DIY furniture from mdf. How cabinet furniture is arranged: furniture materials and components

  • Preparation for work
  • How to install panels?
  • Frame fabrication
  • Panel mounting

MDF panels have many positive properties, thanks to which they are becoming increasingly popular and widespread. Among others - cheapness and environmental friendliness. Almost everyone can mount these panels on their own. This is a fairly straightforward job that only requires a fair amount of care. It is possible to carry out decorative wall decoration using MDF panels without special professional skills in the field of repair or woodwork.

Diagram of fittings for plastic panels.

What is MDF panels for walls?

For the production of MDF, waste from the woodworking industry is used. However, they differ significantly from fiberboard and chipboard both in the manufacturing method and in their characteristics. In their manufacture, binders are not used, the production technology is based on the method of hot and dry pressing of wood. The use of this processing method contributes to the fact that the fibers and lignin tubes that make up the wood, under the action of high temperature and pressure, adhere to each other due to the obtained plasticity. By its structure, MDF resembles a kind of wood felt.

By its mechanical properties, MDF is inferior to most similar materials, their trump card is environmental friendliness, which is achieved due to the rejection of the use of astringent chemicals in their manufacture. It is an ideal material for interior decoration. When working with this material, you must adhere to the same rules as when working with wood. For gluing MDF panels, the same glue is used as for wood. However, a specially developed adhesive for MDF is liquid nails. This glue contains sawdust, so it can be used not only for gluing, but also for filling various defects, such as cracks. In addition, this glue can be used to seal the caps of self-tapping screws.

Related article: How to make a bath screen

When purchasing materials, pay attention to the correspondence of the color of the glue and the decorative finish of the MDF panels. Otherwise, the adhesive can spoil the appearance of the finish.

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Preparation for work

Installation diagram of MDF panels.

Installation of panels is carried out mainly using ordinary household tools that are in every home. Of the specific devices, you will need a plumb line, which you can make yourself. To do this, simply tie a fishing line or strong thread tightly on the nut. In addition, stock up on a building level, a tape measure and a drill attachment that allows you to screw in self-tapping screws. You will need the latter if you do not have a special screwdriver. You may need a metal square with sides of different thickness, it is also called a metal square. You will need it to simplify the cutting of panels for the design of slopes. It is used as follows: the cut is carried out resting on a leg of a smaller thickness, and a thicker leg is used as a stop.

You can cut the panels with an electric jigsaw or a hand-held circular saw. If you have to buy these tools, then keep in mind that the cost of a saw with a cutting depth of 12 mm is much higher than the cost of a jigsaw. However, the versatility of the saw should also be considered. When changing blades, it can be used to cut a wide variety of materials. In addition, the saw is compact and easy to use.

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How to install panels?

Before installing the MDF wall panels, the wall panels must be calculated and purchased in the required quantity. Determining how much material is required is quite simple. To do this, it is enough to calculate the surface area that will be veneered and add 15% in reserve.

Installation diagram of a suspended ceiling made of PVC panels.

Inspect the area before starting work. If it has ever damp, the wall covering is swollen or cracked, the plaster has noticeable irregularities or is less than 1.2 cm thick, then careful surface preparation must be done. To do this, you need to completely clean the main wall from plaster and remove the baseboards.

Related article: How to install an interior door box with your own hands

There are 2 ways to mount MDF. The first one implies the device of the lathing on which the panels will be attached, and for the second one will require special galvanized profiles.

It is easier to install wooden lathing than to install profiles.

Scheme of additional profiles.

It will require less hardware for fasteners, but its cost is higher than the cost of profiles. When making a wooden lathing, slats or slabs must be soaked in a special antifungal composition, and also treated with materials that will protect them from rot and mold.

It is not recommended to use the crate in brick houses and in damp rooms, since ideal conditions are created for pests in the space between the wall and the cladding. you will not notice that the finish is damaged until the mold or mildew has come out, and when it does, it has already spread widely. Harmful particles can enter the battens through the pores of the brick.

To make a metal frame, you need U-shaped profiles: guides and regular ones (UD and CD, respectively). The main difference between the two is their cross-sectional configuration.

