Poplar is the better but higher end choice. MDF baseboards can be a mess - MDF baseboards can get nicked, water from mopping the floor gets on the baseboard, the MDF expands and is not repairable easily or at all. Poplar would be my choice and I have specified NO MDF trim. We are building a house we plan on spending the next 30 years in though so the little extra is worth it.

just have to echo athensmomof3, MDF is a great solution for some things ...but i don't think trim is one of them! i'm using it in my all-wood, built in closets for shelving. it's inexpensive and smooth so great for stacking fine knits.

fyi: our trim is maple. good luck!

We have poplar door and window trim but MDF baseboards. We haven't had an issue with them, no nicks. Water isn't an issue, almost all our floors are wood. Ours are 8" and the poplar was cost prohibitive.

We have MDF in our last couple of houses, no problems at all and will have it in our new home as well.

My builder used MDF in some areas of the house (without letting me know). Water is my only issue. Where windows sweat, that condensation gets into a joint, which leads to swelling. If you want a true quality built I would avoid it, except maybe for shelving and such.

Thanks for all the advice. I'm waiting to receive trim estimates to see what the cost difference will be.

I think the other thing to consider is how long you plan to live in this house. One poster mentioned she had had MDF in her last couple of houses and had no problems. It is one thing to have no problems for 5 years and another to have no problems for 30.

Also, as far as wood floors go, they are too cleaned with water and wet mops can rub up against baseboards . . .

Like one poster said, use of poplar (I think it is preferred over pine because you don't have knots to deal with) is indicative of a higher quality build.

"Like one poster said, use of poplar (I think it is preferred over pine because you don't have knots to deal with) is indicative of a higher quality build. "

Poplar is preferred for easier painting and the paint sticking better.

It is actually softer than many softwoods.

We also chose MDF for our trim and baseboards. Can't understand how you would have water damage when the trim and baseboards are painted?! We like ours and haven't had any problems. I would use wood if I was going to stain the trim but for painting purposes the MDF is great.

"Can't understand how you would have water damage when the trim and baseboards are painted?!"

The bottom edge and the back are not usually painted, at best a coat of primer is there in many cases.

No water damage to ours in our last house and had them in over 10 years also with wood floors. A lot of hardwood floors are recommended to only be damp mopped now so the chance of being exposed to large amounts of water is less than the floors that are cleaned with the big old mop and bucket.

MDF will be fine as long as you stay away from the junk they sell at the home improvement stores. That's a light weight version. Not all MDF is the same. You'd be looking for high density MDF. I would spec that the whole thing get a coat of paint, then 2 or so coats (standard really)on the exposed side. You'll not have problems with water. I have it throughout my house (not low end at all) and have had no problems.

"A lot of hardwood floors are recommended to only be damp mopped now so the chance of being exposed to large amounts of water is less than the floors that are cleaned with the big old mop and bucket."

There are many other flooring choices besides hardwoods, and at least some of them can be cleaned with water.

Mouldings made from MDF-H are moisture resistant.

Beside repair problems, I've found MDF is not bendable, so it will not follow the curves in a wall; even new homes don't always have perfectly straight walls.

I've used it in lower end homes and basement renos where it did look fine--provided it was caulked carefully. But I would never use it in a new home or quality reno. Buyers would complain. In the future, who knows...

"Mouldings made from MDF-H are moisture resistant. "

That does not meas it will still appear acceptable after exposure.

Just that it will not instantly disintegrate.

This reminds me of the CBU claims.

They are 'water proof.'

It only means water does not damage the CBU, not that it stops the flow of water to the framing holding it in position (and grout joints in tile allow water to pass through).

brickeyee,

What are the chances someone is going to have a "flow of water" going over their floors? Come on now, for the most part MDF is great for trim and baseboard, that's why so many people here have used it with no problem. Rethree is correct in "the whole thing gets a coat of paint,then 2 or so coats on the exposed side". Any contractor with any experience is going to have that trim get at least a couple coats of paint, ALL sides! Wood trim is great for staining but if someone wants to paint it that's fine too! "To each his own", right?

"To each his own", right?

IOW, you get what you pay for.

Painted MDF in our 10-year-old house: Interior doors (36 X 84); Window trim (4") and some mouldings; Baseboards (8"). All of these are fine. I wouldn't do MDF door trim again -- nicks, dents. Doors are so heavy they require three heavy-duty hinges.

BTW we have hardwood flooring throughout. I think the whatchacallit (rounded strip between baseboards and the floor) is wood. (Is that 'quarter-round'?)

" "flow of water" going over their floors?"

It doesn't t take a flow to make MDF swell and look bad.

it is a cheapo substitute, and that is its only claim.

How many folks seem paranoid that wood floors in a kitchen will be destroyed by a dishwasher?

There is likely a much better chance of repeated water form cleaning a tile floor than a DW line breaking.

Like the trim it is competing against it is undersized (thin) and often has less than crisp and smooth shaping.

This post activity is absolutely nuts. Can we agree that there is MORE than one type of MDF material used in baseboards and trim? It seems many posters are not aware of that. It's like saying "foreign cars break down too much!... Hyundai?... Mercedes?... Yugo?...BMW??? ... In many ways MDF is a superior product and, when painted, holds up perfectly fine.

In many ways MDF is a superior product

Indeed, MDF outgassing is in a class by itself.

That's why it's the first choice of fine home builders and fine furniture makers everywhere!

Do we have a rep for the Composite Panel Association on board? Welcome!

Here is a link that might be useful: Composite Panel Association

Thank you "rethree"!!!!!!!!!

