1/2" or 3/4" MDF for cabinet carcasses?

[Rich Engelhardt]

I'm sitting at a computer desk made of 1/2" "wood finished" MDF.
I've had this thing for 30 years at least.
Behind me are three shelf units - all made of the same "wood finish" 1/2" MDF - same age.

I know this stuff is garbage - but - this garbage is holding up pretty well.

Anyhow - it looks like we may be building a new place after all. The kitchen will have painted cabinets (the builder is installing them) & the laundry area will need cabinets.
There is an area in the kitchen where I will have to match the cabinets & make a few to blend in with what the builder is installing. I'd go with having the builder just get what I need - - but - what they want for them is highway robbery.
Two over the refrigerator cabinets & one upper and one lower ~ 30" wide w/out a counter top - they want close to $4k.

I'm in the planning stages of this right now & wanted to get some input. I'll probably use wood for the doors...maybe...the cabinet doors are raised panels & painted. I might fiddle around with making some MDF panels for some shop cabinets I have & see how they turn out.

[Mikail Khan]

I have used 5/8 white Melamine for most of my carcasses. Strong enough I think. Light color keeps interiors fairly bright.

MK

[Rich Engelhardt]

I'll need to check out how paintable Melamine is.
Thanks for that - I'm always at a loss when it comes to the interiors as far as how to finish them. That (white Melamine) would solve that problem.

[Mark e Kessler]

I personally wouldn’t use mdf or particle board for cabinet boxes in a kitchen or bath, it’s nasty (mdf anyways) to work with and won’t do well in the long run in moisture prone areas. If you do end up using it at least seal the edges. Just use 3/4 prefin ply, looks like you need maybe 2 sheets…

[Mikail Khan]

Melamine mdf is for carcasses only so they don't need paint. Solid wood for face frames and doors. For undersink cabinets I have been using PVC board.

MK

[Jim Becker]

I'll need to check out how paintable Melamine is.
Thanks for that - I'm always at a loss when it comes to the interiors as far as how to finish them. That (white Melamine) would solve that problem.
It's not the best product for paintability. I prefer to use pre-finished plywood for carcasses so that I don't have to deal with finishing the interiors myself. It's a big timesaver and the finish that comes on it is pretty durable, in my experience. I don't worry about the paintability of the material because I'd use end-caps that are finished separately and my particular style also uses face frames to cap the fronts.

MDF is certainly usable, but be aware it's extremely heavy and you need to use the correct type of fasteners with it...as you do with Melamine covered particle board. Confirmat screws with a proper step drill, for example. WIth plywood, I do glue and screws with butt joints.

[roger wiegand]

I love the look, the lighter weight, and ease of working with prefinished maple ply for carcasses. It's a few bucks more for material but then you don't have to apply a finish and you won't throw your back out hefting them into position.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Water/moisture shouldn't be a problem in the kitchen where I plan on sticking a couple cabinets. I usually install base cabinets on a base frame of 2X4's.
The other cabinets are uppers that go above the frige. If the water ever gets that deep - I've got problems so big, the MDF won't matter.

I will be using solid wood for the face frames & the rails & stiles of the doors.

Yes - I'm aware - MDF is nasty heavy. The good news there is - I can get it delivered from Lowes for a flat fee of $25. Free if I lump it in with an appliance of some kind that qualifies for free delivery.

Anyhow - we just got an email from the builder & I hit the roof when I read it. The city says we have to move the house back from the road 10 feet. The surveyor wants $500 to come back out & move the stakes. The so called builder knew all about this months ago and never passed it along to the surveyor. This is just one more time this builder has screwed up. I told my wife I'm done with it & wash my hands of the whole thing. If it were up to me, I'd fire the builder, sell the lot, sell our house, sell all the rentals and move some place where it warm and sunny year round...

[Erik Loza]

MDF is good for speaker boxes and for CNC router spoilboards, and that's it. You cannot convince me otherwise!

Erik

[Jim Dwight]

I bought my kitchen and paid extra for cabinets made of plywood. To me, it is money well spent. It is 1/2 inch thick. But when I build cabinets I use 3/4 plywood. It may be overkill but it is not always more expensive than 1/2. I definitely would not use 1/2 MDF. Solid wood has the highest strength and stiffnes, plywood is next, particle board is next then comes MDF. Weakest material available. So if you must use a weak material, at least make it a bit thicker.

MDF paints well but not if you cut it. Raised panels will be hard to paint where you put the profile. The cut areas will suck up a LOT of sealer or paint.

[Ole Anderson]

The few bucks you save using MDF over plywood isn't worth it IMO. Knowing your finished project is made of a quality material is worth it when all is said and done.

[Mike King]

And as a substrate for veneer work...

[John TenEyck]

I love MDF for non-structural veneer work, painted door panels, and nothing else. I love Melamine for kitchen and bath cabinets. No qualifiers. Great stuff. Dead flat, no finishing required. I've got nothing against prefinished plywood either, I just prefer white interiors.

If I wanted to make painted kitchen cabinets I'd use PlumaPly. HDF faces on a plywood core. Structurally sound and paints great.

John

[johnny means]

I've built $100,000 Italian lacquer kitchens that consist entirely of MCP and MDF. Any one that says they can't be used for high quality work just doesn't know enough about what makes quality work. It's like saying that, since concrete is cheap, anything made from it is garbage. Personally, prefinished plywood screams borg cabinet to me.

[Scott Bernstein]

I'm not a pro. Just made Kitchen cabinets for my own house - installing them now. I used Baltic Birch 3/4" thick, rabbet/dado glued & screwed. Solid top and back. I made them "euro" style without a faceframe. I applied 3/4" thick x 1" wide solid wood edge banding (poplar) using glue and auto-locking Tenso "biscuits" with a Lamello biscuit joiner. The Lamello system was great - no clamping! I finished the inside and out with 3 layers of General Finishes satin conversion varnish applied with a HVLP spray gun. I built a total of 30 cabinets total. I made 10 cabinets for our basement, as kind of a dress rehearsal where I worked out all the kinks, and then made the kitchen cabinets. Kitchen cabinet doors are poplar, which I have primed and getting ready to spray with Benjamin Moore's "Advance" door & trim paint. I'll be doing that this weekend.

SB

[Bruce Wrenn]

MDF paints well but not if you cut it. Raised panels will be hard to paint where you put the profile. The cut areas will suck up a LOT of sealer or paint.Drywall compound, applied to cuts and profiles and sanded after drying. EZPEZE

[johnny means]

Drywall compound, applied to cuts and profiles and sanded after drying. EZPEZE
A brushing of glue sizing is even easier and actually hardens the edges up a bit.