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Frame fabrication

Dowels or self-tapping screws are used to fasten the wooden lathing to the wall. For metal lathing, only self-tapping screws are used. The diameter of the fastener should be between 4 and 6 mm, depending on the strength of the base wall: the stronger, the smaller the diameter. The fastening element must be driven into the base wall by at least 3 cm.That is, if the thickness of the MDF panel is 1.6 cm, the thickness of the sheathing element is 4 cm, the plaster is applied to the wall with a layer of 1.2 cm, then it is permissible to use self-tapping screws or dowels not less than 10 cm.

Installation of wooden lathing begins with the installation of vertical posts. They are placed in pairs in each corner, so that an angle forms between them. Also, vertical posts are located on the sides of door and window openings to the entire height of the room. They should be located strictly vertically. You can check this with a plumb line.

The history of MDF furniture (from the English MDF - Medium Density Fiberboard) dates back to the 60s of the last century, when the technology of manufacturing medium density fiberboard began to be actively used in the USA. And although in the furniture production of the post-Soviet countries this material began to be used only 30 years later, this did not prevent it from quickly gaining popularity and becoming a serious competitor to chipboard and natural wood. Modern technical means make it possible to make MDF facades in any shape and color palette, but a more important aspect is the unique properties of the material, thanks to which the furniture is able to withstand serious external loads, which is especially important for the kitchen.

For the manufacture of MDF, various wastes from the woodworking industry are used. First, they are processed into finely dispersed sawdust, which is subsequently compressed under the influence of high temperature. A special resin is used as a binder, which causes minimal formaldehyde emissions, which puts this material on a par with ordinary wood in terms of environmental friendliness.

Compared to particle board, MDF has a denser structure

The main advantage of MDF over chipboard and natural wood is the lower dependence of the material on the level of humidity in the room. It is known that chipboard with a short contact with water loses its shape and strength. The wood dries out over time, as a result of which cracks may appear on the furniture, which are not always visible under varnish, but are perfectly visible under ordinary paint. In turn, medium-density fiberboard is less susceptible to such deformation processes, therefore it is more often used for the manufacture of kitchen facades.

Please note that the ability of MDF to resist moisture is determined by the density indicator. On average, the density of this material from different manufacturers is 700 kg / m³. If it exceeds 1000 kg / m³, then the plate is able to calmly tolerate high air humidity in the room without the additional use of moisture-resistant impregnations.

Despite its strength, MDF belongs to soft materials and is very easy to process, which is why furniture makers and designers love to work with it. With a milling machine at hand, it becomes possible to make almost any profile, but if the kitchen design assumes the presence of semicircular elements, using a press, you can bend the sheet to the required shape.

Professional production of MDF kitchen facades

The process of manufacturing furniture facades using specialized equipment includes several technological stages:

  • cutting a sheet;
  • surface milling;
  • external finishing.

Cutting sheet material

Used in furniture production, MDF sheets initially have a large format, therefore they undergo additional cutting. Sawing of material according to the specified dimensions is carried out on panel saws, which can make cuts at any angle. The cutting depth in such machines reaches 21 cm, allowing cutting of several sheets at once, which is very convenient in the case of mass production.

To make a facade from MDF with a uniform coating, it is necessary to completely exclude the presence of micro-chips and other defects that may appear after manual sawing. Modern panel saws, thanks to special discs, allow you to immediately achieve an ideal result, so the end surface does not require serious processing. Before gluing the edge, the front end is only finely sanded to remove wood dust after cutting.

Sawing sheet material on a panel saw

Surface milling

If the design of the kitchen assumes the presence of flat facades, then there is no need for milling the outer plane. However, very often customers require the manufacture of furniture with original decorative elements, for which surface treatment is performed with a cutting tool on milling equipment.

Important! The milling quality must be very high. Otherwise, after applying a decorative coating, there is a high probability of the manifestation and strengthening of all the disadvantages of milling.

For the manufacture of decorative facades from MDF, as a rule, special templates are used, according to which the cutter cuts the necessary contour on the surface of the slab. At advanced enterprises, CNC machines are used for such purposes, allowing you to create absolutely any drawing in a matter of minutes.

Milling MDF on a CNC machine

External finishing with polymer film

Facade finishing is the most important stage in the production of kitchen furniture, since the service life of the product largely depends on the quality of the outer coating. MDF can be covered with enamel or polymer film. If it is quite possible to paint the facade at home (this technology will be discussed below), then facing the prepared part with PVC film is available only in a workshop with special equipment - a thermal vacuum press.

