Is MDF board good for cabinets

I am wanting to build some cabinets for my garage and want to u 1/2 and

3/4 mdf board. Is that good wood to use?
Reply to
MUSTANGS7981
Loading thread data ...

No.

Reply to
Leon

Reply to
MUSTANGS7981

Pine. Jim

Reply to
Jim

I'd not even call it wood, just a composite board. It has a place in life, but not for cabinets. Over time it can sag, war, hinges pull out, etc. Plywood, or low cost wood like pine is OK too. Or a combination of the two.

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

I'd use plywood. It is stable, strong, readily available, easily worked and can be finished in a variety of ways. MDF produces too much dust when you cut it and its corners and edges are susceptible to damage after small bumps. Ply will not disintegrate when small amounts of water are spilt on it.

Mekon

Reply to
Mekon

Cabinet-grade plywood will work. Actually, most hardwoods will be fine, try to avoid softwoods as they will not stand up to hard use over time.

Can you tell us why you think 'u' is a word in the English language?

Reply to
Brian Henderson

Reply to
MUSTANGS7981

Some coffee might hit the spot right now.

Reply to
Chuck Taylor

I don't think he was being mean, he was simply pointing out that your insipid shorthand is annoying.

Reply to
Roger Shoaf

What did u tie it 2?

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

A quick note, aside from wood you have to consider what you intend on using them for. If you're using them for multiple tasks (storage, workbench) then you may need a combination of materials. If you're using them to store solvents or flammables you may even need vented metal. You may need drawers or the ability to add drawers or shelves to them. A good 'look before you leap' assessment goes a long way in ensuring you have something that gives you the most bang for the buck. You may be able to get away with some Pine 2x4's, nails and MDF tops or may need something much more elaborate. I think the reply, MDF not being a good material, is really with the understanding of it as a vertical support material and it's screw holding ability (which it sucks at for both), it's difficulty in milling (easily milled aside from the handling weight, but the dust is potentially hazardous to your health and really stinks up the garage). Also, when it gets wet it's useless (i.e. dimensionally unstable) and if you spill anything on it like oil it looks terrible.

On the other hand, for a solid flat surface it works well when covered up with something like hardboard or laminate. I wouldn't span it over to great a length because it's weight will likely make it sag. In most cases, a good 3/4 ply or 3/4 ply + pine combination works well, is inexpensive and easy to aquire as well (Lowe's, Home Depot, etc.). The only trick is knowing how to work with sheet goods. Typically a good cutting plan will help as you can get most home improvement stores to make a few cuts for free.

If you intend on building cabinets that may also double as workstations I'd consider reading Danny Proulx's book, 'Building Workshop Workstations' (which I found very helpful/insightful) or other books you might be able to check through at the library.

Hope this helps.

Reply to
Chrisgiraffe

That is fine for cabinets. You may want to reinforce the top and bottom with a 1 x 2 strip and put a good coat of paint or a clear sealer to make it easier to clean.

Reply to
marks542004

Today's MDF is much better than 20-30 years ago. If your furniture's are going to be stored or used in a control environment where the temperature is ambient all the time MDF is fine. However if your are going to build cabinets for your unheated garage and intent to keep them for a long time I do not recommend this material. Unless, after the cabinets are completed you first prime them and apply a good quality paint. The longevity of this material is subject to where you reside. I live near the Eastern coast and the humidity and temperature vary a lot in my unheated garage. The top of my radial arm saw is made with MDF and stored in my garage. Not a big deal but after 15 years the top is starting to disintegrate and needs to be replaced. The room cabinets that I have build for my three children 20 years ago with MDF are fairing out good. Only the unpainted area of the MDF located in the back and sides of the cabinets are starting to show sign of disintegration. Let put it this way It will not hold a wood or metal screw too well? At the time, we had three kids and they needed room furniture and MDF did served me fairly

Reply to
<marierdj

Flex your latent woodworker muscle a little. Look into paint-grade maple plywood. 3/4" is about 15 dollars per sheet more than MDF... at Home Despot. Finish the edges with a poplar face-frame. Just nail them on with Titebond III and paint. Fill the nail-holes if you must. (I suggest a 15 or 16 gauge nail if you're so equipped.. but a 2" 18 gauge will hold reasonably well in the plywood I'm thinking of.)

With the cost of material around here, that is IMHO, the biggest bang for the buck. Make a gang of manageable sized cabinets, optimizing the dimensions you can rip out of a 4 x 8 and create boxes you can move, filled with stuff, to another arrangement. Go modular. Don't make really big cabinets.

To make MDF reasonably water resistant, you're doing a whole lot of sealing, sanding and painting.. and those edges are sponges... You don't want to go there...besides everything they told you in here is true..stuff is dusty and heavy and smells bad.

r
Reply to
Robatoy

snipped-for-privacy@HOTMAIL.COM wrote in news:1164416733.146000.283020@

45g2000cws.googlegroups.com:

Melamine works well for the garage. Not much more expensive than MDF.

Reply to
Henry St.Pierre

There's nothing mean about pointing out that, in a text communications environment, it's important to use proper English spelling and grammar.

Reply to
Brian Henderson

Reply to
MUSTANGS7981

I agree, especially in a climate-controlled garage. Very easy to clean, and impervious to lots of spills and leaks.

On another note... One of my local suppliers sells pre-finished maple plywood for ~ $15 a sheet more than the unfinished stuff. The finish is some sort of durable, factory applied, pre-cat style lacquer, similar to pre-finished flooring. Using the finished side _in_ makes for a very nice, not very expensive cabinet box where the outside could be painted. When edge banded, and installed finished side up, the stuff makes nice inside shelves, too!

Reply to
B A R R Y

That is great stuff. Ideal for what Mr. Mustangs7S ( IF that's his real name) is going to do. I don't know what the budget is, but I find that this system pays for itself quickly, even on a one-time job:

formatting link
buy the basic set-up, because it is all you need for a simple project. I wish more people would embrace the 32 mm system. It makes way too much sense.... that is for functional projects, it has no place in real 'furniture'.

Another minimal investment, if he has a router, is a biscuit set-up. Again, for that one-off project.

formatting link
just over $ 100.00 in tooling, one can make some decent projects. A basic pocket-hole jig can also add a lot of versatility.

....and, after a successful garage cabinet project, he'll be back soon, with questions like: Left tilt ot right tilt? LOL.... oh wait... DAGS first!

Good luck, bro'!

r
Reply to
Robatoy

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.