Comments on: Painted MDF kitchen cabinets: Another great choice for a retro renovation

By: pam kueber

pam kueber — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 14:37:48 +0000

Thanks for your input, Natschultz, I advise readers to consult with their cabinet makers about all of these solutions. The MDF doors on my bathroom cabinets are fantastic. As you suggest, the box is plywood. I think that is a pretty standard approach — but again, talk to your cabinet makers and do your own homework to make sure that the solution is right for you. I also advise: Get a solution to Consumer Reports. They also tend to have well-researched, commercially-neutral advice helpful to homeowners researching solutions.

By: Natschultz

Natschultz — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 04:18:59 +0000

Hi, I was wondering who said MDF is moisture resistant? MDF actually DISSOLVES in water! It is simply sawdust bonded with a resin glue. I have only used it once for the back of a solid wood bookcase, and the scraps I left outside turned into a sawdust pile after it rained! I have heard that there is special “moisture resistant” MDF, but the ordinary stuff you get at Home Depot definitely is not! MDF is super cheap – $14,000 is outrageous for MDF caninets.

Neither high-quality plywood or solid wood should not be a problem with paint as long as a high quality primer is used. Zinsser 1-2-3 for latex or the Fast Dry oil primer for oil paint or on any unfinished wood (with 1-2-3 after). If you buy cabinets to paint them get maple or poplar for the doors because they have the least raised grain. But poplar is soft so it can get nicks and dings in it.

To the person with peeling veneer – these are cheap cabinets and painting will not help – the veneer will continue to peel off and painting will only make the problem worse because the moisture will loosen the adhesive even more.

MDF is very heavy, but easy to machine, but I only use solid wood and furniture grade plywood. Carving decorative vents into plywood will not work very well, so either a solid wood piece would have to be used or MDF. The difference between MDF and partical board it that MDF can be painted, but particle board must have a veneer applied (thermofoil or wood) because it is textured.

Most manufacturers probably won’t dovetail MDF because it is usually the chapest line and not worth the extra labor. It could also be that the glue used to hold the joints together will not last, but that is just a guess. Dovetail drawer boxes are made of solid wood (not plywood).

By: mj shenk

mj shenk — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 19:03:14 +0000

I happened onto this site by accident, and I love it! I just wanted to add my .02 about MDF. When we moved into our 1961 FL ranch in ’99, the firs thing that had to go were the badly warped and cracked kitchen cabinet doors. They had been cut from some thin plywood and painted, and they were so warped they had actually become crooked where they were hanging. My contractor FIL suggested using 3/4″ MDF instead of plywood (we had no clue what would be best to use and needed to do it ourselves). The MDF was easy to work with (my husband is a metal worker by trade, but had no problems with cutting the doors), very solid, and took paint nicely. I did prime first, is that really needed with MDF? I lightly sanded the edges where they were cut, so they looked a bit fuzzy on those edges before they were painted, but after painting they looked fine, and those edges are on the bottom anyway. FIL said we could use those edging strips they use on melamine for a slicker edge, but I’ve seen those strips peeling off things, so I didn’t want to use them. The doors have been up for about 10 years now, and they’re just as solid as they were when we first put them up. No warping, cracking, peeling. I used a good Porter cabinet paint, so they’re very washable.

The only thing I would warn about with MDF is that (at least the 3/4″ we used) is pretty darn heavy. We used heavy duty cabinet hinges, and have had no problems at all.