MDF or solid wood for white cabinets??

16 years ago

Hi - We are in the process of getting bids for a kitchen renovation. Plan is for a solid wood dark stained island with white cabinets around the perimeter of the kitchen. Some of the quotes we have received use MDF (boxes and door) for the lacquer white cabinets and other quotes were for wood. I am told that the MDF looks better for lacquer finishes, but am concerned about formaldehyde even if the cabinets are sealed. Does anyone have any advice on my two options? Thanks!!

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Comments (5)

kateskouros
16 years ago
i struggled with this while getting bids for our mudroom lockers and other built ins. quotes i received for mdf cabinets from our cabinet maker were much lower than for painted maple. in addition to off gassing of mdf products we also considered the neighborhood and value of the home. i got several more bids and finally just had our GC hire our trim carpenter for everything ...in the maple. i understand mdf has certain advantages, particularly for painted surfaces but i don't feel we could afford NOT to use wood. again, just me.

i've seen some pretty nice mdf so there definitely seem to be different grades available. i'm not at all educated on these products so please don't rely on me, but i also think mdf would be preferable to thermofoil if you decide to go that route. good luck. there are so many decisions to make, and every dollar counts! ;*)
artemis78
16 years ago
Our cabinetmaker is recommending paint-grade maple door frames with MDF center panels, to get a smoother look for the paint while keeping the bones of the door solid wood. Maybe something like this could be a middle ground for you?
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marcydc
16 years ago
Since California is requiring formaldehyde free cabinets in 2012, many companies have started doing it already. The sales folks at the places we went to even here in CA didn't seem to know that, but a call to the cabinet co's 800 number will confirm.

(Yay CA!)

Oh, and the formaldehyde can be in plywood as well as MDF.
athomesewing
16 years ago
MDF will NOT last as long as wood. It may paint up nicely, so does Maple. Maple will hold up much better to years of opening/closing and stress on the hinges etc.
kitellie49
16 years ago
Something else to consider when making this choice: Painted MDF doors are one piece. There are no joints. Painted maple doors are pieced - 5 pieces. The four comprising the frame and the center panel. As humidity fluctuates in a home, the wood door frame will move. Because the paint does not penetrate the wood as a stain does, you will see hairline finish breaks at the joints. If your center panel is pieced, you could get vertical finish breaks where the panels are joined. As a poster stated above, an MDF center panel is a good thing. An MDF center panel is not pieced and does not move as the wood does so it can stabilize the wood frame and minimize these breaks.

Whenever I get a customer considering painted cabinets, this is the first talk we have...