MDF Faceframes:

[Don Selke]

I normally use hardwood and Poplar for faceframe construction. I am curious if anyone has used MDF for faceframe construction in utility cabinets which will be painted? If so, how were the results?

[David DeCristoforo]

My feeling is that you would regret this. Just one of many possible reasons; Hinge screws very close to the edge of the MDF + the weight of the doors = recipe for disaster. Not to mention my extreme dislike of MDF in general.

[frank shic]

don, i see absolutely NO PROBLEM with mdf face frames as long as you flush them with the interior of the case allowing you to screw the hinges into the case material (hopefully not mdf!). it'll definitely cut down on the preparation time but you better be prepared for all the dust!

[David DeCristoforo]

"...allowing you to screw the hinges into the case material (hopefully not mdf!)..."

Assuming "Euro" type hinges with baseplates? Then why a faceframe in the first place? And if the interiors and the faces are MDF I sure hope they never have to be moved!

PS Just curious...why would you object to MDF interoirs but not mind it for faces?

[frank shic]

david, now that i think of it, solid MDF cases would work JUST FINE as long as you use 5mm system holes bored 32mm apart with blum INSERTA hinge plates. i would just rather not have to finish the MDF cases which is why i reccomended melamine for its durability, consistency and low cost.

[David DeCristoforo]

"...to have to finish the MDF cases which is why i reccomended melamine..."

Well I don't recommend either one! I hate them both! Utility grade boxes: shop grade birch or maple ply. Utility grade faces: poplar or soft maple. Plenty cheap...much more plesant to work with...much nicer end product...etc.

[John Branam]

I have made 3 cabinets for my shop with MDF face frames and then painted them. They have held up just fine.

[Chris McDowell]

Don for utility cabinets mdf would probably work fine depending on how much use they see. On a faceframe cabinet the frame is subject to most of the abuse the cabinet will face in it's lifetime. You know the dings, dents, and scratches that are inevitable.
If you are looking for cheap utility cabinets for your shop, I'd probably forgo the use of a faceframe all together. Just my two cents.

Chris

[Ben Grunow]

It is so cheap you could just cut the face frame out of a full sheet and avoid having any joints to fail. I have made small wall panels this way when it fits on a sheet. The labor is less (I have festool saw for cuts) but I am not wild about MDF for for face frames for same reasons mentioned above.

[frank shic]

Don, take some pics when you're done, ok? If no one ever tried anything different, we'd never learn anything - for better or for worse!

[Josiah Bartlett]

I think just about anything would be better for face frames- mdf tends to creep after a while. I tend to abuse the weight capacity of my garage cabinets (there is an extra transmission in one of them) , and find that the face frames provide valuable structural support for fixed shelves. My garage is unheated but remains about the same relative humidity over the season and I find that mdf sags unless it is a very short span, even when painted.

[Kim Spence]

I've built shop cabinets with painted MDF face frames...they've held up extrordinarly well for 5 years now, even after moving to a new house/shop and being remounted. The door hinges mount directly into the MDF and have had no problems. For utility cabinets I see no issue with MDF face frames. They're not pretty but they hold a ton of stuff and are dirt cheap.

That said, the reason I used MDF was because they were my first face frames and I didn't want to "ruin" more expensive materials...so if I were to build them again I'd likely use something different.