I am considering making a dresser for a baby's room that will be painted. I have never used MDF before, but I know someone here can help.
My plan is to build the carcass out of MDF and then face frame with solid wood. Is MDF suitable for this? How well does it paint? Any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Eric
I have made utility cabinets entirely out of MDF before. It machines really easily (very dusty), just make sure you prime it first before paint....it seemed to soak up a lot as I recall. Paul
How do you plan on attaching teh face fram to the MDF?
I am using it now to make captains beds. the drawers and weight are supported by a plywood drawer carcass that sits inside the MDF sides, HB and FB.
This shit is very heavy as compared to 1/4" plywood.. It also might not be as forgiv>I am considering making a dresser for a baby's room that will be painted. I
I have seen plenty of stuff made out of MDF. Always predrill the holes. I will second the warning about dust. I worked in a college shop where projects were made with the stuff. Dust everywhere even with a super huge 8 bag, 3 phase, (you get the idea) commercial DC running.
Didn't know about the formaldehyde emissions in MDF.
I find I'm allergic to more and more chemicals these days.
I've already got a sheet of 1/2" MDF for a model airplane building table; needs a very flat surface so I can build directly on the plans.
I use epoxy thinned 50% with denatured alcohol to bond .6 oz/sq yd fiberglass cloth to the models, and have lots of epoxy and alcohol.
Would 2 or 3 thinned coats of epoxy stop the formaldehyde fumes coming out of the MDF ? Cheers, Fred McClellan the dash plumber at mindspring dot com
Fred; the article I read stated that the best way to control formaldehyde fumes was to encase it with a laminate. It did not state that formaldehyde emissions from MDF were any kind of health hazard. The reason for my post was to point out the potential health hazard of working with the material. Cutting, routing and sanding MDF produces a very fine dust that is laced with formaldehyde, gets over everything, and hangs in the air. I always use eye protection, a respirator and plenty of ventilation when working with the material. After spending a day in the shop working with MDF SHMBO requires me to strip before entering the house; not a pretty sight, especially for the neighbors..
No. The formaldehyde will eventually leak out. You can keep the piece in a well-ventilated area for a few months. There are certain house plants that will remove some formaldehyde. Our company moved into a new contructed building (new cubicles, furniture, carpeting, etc.). Several people (including myself) got daily headaches for about 10 months. Aspirin and lunchtime walks helped us through this period. I probably be concerned about babies and pregnant women.
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