Facade decoration with polymer film is performed in the following sequence:

  1. The ends and the outer plane of the part are covered with a layer of glue.
  2. The facades are evenly laid out on the table of the thermal vacuum press.
  3. A polymer film of a suitable color is laid on top.
  4. A protective cover is lowered onto the table, insulating the parts and the film from the external environment.
  5. The heating of the working space is switched on with the simultaneous evacuation of air to create the required vacuum.
  6. Under the influence of high temperature and negative pressure, the film softens and tightly envelops every part.
  7. At the end of the cycle, the parts are cooled, after which the excess film is cut along the contour.

Manufacturing of facades from MDF on a thermal vacuum press

How to make kitchen facades at home

If you have the desire and technical capabilities, you can make kitchen MDF facades yourself. This will require:

  • MDF plate;
  • Circular Saw;
  • sandpaper of different grain sizes (P180-240, P320-400);
  • scotch-bright;
  • filler for wood;
  • insulator soil;
  • polyurethane primer;
  • acrylic enamel;
  • acrylic lacquer.

Cutting MDF boards

To make facades for the kitchen, first you need to purchase an MDF slab. Usually furniture makers use sheets with a thickness of 16 mm or 19 mm - this is quite enough to create reliable kitchen furniture. Of course, you can purchase a sheet of a larger size, but this does not make much sense, unless such a thickness is needed to implement some design idea.

When purchasing MDF from furniture makers, you can immediately cut it to the required size. The average price of such a service is 40-50 rubles. per meter of cutting. If every penny counts, this work can be done independently, for which you will need a circular saw.

To simplify the work, it is better to pre-divide the slab into several smaller fragments, from which you can then cut out parts for future kitchen facades.Despite the fact that MDF is less susceptible to destruction than chipboard, you should be very careful during the sawing process in order to prevent micro-chips or at least to minimize their presence.

To make kitchen fronts without distortion, the saw must be moved using a guiding structure.

Surface painting

Film lining, which is carried out in the factory, is considered by many to be more resistant to mechanical damage and aggressive cleaning agents. In fact, modern paints and varnishes are also capable of withstanding the tough stresses of a kitchen and do not degrade over time.

In order for the coating to have a uniform structure and reliably adhere to MDF, painting must be done according to the following instructions:

  1. Sand the surface of the part with P180-240 emery to remove the gloss and create the required abrasive.
  2. Apply filler and let dry (dry 4 hours).
  3. Sand the surface with sandpaper P
  4. Apply a primer-insulator (consumption - 90 g / m², drying - 6 hours).
  5. Remove abrasive with P320-400 emery.
  6. Apply polyurethane primer (consumption - 150 g / m², drying - 10 hours).
  7. Prepare the surface for painting with P 320-400 emery and adhesive tape.
  8. Apply acrylic enamel (consumption - 200 g / m², drying - 10 hours).
  9. Open the facade with acrylic varnish (consumption - 150 g / m², drying - 6 hours).

Advice! It is best to apply primers and paints and varnishes using a spray gun or use special containers with spray guns for this.

The production of painted facades for the kitchen from MDF should be carried out in a clean and dust-free room.

DIY curved facades manufacturing technology

Sometimes the design of a kitchen involves the manufacture of curved structures, which are made at furniture enterprises using a molding press. To make a curved facade from MDF with your own hands, you must apply the following technology:

  1. Take a 9 mm thick MDF sheet and cut out two blanks from it - one for the outside of the facade, the other for the inside. Since the radius is larger on the outside, the outer part should be slightly longer.
  1. Make a template for the formation of a semicircular facade. For this purpose, you can use any design with a suitable bend radius.
  1. Mark the inside of the cuts to allow the sheet to bend. The cuts must be made only at the bend, the distance between them is 5 mm. The circular saw should be adjusted so that the cutting depth is 7-8 mm.
  1. From a mixture of sawdust and wood glue, make a paste of medium consistency to fill the cuts. You need to rub in the paste with a spatula, moving it along the cut from the center to the edge to eliminate air pockets.
  1. After filling all the cuts with glue paste, place the inner blank onto the template.