Wood trim goes in finer, more expensive, custom type homes. MDF is for a lower quality build. Per my builder, who refuses to use MDF and builds 7 figure homes. He also is of the belief that millwork makes a home and won't cut corners in this regard. MDF cuts corners. It is cheaper for a reason. If anyone has ever lived with MDF, I wouldn't expect they would use it again. I am surprised to hear some have. A friend who moved in a spec house has had nothing but problems and told me the last time I saw her (4 years in) she hated the baseboards in her house and was going to replace them (they are MDF and she is going with wood).

I have had a bad experience as well and would never use them again even on a 200k home.

I have lived with MDF for the last 10 years. The home that we are preparing to build now, we will be in there until we die. Compare this conversation to any other building material. You can pay 20K or 5K for essentially the same kitchen cabinets, it all depends on your budget and what you feel like spending. I would prefer to save a couple grand in trim and put it somewhere else in the house. I also steam mop my floors as I do not like to have puddles of water on my floor and it gets it much cleaner then pushing around dirty mop water. It is going to come down to personal preference what trim you want and what you can afford. It is also an area that you can save money in that later down the road you can easily change if you are not happy with it.

With my government salary, I'm lucky to have trim at all.

Good lord, people, educate yourselves on the various qualities of MDF. it's not great for furniture, but we're not taling about furniture. Ignorance. And no, I'm not a salesman. Just a regular guy who knows lots of stuff about building a high quality (non cheesey) home. And, if I have to hear a certain poster prattle on about "7 figure homes" one more time I'll scream. A 7-figure home with tasteful architecture maybe...not the other stuff.

If it doesn't take to wood glue, can't have a screw driven into it end-wise, can't be used with biscuits, won't take a nail end-wise, and needs three coats of primer, then buddy, _no sale_.
If you can't at least afford FJ pine trim, you probably shouldn't be building.
If the main selling point of a product is the fact that there's nothing cheaper, then a wise man will look elsewhere.

Casey

Rethree - glad to hear you think your home is so tasteful. Pictures please? I don't remember seeing any. . . .

Also very interested to hear you consider yourself an expert on a high quality build, when every architect or builder I have spoken to won't use MDF in a custom home. Wood trim is more expensive, yes, but a better product and has a place in a quality build. Not so sure I would go as far as Casey as to say that if you can't afford wood trim you shouldn't be building, but it is the details that make a house, and it has nothing to do with size and little to do with cost - just taste and quality products.

Worthy considers it a budget material and won't put it in a custom home and Casey seems to agree. . . but you're the expert (with the tasteful, noncheesy house - funny how you keep pointing that out?) right?

Ahhh...I remember so well the "discussions" we had with our builder regarding substituting MDF for our specified wood trim. It's just as good, takes paint better, (and my favorite) it's not like anyone will know. UGH...
We're wood snobs here. We've had bad experiences with MDF in our previous house, and we didn't feel that it met our requirements.

This has turned into a ridiculous argument and it all comes down to..."if you use MDF you don't have any sense or taste" vs. "only quality builds use wood trim"....How about some people use MDF and they are perfectly happy AND their house doesn't fall apart. Some people use wood trim because they want to AND they are not always snobs!! LOL!!

I don't think it has anything to do with being a snob or being "cheesy" or any of the other pejoratives that are being thrown around. Dixie and I both had bad experiences with MDF trim. I have a friend who is planning on replacing the trim in her house (MDF) with wood where they might be exposed to water because it has been so problematic. Obviously this is not an inexpensive undertaking. She bought a spec house and didn't know what was under there until a baseboard got nicked by a dump truck ;). MDF trim is more problematic than wood - doesn't have to be, but it CAN be.

If you are a single person living alone or empty nester, you may not have the issues a person with a houseful of boys and dogs might have. . . If you clean your own house, you will likely be more careful than a cleaning service would be, and certainly would be more careful to keep water away from you baseboards. There are all sorts of factors that go into this decision.

It is also not uncommon to get the builder run around re: MDF. They like it because it is easier and cheaper to install. If you understand what you are getting, that is fine, but most folks don't know and they trust the builder that it is an equivalent (or better) substitute. I think most would agree in a money is no object situation that wood trim is a better, more long lasting, less potentially problematic choice.

However, we all have budgets and have to make compromises in what we would ideally like to have and what we can afford to have. I choose to have wood baseboards and am willing to pay more to do that. In order to do that I will have to compromise in other areas (areas in which you might prefer to spend money). These are the decisions that we all have to make in building a house, and the best thing you can do is get all the information and make the decision that is right for YOU.

"However, we all have budgets and have to make compromises in what we would ideally like to have and what we can afford to have. I choose to have wood baseboards and am willing to pay more to do that. In order to do that I will have to compromise in other areas (areas in which you might prefer to spend money). These are the decisions that we all have to make in building a house, and the best thing you can do is get all the information and make the decision that is right for YOU."

AMEN!!!!!!

Thanks for all of the advice. I've been told to stay away from pine moulding and go with poplar. So I have not even considered pine. What is the negatives with going with pine vs. poplar? One thing that makes MDF so appealing is it's already primed. That is one less job that I have to do. All of our trim is straight edge with no profile and butt joints. I have family that have MDF in their house that they built two years ago. They have three boys and all their trim and baseboard is MDF. It's held up very well. Once again, thanks for all the advice and opinions. I'm hoping to make a decision this week.

I understand the problem with pine is that it is more work because you have to seal (or something?) the knots but this might not be the only reason. . . or even a reason! I just heard poplar was better so we went with it.

mgabriel, most wood trim can be purchased primed. it's ususally well worth the additional cost to purchase it primed for the sake of time and labor/materials involved in priming it yourself.