Carpentry and Woodworking - Working with MDF

The doors on my kitchen cabinets are horrible. While will probably be replacing the cabinets down the line (either building or purchasing) we are thinking of re-financing our home and need it to assess for as much as possible. So I need a cheap, quick fix. I thought I would just buy MDF and route a decorative edge, paint and install. I've worked with it very little, however and am finding very little info about it. Is there anything I need to know? Of course I can't do a search since "MDF" has less than 4 letters ;), and very few people actually say "Medium Density Fiberboard."

MDF, medium density fiberboard, is an engineered product of fibers and glue. It will do what you plan. It is quite heavy, makes an enormous amount of dust when cut and machined, and sands poorly. MDF is easy to damage when the corners or edges are struck. It holds screws poorly, so use the optimum screw size, use good quality screws, and drill pilot holes the correct size. It will split easily if you try to nail into it or screw into it along the edge, otherwise. I recommend the use of carbide tipped cutting tools so that they will last and make a clean cut in the MDF.

It will take paint nicely, provided you apply a good, complete coat of primer first. If the first coat looks thin and does not cover the color of the MDF, apply another coat prior to painting. Along the cut edges of the MDF you will benefit from extra coats of primer to completely seal the edge prior to painting. This will keep it from being rough. The cut edges absorb a lot of primer or paint before sealing enough to present a smooth edge.

Hope this helps.

Ya know, as soon as I saw your reply something in it seemed to ring a bell, and I vaguely remembered seeing an article recently on MDF. I need to look at my mags first and *then* go to the internet :D. In the April 2003 issue of "Fine Homebuilding" there is a good article titled, appropriately enough, "Working with MDF" :rolleyes: I never said I had a good memory ;) .