Curved kitchen fronts always look stylish and original

Working with MDF is easier than with chipboard, since this material does not crumble during the cutting and milling process. However, making beautiful furniture yourself is not easy. Without the appropriate skills and experience, it is possible to spoil the product, as a result of which the estimated savings turn into a loss. Therefore, ordering kitchen facades from professionals may ultimately turn out to be more profitable not only aesthetically, but also financially.

There is always furniture in the interior of every house, office or apartment. And when the question arises of how to arrange a room, everyone wants to choose an option that is prettier, financially profitable and in reliable quality.

Nobody wants to pay money for furniture that has a short lifespan. It is necessary to choose products so that they do not lose their attractiveness and do not fall apart. This can only happen if you buy low-quality products.

Advantages

Let's try to deal with this issue in detail. With the advent of a new material on the construction market, it became possible to produce high-quality furniture at an affordable cost.

Since natural wood is much more expensive in cost and more difficult to process, the new mdf has successfully begun to compete with this material. The harmfulness of furniture made of wood and mdf is zero.

What's better?

Excellent qualities of mdf are noted:

  • advantage of mechanical characteristics;
  • more favorable cost;
  • ease of processing without the need to use many woodworking machines.

Mdf contains natural fibers that are glued in a special way using polymer glue - lignin, which does not cause allergic reactions, is absolutely harmless to health. Therefore, there is no need to worry about the safety of use in residential premises.

You can safely purchase mdf to order furniture structures from it for:

  • children's;
  • sleeping rooms;

  • living room.

Furniture facades from mdf can be selected torrent.

Compared to chipboard, MDF has no toxic components. This is very important for the health of all people who are in a room with such furniture.

Good furniture made of MDF has a lower price than products made of natural wood.

For more information about which is better, mdf or chipboard, see the video:

Characteristic

For classic versions of MDF furniture, it is possible to add doors and fronts, which have a very unusual shape. This is possible due to the high ductility of the material. By bending it, you can achieve the required thickness and shape.

If you choose MDF furniture for the kitchen, you don't have to worry about the effect of moisture and temperature changes on this material, the material will not absorb moisture. about moisture resistant mdf for walls. This is confirmed by many tests and the very experience of use.

Glossy MDF furniture covered with varnish will look spectacular in any interior.

You can purchase mdf panels and use them to make an original and durable one. If you choose the options, then they can be applied to them any image to order, and it will become unique in your kitchen.

Bathroom furniture

This practical material is also successfully used in the bathroom. For such a coating, which has antiseptic properties, has been thought out.

This is very important so that fungi and microorganisms do not appear in the furniture over time. Thanks to the wide range of panels, bathroom furniture can be selected for every taste.

For a working environment, it is necessary to create the appropriate conditions.

For offices, furniture is purchased, the cost of which will be acceptable, and the appearance is attractive. For this purpose, the same material is excellent - mdf.

A varied selection of colors gives designers complete freedom of action. MDF office furniture can be made of veneer.

In order to make the furniture attractive, you can decorate the kitchen fronts with different materials. There are several common types decorating with mdf:

  • enamel;
  • film. about film kitchen facades;
  • plastic;
  • veneered.

If you choose painted MDF for the manufacture of furniture, on which paint is applied, you can rely on a material with environmental safety, strength and reliability properties.

Moreover, the palette of shades for coloring is so diverse that it can satisfy the wishes of the most sophisticated tastes.

The production of furniture from MDF requires less time and effort, no need to use machine tools. Such panels are made according to GOST MDF for furniture.

They can be varied in performance:

  • glossy;
  • matte;
  • with gradient transitions;
  • chameleons.

If you choose an enamelled panel, keep in mind that it is slippery. But on such material, dirt is less noticeable.

Matte mdf surfaces are currently in trend. They will become an attractive interior accent.

But it is noted that fingerprints are more visible on the matte panel.

Whatever the choice, caring for MDF furniture is simple, it does not take much time. You can accept a damp cloth or add additional cleaning agents. Price per sheet of mdf panel is more favorable than natural wood.

MDF laminated with foil can be cleaned even with an abrasive product. The MDF furniture film perfectly protects the panels. The material is sufficiently resistant to mechanical stress, but does not tolerate temperature extremes. Therefore, it is more suitable for the bathroom, nursery or office.

Film mdf are used to decorate facades that have a protective function. With the help of such a material, you can create a lot of original options in order to process the finished facade.

The decor of the MDF sheet for furniture is varied and will allow you to create any interiors.

