Reasons Why You Should or Should Not Buy MDF Wood
Medium Density Fibre (MDF) board is different than lower grade particle or flake board. This is used during the construction of low cost, highly durable furniture.
Online, May 23, 2014 (Newswire.com) - MDF wood is not wood but better than wood
Solid wood is different from MDF on several points not that they are very varied nonetheless they are quite important. Solid wood is strong, sturdy and beautiful in its grain, but at the same time wood contracts under changes in heat and humidity levels. In order for these problems to be avoided completely the conditions need to be carefully controlled. Therefore cabinets, doors or panelling made from solid wood can shrink, crack or buckle, but those problems do not exist with the use of MDF. MDF is more stable than solid wood and stands up better to changes in heat and humidity. Solid wood boards typically expand and contract both horizontally and vertically with the rise and fall of temperature and humidity. In order to protect furniture from such wide physical fluctuations, cabinets, doors and panelling made from solid wood require a high level of care and maintenance is necessary in case of solid wood.
Distinctly different and more sophisticated than wood
Medium Density Fibre board is different than lower grade particle or flake board. This is used during the construction of low cost, highly durable furniture. On the other hand, MDF is denser, heavier than wood and fibres are finer. It also costs more. Depending on the level of finish and detail, good quality cabinets made with MDF will be priced accordingly, but under most circumstances you can more or less expect MDF to be cheaper than wood furniture.
Sturdy and enforceable
MDF is commonly used for shelving and can be a great choice. However, at long runs (usually longer than 5 feet), MDF will sag unless reinforced with solid wood edges. Be sure to drill pilot holes into the edges before applying screws to avoid the material from splitting. You might also consider plowing the end panels and joining the shelf units with tenon, spline or lamello joints. Even using screws will not take away much from the looks of MDF wood products because MDF in itself is very clean in looks and holds better and lasts longer.
The only thing that you need to be careful about while buying MDF wood products is that it does not hold too well to high moisture content, so in case you want products to remain intact even under such conditions choose water resistant products to MDF wood.