MDF (MEDIUM DENSITY FIBERBOARD)
MDF (MEDIUM DENSITY FIBERBOARD)
MDF (medium-density fiberboard ) panels are made of wood fibers in which are added binders and they are pressed with special procedure. Thanks to that, MDF panels are thicker and tougher than chipboard so it is easier to shape them. One more advantage of MDF is that it does not need banding so MDF fronts look nicer than chipboard ones. Kitchen fronts are mainly made of MDF. Even MDF panels are not expensive, if they are going to be used for making fronts, they need painting (matte, semi-matte, high gloss) and that is significantly more expensive front. It means that some average kitchen, exactly the same and the difference is only in the material for making front (ex one of chipboard, and the other from MDF lacquered in high gloss) can be double or more of price. Of course, it all depends on kitchen size and number of fronts.
Advantage of lacquered MDF is unlimited choice of colours and shades, no need for banding so front made of it look nicer, and lacquered is resistant to moisture. The downside is the high price and also low resistance to mechanical damages of surface. In other words, if you are not careful lacquer can be easily damaged, scratched and there is no correction but only expensive re-painting.
Except lacquered MDF there is also MDF coated with PVC foil. Advantages of this kind of MDF are better resistance to mechanical damages and it is cheaper than lacquered MDF. Downside is that after some time foil peels off at places around the handles or edges, but this unfortunately can not be repaired.
In short- the advantages of MDF are his strength and ability of various design, no banding, a huge selection of shades when painting. Disadvantages-quite a high price and possibility of destruction, as it is already said.