Due to the exceptional quality of mdf film facades, their properties are guaranteed:

  • quality;
  • availability;
  • durability.

If you want to purchase furniture with plastic cladding, you can count on the products to serve for a long time and reliably.

They are not afraid of exposure to direct sunlight and mechanical damage. Choose the option you like with an imitation of any texture to your taste.

You can order furniture from mdf in plastic to your taste. There may be options from single-sided and double-sided plastic. If the plastic is on both sides of the MDF, furniture will have a more spectacular look. In addition, such materials are reliably protected from moisture. Will not give in to deformation.

High indicators of strength and reliability of panels, which are covered with veneer, make it possible to create furniture that will please with strength and reliability for a long period of time.

Visually, the products are practically indistinguishable from natural wood furniture.

Panels can be in such shades mdf colors for furniture, they can be seen in the photo:

  • mahogany;

  • oak;
  • beech;
  • cherries;
  • walnut;
  • apple trees;
  • alder.

DIY making

In order to create a furniture structure on your own, it is no longer necessary to purchase expensive natural wood. A mdf furniture manufacturer for the living room will be an excellent option in order to create cabinet furniture from veneered mdf in the hallway.

To get started, explore the range of offers on various sites. When you have exactly decided on the desired option, proceed to create drawings. To do this, you need to measure with particular accuracy so that the finished products clearly correspond to the parameters of the room.

Modular MDF furniture can be ordered from the factory. But if there is a desire and strength, the furniture can be made with your own hands. So, enter the exact dimensions of the future hallway in the designer, of which there are now many on the Internet.

Choose a site that is more accessible to use and act with confidence. After completing the drawings, you can calculate the number of sheets.

The best material for making furniture will be durable, reliable mdf. Do not forget to take into account the thickness of the MDF profile for furniture, consult the seller before purchasing.

Traditionally, the thickness of mdf boards for furniture is 16 mm, there are options for a thickness of 10 mm and 22 mm. For the manufacture of door leaves, dimensions of 10 mm are traditionally used, the shelves are made of panels, the width of which is 22 mm. These sizes are also suitable for decorating products.

Almost all elements of furniture structures have a thickness of 16 mm. The doors are thinner and the facades are thicker. In order to cut the material, you can take a jigsaw. This is a more time consuming process. There are also workshops where you can order panel sawing. This will produce a smoother and smoother edge.

Additionally, you can purchase items to help you create structures faster:

  • curtain rods for furniture;

  • pilasters for furniture;

  • accessories for furniture and covers for upholstered furniture;
  • decorative overlays for furniture;
  • MDF edge for furniture;

  • about 3D panels for walls.

Renovation and restoration

In order to repair furniture with mdf facades, you only need to replace individual elements. Designers offer to carry out decoupage of furniture doors and furniture slats for restoration purposes. The edge of furniture most often wears out.

To restore it, you can purchase a replacement version and fix it at the edges with a hot iron. Furniture without an edge can swell.

There are several types of edgebanding:

  • melamine - the most affordable, but not strong enough. It is she who is glued with an iron;

  • pvc - in order to glue such material, a special machine is needed. An edge with a thickness of 4.4 mm is glued to the ends that are not visible. 2 mm is suitable for the outer sides, because they receive load and friction;
  • abs - similar to pvc, but more harmless to health, because it is safer in terms of ecology;
  • kinds T-shaped cut-in profile- it is inserted into the groove of the cutter, which is prepared in advance. The use of such a profile is not as common as;

  • types of cut-in T - profile;
  • overhead options P - profile- they can be glued successfully, even if you are making furniture yourself. To do this, you can purchase one of the options for liquid nails. At the same time, there is a certain disadvantage associated with the protrusion of the edge by millimeters;

U-shaped profile

You can also create a fresh look for furniture that has been made a long time ago. To do this, use the white mdf canyon. Furniture will become more contrasting and effective.

In order to create spectacular interiors, it looks good combination of white gloss mdf furniture and It is also successful to combine opadiris with white canyon from mdf for making furniture from mdf.

Wardrobes will be elegant and visually lighter... Firms for the production of facade panels for mdf furniture can offer a lot of options for successful design solutions.

Belarusian furniture and its moldings

In order to equip the interior, I would like to choose the best option. Belarusian furniture is characterized by excellent quality, modern design, affordable cost. With such furniture, you can give your home interior originality with refined luxury and elegance.

