Just wondering why MDF in UK is black? Is that what they have or is it a choice?
[OP]
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Just wondering why MDF in UK is black? Is that what they have or is it a choice?
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I see web sites from retailers in the UK offering MDF that looks like US MDF: light brown.
[OP]
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Reason I'm asking is I see YT vids with Festool type tables and they are black. I've seen other vids using off cuts of the black stuff.Originally Posted by Jamie Buxton
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I think it would be great if USA MDF manufacturers made colored MDF. It would brighten up the shop.
This woman lives in Europe and uses a lot of colored sheet MDF.
Looks like cool stuff
https://instagram.com/gethandsdirty?igshid=Yzg5MTU1MDY=
Last edited by andrew whicker; 12-24-2022 at 9:20 PM.
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I wonder if that stuff is available in the states? I've never seen colored MDF like that before (not that I've gone looking for it).
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I saw that Pat Varley linked to something called "Valchromat" above. Here's a link to another product someone posted last week. COLORED MDF. I havent tried either of these but they look interesting.
Last edited by Frederick Skelly; 12-25-2022 at 2:43 AM.
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
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It looks like there is all kinds of neat stuff out there.. but it also looks like it falls into the architecture category so you'll have to figure out the vendors / shipping etc. In situations like this in the past I've called the manufacturer (their websites never seem to be update enough to include all the distributors they use) and they help me find a distributor local to me. Then call that distributor and you can ask more specific questions like cost, availability, etc.
https://www.designhardware.com/colored-mdf
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We have different kinds of coloured mdf in europe, and I think these are available also in US.
The most basic one is named just coloured mdf and have pretty much the same properties as mdf.
Valchromat is more expensive and have better mechanical properties. It's more dense and can be used for 3d cnc patterns since the internal is not as porous as mdf. You can see cnc'd valchromat patterns here for example https://www.camcraftsa.com/pattern-boards/
It also withstands water better than mdf. Valcromat is a very good material for different shop things, for instance you can tap machine threads in it with very good results. My assembly/router table (pic attached) have a top in 22mm Valcromat and have survived very well daily use 5-6 years.
Then there are even more fancy ones like outdoor mdf but these are extremely expensive.
177221-ef06e58d39b20cb6a0ba302335bebd50.jpg
Last edited by Ola Carmonius; 12-25-2022 at 1:42 PM.
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Yeah, I went down this road before and tried to figure out if I could get some. It seems that Valchromat is potentially distributed in the US, but couldn't find specifically by whom. Another alternative seemed to be ForesColor, made (distributed by?) by InterLam. They're at least based out of NC, but couldn't find info on distribution. I got the feeling I could track some down if I wanted to make the phone calls, but for someone that only needed one sheet here or there, I suspect the price would be comically prohibitive. I'll just stick with laminate on MDF.
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It's already available. You just won't want to pay the cost - especially for "shop cabinets". Was several hundred$ a sheet last time I checked , and you had to take a whole skid for some colors.
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Try Interlam, D & M Lumber & Atlantic Plywood. Between the 3 they carry 2 brands. Valchromat & Forescolor. Both solid color MDF.
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Dwayne is correct. Samples of ForesColor:
ED8A1BFD-1E85-4E2B-A2B0-6B9ADDBA7CAB.jpg
[OP]
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It seems to be pretty common in the Europe, so it must be comparable to the tan colored stuff we have. Seems lots of folks use black MDF for MFT tables. I've never seen it here.
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