidelines, and out of strong direct sunlight. The job must also be registered with Cover Styl within 30 days. We are a certified Cover Styl installer and we register the warranty for you. It covers the film, not the cost of refitting it.
Choose it if this is the kitchen you live in and you want it to last.
It is not for you if the budget will not stretch, or the kitchen only has to look good for a couple of years.
Metamark MiA
MiA is Metamark's interior architectural film, supplied in South Africa by Maizey. It comes in 41 finishes: solid colours, soft matts, woods, stones and metal effects.
We have completed one kitchen in it so far, the one in the photo above. Our installers rated it a really good material, though not as good as the Cover Styl we normally use. From what I have seen, it shapes around edges and profiles better than the Eco Range does.
Its adhesive grabs less at first than Cover Styl's, so it takes a little more to tack it down. That is useful on some surfaces, because a panel can be moved until it sits right. It is less helpful on vertical ones, where the film needs to hold while you work. We slit the backing sheet, remove a small section, tack that part down, then work from there. Fitted that way, it goes on well.
Metamark states up to 10 years of interior durability out of direct sunlight, and warrants the film against material defects over that stated life when it is fitted to their guidelines. Its technical sheet gives a service temperature up to 110°C. What we cannot tell you yet is how it holds up over years in a South African kitchen. We will update this page as our MiA kitchens age.
Choose it if one of its 41 finishes is the look you want and you would like to spend less than Cover Styl.
It is not for you if you want the film we have the longest record with, or the finish you have in mind is not in the range.
The Cover Styl Eco Range
The Eco Range is the lowest-priced film we fit. It comes in 25 finishes.
Heat near ovens, hobs and kettles
The Eco Range's technical sheet gives an upper service temperature of 70°C, against 100 to 110°C for Cover Styl and MiA. Because of that rating, we would not use Eco on the panels right next to an oven or hob, or above a kettle. If those panels are part of the job, we would look at Cover Styl or MiA for them.
More care during fitting
The Eco Range is the hardest of the three to fit. Its adhesive is very tacky, so it grabs the moment it touches the surface. Fitting it well takes more care, and it forgives mistakes less than the other two.
Choose it if the budget is fixed, or the kitchen needs to look right for a few years: a rental, a flat you are selling, a staff kitchen.
It is not for you if you cook a lot and want every door wrapped, including the ones closest to the heat.
What all three have in common
All three are self-adhesive architectural films made for interior surfaces. They need a sound, smooth, clean surface underneath them.
Whichever film you pick, the surface needs proper preparation. If a door is swollen, crumbling or peeling, no film will fix it, and we will tell you so before quoting. A different film is never the answer to a surface that is not fit to wrap.
What I would put in my own kitchen
Cover Styl. The range means I would find the finish I want, and the warranty and durability matter to me more than the saving. On a kitchen I use every day, I would pay the extra R3,000 to R4,400. If the budget were tight, I would look at MiA first, provided it had the finish I wanted.
How to choose
- Start with the finish. If only one range has the look you want, the decision is made.
- Think about heat. If the cupboards around your oven and hob are being wrapped, use Cover Styl or MiA for those panels.
- Ask for the same kitchen quoted in two films, so you can decide whether the saving is worth it.
Send us a few photos of your kitchen and your suburb on WhatsApp, and tell us which finishes you like. We will check that the surfaces are suitable and quote it in the films that fit your budget.