The quality of such furniture is not inferior to the leading European manufacturers. But its cost is more affordable.

You can choose high-quality and inexpensive products for every taste.

Upholstered and cabinet furniture from Belarus is an excellent combination of beauty and reliability. The use of wooden moldings allows you to decorate products and make them unique.

conclusions

High-quality, durable and reliable material, mdf is used for the arrangement of premises of any type. The main advantage of using panels is harmlessness to humans.... The material will be used for children's rooms, kindergartens and hospitals.

Since the products are manufactured in accordance with the requirements of GOST, there is no need to worry about the quality and strength of the panels. Choose colors, tones and types of coverings, create and get magnificent furniture of your own manufacture or from reliable manufacturers!

With the development of technology, more and more building and finishing materials appear on the market. At the end of the last century, we got MDF. There are MDF boards that are used in construction work, there are finishing panels that can be used to decorate walls / ceilings or make furniture.

What is MDF and the method of its manufacture

MDF appeared on our market in the last years of the last century, and it was invented in the United States at the end of the 60s of the 20th century. You can understand what MDF is if you translate its English name - MDF - Medium Density Fibreboard. In Russian it translates as "medium density fiberboard". That is, the Russian-language name was formed using transliteration - instead of Latin letters, they put similar Russians. A common phenomenon for our language.

MDF - Medium Density Fiberboard

Manufacturing process

MDF is made from wood, ground to the state of very fine chips, practically - to the state of fibers. Mostly wood waste is used, so the release of this material does not harm forests.

Milled wood is cleaned of sand and other foreign inclusions, washed, dried. The prepared mass is heated, a tape of the required width is formed from it, and then pressed. Under pressure, a natural binder, lignin, is released from the heated wood fibers. It is he who is the binder in this material. The final shape of the products is passed in a finishing press, which squeezes out the remaining air from the mass, forming a homogeneous structure of MDF.

After pressing, the cooled material is fed to grinding, where flaws on the surface are removed from the MDF, the material is brought to the required thickness.

Not all wood species provide a sufficient amount of binder. Then add a similar, previously isolated, lignin or other natural binder. MDF is considered the safest of all wood-based panel materials, since the binder is natural, and the formaldehyde emission is comparable to that of wood (emission class F1, that is, it is allowed to use it for the manufacture of furniture for children's and medical institutions).

Fiberboard can be produced with special properties. Basically, moisture resistance additives increase moisture resistance and reduce flammability.

Appearance and release forms

In its "pure" form, the material has a grayish-brown color, on the saw cut a homogeneous dense mass. The exact shade depends on the type of wood crushed and the amount of bark. In this form, the material is used as a sheet building material - for the construction of light partitions, leveling walls.

The MDF surface can be "refined". It can be painted, laminated with PVC film, pasted over with veneer or plastic. This gives a fairly large number of design options that are used in the furniture industry, in the production of finishing materials.

The production technology makes it possible to form products of various shapes, thicknesses, and sizes. During finishing pressing, a certain relief can be formed, which is used in the production of furniture and doors. Also, finishing materials are made from MDF - plates, panels. They make plinths, platbands, and other moldings from it. All of these materials can be used for interior decoration.

The structure of MDF is fine-grained, dust is formed during milling, which makes it possible to make carved products. It is used in the manufacture of carved decorative elements - panels, decorative grilles, curly furniture facades.

MDF or chipboard - which is better?

Having entered the market, MDF created competition. This was facilitated by its properties:


All this led to the growing popularity of the material. Even though MDF is more expensive than chipboard. To some extent, MDF even competed with wood. For example, skirting boards, MDF platbands, and finishing panels are increasingly being used. This is due, firstly, to a lower cost, and secondly, to greater practicality. Wood requires regular maintenance - painting, varnishing. MDF does not require special care. It is simply wiped off with a damp cloth, using liquid detergent if necessary.

MDF boards

Manufacturing technology of MDF board allows you to vary the density within wide limits: the minimum indicator is 760-780 kg / m 3, the maximum is 1100 kg / m 3 and even higher. A material with a lower density is used where the abrasion load is low: in the furniture industry, for wall and ceiling decoration.

