MDF has the tendency to warp and swell if it gets wet, but maybe with the epoxy it might work. What if it knicks or gets cuts on it...then it will be absorbed by the pressed wood fibers. What about a beautiful formica or something like that?
Many of our friends have this in their very expensive homes and it looks like granite. I would go that route first. Lowes has some beautiful counters that are not granite...check those out. We have formica in our kitchen and now are remodeling and putting in granite. Our formica still looks like new....even after three kids and 4 grandchildren....Can't go wrong with it.
Just my input

Thanks jaksof3! We just took out Formica that was bombproof so I know how great it can be. Unfortunately ours was pink... We'll get the soapstone, it'll just be a year to 18 months. We are trying to find a way to get something usable that won't make us feel terrible when it comes out.

I apologize in advance if bumping your own message goes against forum rules! I'll need to make some kind of decision early next week about temporary counters. Thanks for advice or photos if you have any. I saw a couple photos when I googled it, but mostly text from woodworkers' forums.

I will echo what jakz said and give give you a bump. While we were waiting for our island granite, we got a scratch and dent laminate counter for next to nothing, and it was great. I still trot it out when I need additional table tops, and just put it on sawhorses.

I don't really know if this is the same product, but I had a piece of what I think was MDF trim molding outside for a looong time (like 4 years). I have to say it held up very well. When I finally threw it away, it was warped and starting to flake. Unless you're the type to leave spills on your counters, I can't imagine you'd have any real problems. I'd do it!

We lived with a piece of T-111 house siding as a countertop beside our stove for more than 2 years. It wasn't painted or sealed, unless you count being covered in cooking grease spatters.

I see no problem with a temporary MDF counter, but I'd suggest using epoxy paint, and eliminating a step.

For what it's worth, as a stopgap while saving up for soapstone we covered MDF in roofing sheet copper. It's been rock solid for 3+ years now, and we are not likely to change it out any time soon. We did a whole kitchen for around $800.

But I say go for the painted MDF, it will likely last for a good year of two.

Thanks everyone! We have a great "reuse" center here where I could probably find laminate pieces, but I know us, if we put in something semi-permanent it will be with us forever. Could be worse things in the world I know, just hard move the finished kitchen vision from the front to back burner. Love the idea of the copper!

Our counter guy left our kitchen minus the counters flanking our stove. I have used 2 pieces of shelving made of mdf with a laminate coating on them. Neither has finished edges or is even attached. Both work fine as temp counters. Hopefully, the counter guy will come back soon and my shelves will be put back in storage. Think of them as 2 big pre-cutting boards. I use cutting boards on top of the shelves when I prep, but these give me something to put the boards on. Another important function is that they keep debris from falling in the topless drawers.
You make do with what you can. I agree with trying your local Restore or salvage place. You could even cut an old door to place on top or find some other flat surface. It is just a base for what you put on top. Do not spend big money on temporary materials. My temp counters don't even look so bad because they are white and are on top of our white cabs. If you look quickly, you may not get what they are made of right away....

"... don't want to just put something in just to rip it out..." Huh, wow. The cost of plywood or MDF is next to nothing. To keep it simple, for a year or two, I would use plywood. My gut feel about MDF is not good. It's not able to stand up to humidity/moisture. It can sag too. Think of it as you would think of cardboard. One it gets moist.

Thanks dianolo and davidro1. This will have a sink on it so moisture is a concern. The GC seemed to think that with the epoxy I could even undermount the sink but I don't know. I'd like to say I am a neat-freak-non-splashing kind of cook but that would be a lie.

what the wha...? epopxy apoplexy what ?? OMG AKA WTF. LOL! Epoxy. And he doesn't want to create waste. He might put MDF, and it could be 99.9% well sealed with some kind of thin-film perfectly applied (loads of man-hours!) and then he hopes never a ding shall occur. But, hey, what do I know, I'm just a guy who seems to know what is strong enough and what is overkill. To me, using MDF near moist humid places is like trying to use cardboard for a gangplank to a boat. One day it fails. It will be because of one reason alone. Absorbing H2O.

