For about as long as history dates, people have been building houses out of the resources available to them. And for many parts of the world, the best resource to use was wood. Wood is a beautiful and durable material to build with, but it has its drawbacks. When using wood for finished surfaces that receive a lot of use and ultimately wear and tear such as doors, cabinet drawers and paneling, wood isn’t necessarily your best choice. For doors and drawer fronts, MDF (medium-density fiberboard) is a better choice because it doesn’t expand or contract in temperature changes. When wood expands and contracts, it causes paint or a finish to crack. MDF board however does not and has a smoother, cleaner finish than wood, which makes it an ideal surface to paint.
MDF doors and drawer fronts are also much easier to customize to your size and specifications. This means you’ll be ordering, installing and enjoying cabinets much sooner than you would if you were to be ordering whole tree wood boards. Another great advantage to MDF doors and drawer fronts over wood is the cost. The cost of MDF cabinet and drawer fronts is the cost. Ordering custom MDF cabinet fronts is considerably less expensive than using wood.
High Humidity Areas And MDF
In high humidity areas such as a bathroom, a wood cabinet is going to swell and contract making it almost impossible to keep your cabinets lines looking clean and crisp. For this reason, most contractors use a high quality MDF board that has been treated with a resin to ensure its durability. Most companies who build custom MDF doors and panels offer a finish that is formaldehyde-free, making it okay for ‘green’ home certifications.
Going Green With MDF
MDF board is essentially repurposed wood shavings, sawdust and excess scraps. Through the process of binding these materials that would otherwise be scrapped or thrown away, theses excess materials that would otherwise be swept up or sucked up in some shop vacuum are now given new life. In this way, MDF board is a fine choice for homeowners who are looking to keep their house as green as possible. Along with being environmentally friendly, it is also cheaper than wood, so if another green component in your house was more expensive than a less environmentally friendly material, you could make up the difference by using an MDF product. All in all MDF is a superior choice if you’re thinking about installing custom cabinets, refinishing your cabinets and drawers or installing new doors in your home.