High-density MDF boards are used for floor finishing. The material of this category has high abrasion resistance: one and a half times higher than that of oak (oak - 6.9, MDF - 10-11). If we add that the coefficient of diagonal warpage is only 1.2 mm for each meter of the diagonal (15 mm for plywood), the love of furniture makers and finishers for this material becomes clear.

Dimensions and tolerances

One of the most popular forms of release is slabs of various thicknesses and formats. They can be found with the following parameters:


It is convenient to work with MDF boards, since this material has very small tolerances for deviations from dimensions:

  • the difference in thickness cannot exceed 0.2 mm (for plywood, 0.5-2.5 mm);
  • the length may differ by no more than 5 mm;
  • the take-off in width cannot be more than 2 mm.

When two sheets are joined, the difference in thickness or size is very small or not at all. Therefore, MDF finishing with sheets or panels is progressing quickly.

Types of surface finishing of sheet material

MDF boards are available with different types of surface treatment:


If we talk about construction and repair, then they use polished MDF boards. When leveling walls or installing lightweight partitions, when leveling the floor and ceiling. Here is an approximate area of ​​their application.

Frame mounting

If the surface of the walls or ceiling is uneven (deviations are more than 1 cm), the method of mounting sheet MDF is the same as for drywall - on the frame. The frame is usually assembled from wooden blocks, but no one forbids placing profiles under drywall. The cross-section of the bars is selected based on the unevenness of the wall - they must compensate for all the height difference. Most likely you will need 20 * 30mm bars or something. They are stuffed horizontally with a step of 40 cm. With this step, the joints of the sheets (they exist if the ceiling height is higher than 280 cm) fall on the bar.

For the installation of sheet panels from the same timber, vertical jumpers are installed. They are placed in steps:

  • 54.3 cm - for sheets 2170 mm wide;
  • 42.3 cm or 63.5 cm for 1270 mm width.

The spacing of the vertical jumpers depends on the thickness of the selected material. For thin sheets (3-4 mm) it should be less, for thick ones (5-6 mm) more can be done.

MDF sheets / plates are attached to the assembled frame. The peculiarity (in comparison with drywall) is that for hidden fastening it is necessary to drill holes for fasteners. Otherwise, fasteners will not go into a dense slab. To prevent the caps from sticking out above the surface, the hole is expanded under them using a larger diameter drill.

After installing the screws, holes remain on the surface. They are sealed with putty. If further it is supposed to putty the walls, act as if - first, fill up the holes with a putty, immediately removing the excess with a spatula. After drying, the places of putty pass with fine-grain sandpaper - in order to finally get rid of possible irregularities. Then, after dusting the surface, they begin to putty the walls.

Installation on glue

If the walls are even, you can mount MDF boards without a frame - with glue. You can use liquid nails or a composition like CM-11. The order of work is as follows:


So that during the installation process the sheet does not move anywhere, you can make holes in the corners and, after alignment, fix the sheet. Even if the self-tapping screw will only stick in the plaster, this will help, since it is required only at the initial stage - until the glue begins to harden.

This method seems simpler and less costly (due to the lack of a frame), but it is not at all easy to align bulky MDF boards. Better to try on a small section of the wall. The point is that it is impossible to disassemble what has been established. Only if you destroy the skin completely. So it's worth considering which method is better.

Installation of MDF sheet on the floor

For laying on the floor, choose high-density moisture-resistant MDF boards (from 900 kg / m 3 and above). Sheet thickness - from 5 mm when laying on a subfloor and from 10 mm when installing on joists. In this case, the installation method is similar to leveling the floor with plywood, only the gaps are smaller, since the wood board changes its parameters much less plywood. The rest of the rules are the same:


After sanding the putty, the surface of the MDF floor is ready for painting. If you do everything carefully, you get a perfectly flat floor. This base can also be used as a base for flexible finishing materials or laminate flooring.

MDF finishing panels

Finely dispersed pressed boards are used as the basis for the production of decorative finishing panels. The front surface is pasted over with paper. This is the cheapest option. Slightly more expensive ones are laminated with PVC film. There are also panels covered with veneer. This is the more expensive material. There are also options with plastic, but very rarely.

MDF panel with three-dimensional image - 3D

Decorative MDF panels are most often sheathed on walls, sometimes - on a ceiling. This method of finishing saves time: the surface is leveled and immediately take the final look, since no additional finishing is required.

