MDF Edges

[Kurt Hartman]

Hi everyone, glad to be aboard.

I've been working with MDF lately. I love the stability and the cost, hate the dust. I've been mostly making childrens furniture so all of my edges have to be rounded over. My problem is the rounded-over edges end up kind of 'fuzzy' no matter how much sanding I do. Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Kurt

[Wes Bischel]

Kurt,

Welcome to the Creek!

I hear you on the dust! :rolleyes: What I do is seal the MDF and in particular edges with dewaxed shellac such as Sealcoat straight from the can. I do a heavy coat along the edges and allow it to soak in. when dry, the fuzzies sand off and leave a smooth finish ready for paint.

I'm in the same boat - lots of kids stuff these days.

Wes

[Juan Rivera]

Good evening Kurt,

I've built a few projects with MDF also and if I'm painting them the best way to smooth that edge is with sandable primer. I sand in between coats with 400grit or higher (3 coats is sufficient) and it gives a very smooth finish. Don't forget to sand the flat surfaces with 220 grit or higher in order to get everything as smooth.

Good luck!:cool:

[Don Carkhuff]

Wes's advice might be less expensive than what I have done. I got my advice from a commercial periodical. Use glue size. It's basically the least expensive polyvinal glue you can buy. Usually white glue. Mix 60/40 with water and spread it with a brush. It really works but I like Wes' shellac advice and will try it soon. Shellac is sooo neat. Isn't it interesting that with all the high tech stuff available to us woodworkers, we are still trying to find something as good as shellac and hide glue. This makes me think, don't fix what isn't broken. Think King Tut's tomb with miter joints,cabriole legs and inlayed gold,emerals,turquoise.
Shellac smells pretty good, dries fast, and padded French Polishing is considered bu MGG's as "the standard". Hide glue is reversable and sticks so dern good it will distort the surface of glass. Go figure.
Enjoy the experiment of fussy MDF edges.
By the way, I've not tried this but I'll betcha ,plain ol" Deft brushing lacquer (dires fast too) would prolly work. Let's try and post.
Don

[Jim Becker]

I do the edges with simple fast-dry spackling compound, sanding inbetween coats. Once it's smooth, prime and then paint. The primer is essential and two coats, sanded between, will really give you a wonderful surface. You may want to make a contoured sanding pad out of foam to speed up the sanding of the filler.

[Ray Bersch]

When I have rounded the edges or made door panels, I used a router (wwaayyy too much dust) but I did not sand - then sealed with schellac. Achieving a clean edge is easier with a router (and a lot more choices for edge profiles) while sanding seems to just grind away unless you use a very fine grit But either way, the key is sealing the edge and as you can see there are lots of good ways to do that.

I have used wood edge banding where it was appropriate but try to avoid using the plastic "T" type edge banding available commercially - there is a tendency for the MDF to split when this is used.

Ray

[Jeff Sudmeier]

Kurt,

Welcome to the creek! You have joined a GREAT woodworking forum. I truely hope you enjoy your time here!

[David Fried]

Kurt,

Welcome! Around here nothing exists until pictures of it are posted. I look forward to seeing some childrens furniture!

Dave Fried

[Frank Pellow]

First of all, welcome to Saw Mill Creek Kurt.

Next I would like to thank all those who contributed info re MDF edges. I have never managed to get these to look good, but now, freshly armed with these tips,I expect to do much better the next time I build something with such edges.

[Maurice Ungaro]

Kind of combining what Ray & Jim have stated, and as has been illustrated in FWW (don't ask me which month's issue..) you can cut that edge with the router, and then take drywall joint compound and spread it on the that edge. Follow that up by taking the router bit and removing excess compound. This will leave a near perfect edge, with minimal sanding to do.

Maurice

[Phil Phelps]

Use Zinsser "BullsEye" pigmented shellac. You can buy it in quarts at the big box stores. Drys fast and hard. The edges of MDF are "sponge" and several coats are required. A great undercoat for many applications.

[Phil Phelps]

First of all, welcome to Saw Mill Creek Kurt.

Next I would like to thank all those who contributed info re MDF edges. I have never managed to get these to look good, but now, freshly armed with these tips,I expect to do much better the next time I build something with such edges.
Frank, you can make MDF look like chrome if you care to spend the time. If you are painting MDF, seal it with joint compound using a broad knife. Just spread it on and trowel it off. It dries white and then sand with 220. As I posted earlier, prime with Bullseye shellac by Zinsser. You can build coats of automotive lacquer and achieve a wonderfull finish. A lot of work, but it surely can be done.

[Kurt Hartman]

Thanks for all the great tips guys, very helpful. I may have stumbled onto the right track (or general direction), when I was painting a table. I was trying to get a high gloss finish, so after painting, I sprayed on two coats of high gloss lacquer. I actually did do a little sanding of the edges between coats. I guess I wasn't willing to spend the time to do it right, or should I say, HAVE the time to do it right.

Thanks again,

Kurt

Hey Dave, I tried to add a photo but I couldn't seem to make it happen. I'll figure it out eventually.