MDF vs Ply

[Malcolm Wheeler]

Looking to make a bed for the toddler in the family, but I am wondering if all these warnings about manufactured wood are just well, hype, or if I should be genuinely concerned about the long term health effects of the little folks sleeping adjacent to an MDF headboard? After all, Ikea has been selling composite made beds for years now, so it cannot be that bad can it?

I am keen on MDF because it paints so well and I can rout in some patterns very easily with no rough edges and the like.

I know other threads here have mentioned formaldehyde free boards, but they are impossible to find. Also, some ply these days has some freaky looking glue inside anyway, so I dunno if that is a safe alternative.

Genuine hardwoods are not really an option here (too expensive), and I want to make it reasonably crayon proof by painting it white with some thick tough, chip proof paint.

So Creekers? Worry or not worry? Cancer in twenty years time or all hype?

[Roy Harding]

Looking to make a bed for the toddler in the family, but I am wondering if all these warnings about manufactured wood are just well, hype, or if I should be genuinely concerned about the long term health effects of the little folks sleeping adjacent to an MDF headboard? After all, Ikea has been selling composite made beds for years now, so it cannot be that bad can it?

I am keen on MDF because it paints so well and I can rout in some patterns very easily with no rough edges and the like.

I know other threads here have mentioned formaldehyde free boards, but they are impossible to find. Also, some ply these days has some freaky looking glue inside anyway, so I dunno if that is a safe alternative.

Genuine hardwoods are not really an option here (too expensive), and I want to make it reasonably crayon proof by painting it white with some thick tough, chip proof paint.

So Creekers? Worry or not worry? Cancer in twenty years time or all hype?

I don't think it's ALL hype. I used to work in a cabinet shop where we worked with NOTHING BUT MDF and Melamine. It was a real concern for us - but we were covered in MDF dust all day long. The stuff DOES off gas formaldehyde, and prolonged, unprotected (breathing apparatus) exposure to it does pose health concerns.

However, that being said. I don't think you have any worries building children's furniture with it. The (perhaps) dangerous part will be when you're working with it - wear a good particle mask and you'll be fine. By the time the little ones are using it, you will have done all the cutting, and it will be sealed by the paint.

Keep in mind that this is just my opinion - and I'm NOT a Doctor or other health care specialist, but I think you're fine with it.

[Todd Burch]

Ditto.

Go try to buy furniture that is *NOT* MDF.

Todd

[Todd Jensen]

Personally, I really don't like how mdf gasses off, and I think it continues to long after we become desensitized to it. I'm a little bit hyper vigilant when it comes to babies and personally would only want natural woods, organic foods, and pleasantness to surround them.:)

[Jim Becker]

The greater danger, IMHO, is when you are machining MDF or other composite materials. Proper dust control in the shop and on your person is essential with this stuff. Your final projects, however, shouldn't cause any need for concern...again, IMHO. Use the material that you feel best suits your project and be sure to use the correct contruction methods for best results. (MDF is best served by Confirmat type screws, for example, which need to be pre-drilled for with a stepped bit)

[Mike Armstrong]

You might check in your area for formaldehyde-free MDF or other "green" products. Many lumber/sheet good suppliers will carry both a domestic product and an import. Components and glues in domestic is generally much better/safer than the weird stuff and mystery glue used int the imports from China.

And ditto on dust control.

Mike

[Jamie Buxton]

If you can get pine, you could edge-glue that with PVA into a headboard. It wouldn't be much more expensive than MDF for that small piece. You can carve and rout pine as easily as MDF. You'd have no outgassing worries. And your shop would smell great instead of having all that nasty MDF sawdust.