Types of decorative MDF panels

It's not about colors and shades, but about the shape of the inlet and the type of decorative surface. In shape, the finishing panels made of pressed wood fibers are:


When choosing MDF panels, pay attention to the type of finish. The cheapest material is covered with paper, on top of which a thin layer of protective coating is applied. It is clear that such a surface is quickly scratched; it can only be wiped with an exceptionally soft, slightly damp cloth. Even a rough sponge should not be used, otherwise light spots will form. Such MDF panels are good for finishing the ceiling - there is no mechanical load at all. If you install them on walls, it is better to immediately cover with two layers of varnish. You choose the type of surface yourself - gloss, semi-gloss, matt, semi-matt ... It is important that the film is strong.

More expensive ones - with PVC and veneer - do not require additional finishing, but at a price 2-3 times more expensive. If your budget is tight, the above is not a bad option.

Installation methods

The MDF panels are mounted either on the frame or directly on the wall using glue. The technology is described in the previous paragraph and differs only in that clamps are used for installation - special fastening plates for secret mounting. The first panel on the wall is installed in the corner. Here it is fastened through and through with self-tapping screws. All others are fixed with clamps. After the installation is completed, the corners are closed with a special corner profile. It is mounted on glue - applied in a thin layer and pressed in place of installation.

There is also a system of profiles - starting, finishing, connecting and corner (outer and inner corner). But this fastening system is more expensive, it is used with MDF panels finished with veneer, square or rectangular format.


There is one more subtlety of mounting decorative MDF panels on the ceiling. If you use thin sheets / strips - 3-4 mm thick - you need to put suspensions often, otherwise the material will bend under its own weight. When using slabs 6-8 mm thick, suspensions can be installed less frequently. They are stiffer and do not bend. But the weight of the trim will be greater, so you will have to use more powerful guides and the hangers themselves.

Possessing many advantages of natural wood, including environmental friendliness, MDF boards are much cheaper, and it is much easier to work with them.

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On the picture:

What is MDF?

How is MDF made? The abbreviation MDF - Medium Density Fiberboard - comes from their English name "Medium Density Fibreboard". This board material is produced by pressing very fine sawdust under pressure and at high temperature. The lignin contained in the cells of the tree acts as an adhesive, due to which MDF can be called an environmentally friendly material, close in safety to wood.

The popularity of MDF. Due to the fact that in a number of countries, board materials that emit formaldehyde are gradually being abandoned, MDF is gaining more and more popularity - as an inexpensive, environmentally friendly material with excellent physical properties.

In the photo: MDF boards from the Severplit company.

Physical characteristics. How MDF is made determines the unique performance properties of this material. Density, strength, sound insulating properties, retention of shape over time and no toxicity.
MDF is a very convenient and pleasant material to work with. Medium density fibreboard has excellent hardness at low thickness. Their surface is homogeneous, smooth and even, which makes processing easier.

Where is MDF used? The scope of application of the material is truly wide. The slabs of the smallest thickness are used for the manufacture of the back walls of cabinets and the bottoms of drawers. Thicker MDF is used in the production of profiled furniture facades, cabinet walls, countertops. The thickest sheets are suitable for the manufacture of table covers, as well as curly furniture legs.
MDF is used in the production of furniture, doors, platbands. This material is ideal for milling.

Final finishing of the slabs. MDF can be varnished and painted. For surface cladding, PVC film, laminate, artificial or natural veneer are used. The surface of Medium Density Fiberboard is ideal for all kinds of cladding.

MDF and analogues

Comparison with chipboard. MDF surpasses chipboard in a number of points: particle boards are much less environmentally friendly, and their density is much lower. On the other hand, MDF costs an order of magnitude higher.

Comparison with fiberboard. In many ways, MDF and fiberboard are similar: both in the production method and in physical characteristics. However, working with MDF boards is an order of magnitude more pleasant, due to the denser and more homogeneous structure. After all, the composition of fiberboard is fibers and small wood chips, while MDF is very small sawdust, practically dust. The finish of the Medium Density Fiberboard will also be lighter due to the smoothness of both sides.

Comparison with a tree. Medium density fibreboards are much cheaper than wood. Moreover, their structure is more uniform (no voids), and even. In addition, moisture resistant MDF can be used in "wet areas" without the fear that the material will swell from high humidity.

The article uses images: egger.com, severplit.ru

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