Materials Question

[Aaron Hamilton]

I am building a headboard for a child of a friend to match a pottery barn style plank bed. The bed has inset panels all around the storage area of the headboard and the finish she chose is painted finish (dark undercoat, lighter top coat distressed, final coat of laquer). I am going to use mdf panels for the inset panels and soft maple for the frame so it will be durable.

My question is, do you think I should use a veneered mdf panel so they will exhibit a small amount of grain or do you think mdf will look fine after 2 coats of paint. In my experience, I think after 2 coats of oil base paint, you won’t see grain on the maple or the panels either way.

What do y’all think?

[Julian Nicks]

Why not save money and use poplar? You'll get a durable product that will be stable and smooth enough for a painted finish.

I recently did a large job and used poplar with mdf panels and after it was sealed and then sprayed with enamel paint, it looked perfect, with no grain showing.

[Aaron Hamilton]

bump*

Can I get a couple more opinions as well on the mdf question? (I already bought the soft maple - I get way less tearout when using a router)