Um, little tired here davidro1, heat exhaustion and all that. What exactly are you saying? I need some direction here obviously!?! Should plywood be sealed in the same way? I think that plywood comes from solid wood and MDF from fibers, does that mean plywood can handle the moisture better all around? TIA from CIC.

Epoxy strikes me as very shiny. Soapstone is matte. What about india ink and poly or waterlox on IKEA butcherblock or plywood? Brickman House used india ink and I think with a matte finish it would give you the look of soapstone to tide you over, at least tying in with your kitchen design.

If you trust him I say go for it. I myself would tend to lean towards the plywood over the MDF. Have you thought about having your contractor or you apply a soapstone formica sheet to plywood counters?

Here is a link that might be useful: Epoxy counters

Use the mdf, but cover it with the inexpensive white laminate that you can find at home depot for about $40 for a 4 x 8 sheet.

For temporary countertops, we're using the white melamine sheets you buy at Home Depot. I think it was about $30 for a 4x8 sheet. Not beautiful...but we can wipe up spills and trust me, we won't feel bad when we tear it out.

I installed plywood countertops in our kitchen for a temporary fix. They've been in service for over a year ("temporary" around here lasts a long time) and are fine! I painted them a dark bluish gray - I think I grabbed an "oops" paint off the clearance rack - then sealed with a few coats of polycrylic. There is a little bit of a whitish haze in the areas where I habitually set hot pans, but other than that look pretty much exactly as I installed them. I don't cut on them and try not to get them very wet (I have a thick towel under my dish drying rack), but there is a sink in the counter run. I don't like MDF personally, but I imagine if sealed it'll last the year or two you'll need it. Good luck!

Perhaps I am confused but isn't every builder grade cabinet in bathrooms and kitchens made of MDF? They have shaped doors that suggest they were molded or shaper cut and then painted somehow. Isn't that essentially what would be done here (without the shaping)?

I only bring up the shaping because it suggests that the cut edges can be sealed like the sides.

I view a counter as a wear surface. Not a show surface.

I would consider going to lowes/HD and getting their stock countertops if you're interested in a cheap, temporary option. At least price it out and compare it to what the MDF/plywood option would be. I think by the time you buy the MDF, paint, epoxy, sealer, whatever, and account for the extra labor, the stocked countertop will be cheaper. And if your soapstone countertop needs to get pushed out a few more months, I think the laminate material will be more reliable.

We did exactly what you are suggesting, except I can't remember if we used plywood or MDF. All we did was brush a coat of Aura paint on it because we happened to have almost a quart of it in a color that looked good as a countertop. Most people did not notice at a glance that they not "real" countertops-even though they were almost an inch short (a sheet cut in half doesn't give enough depth for an overhang...)

It did bubble up a bit around the sink, but we didn't really seal it so that was to be expected. It was less than a year before we got the soapstone installed. One side benefit was that the temporary counters served well as templates for the soapstone (my dh did the soapstone). We got to try out the sink reveal, etc. before committing it to stone.

We also used MDF on the island until we got the stainless steel fabricated. Again, it gave me the opportunity to adjust-we vetoed the rounded off corners on the end after trying it with the temporary counter.

I did look at doing laminate for the interim, but we were way too cheap when it came down to it, to buy something that would be ripped out in the near future. The motivation to get the soapstone would have decreased greatly, too...

Oh wow, thanks for all the replies! I think timber.j hit the nail on the head with;

"Idid look at doing laminate for the interim, but we were way too cheap when it came down to it, to buy something that would be ripped out in the near future. The motivation to get the soapstone would have decreased greatly, too..."

LOL davidro1, I view counters as counters, but I'd like the one in MY view to be soapstone this time around. Pink laminate was fine, but I've had enough pink to last me awhile. Pink kitchen, bathroom, and basement.

Marine epoxy paint will definitly seal it. If it can keep water out on the ocean, it will work in your kitchen.

You haven't seen my kids learning to do dishes... Just kidding, thanks weedmeister, and point taken :-)!