MDF Cabinet Drawers and Doors

[tim walker]

My builder has offsite custom kitchen cabinets built, and they look darn good. the guy is really good. However, he uses painted MDF for bathroom cabinets(drawers and doors). Is this a common practice or are we asking for trouble.

[Todd Burch]

In this neck of the woods, it's common practice, unfortunately.

[Corey Hallagan]

MDF I think is a fine choice for a cabinet that is going to be painted. I assume his customers want painted cabinets or the developer or builder has requested these. MDF will hold up well. With today's semi gloss paints and even satin finish paints. I don't think it is a worry. Then again, if yah want wood cabinets, I am sure the guy will make them. Just going to cost more :)

Corey

[Alan Tolchinsky]

wood working and now I'm sorry I did. The main problem is you can't repair them. When the paint gets worn off in some areas the MDF gets wet and starts to fall apart. So you wind up with a rough surface you really can't paint. I wish I had wood that I could at least have a chance to repair. At least my kitchen cabinets look nice though except for the damaged areas as noted before.

[Ken Garlock]

When we built, our cabinet man used "cabinet plywood" or what I would call baltic birch for the drawer boxes. I recently stopped at another cabinet shop and found that they also used "cabinet plywood", so I bought 5 sheets of it.

Whoever is selling you MDF drawers, is IMO selling a second rate product. :(