Hello,
am starting to think about another piece of furniture for the house.. but struggling with the material to use..

We have some oak around the house but dont want to put more in as it makes it too much..

I was thinking mdf, then painting it, but is this durable? painting mdf – easy? i have seen than you need to seal it especially the cut ends.. But is it easy to get a nice finish?

If not what about valchromat? coloured mdf with a laquer?

I guess i was thinking about white with a bit of colour but now im not sure.. this question of colour is really an important point..

any suggestions for other materials?

I’d like to get as close to a shop finish as possible – would like to avoid my memories of my fathers furniture painting which was ‘functional…’

Use Medite rather than mdf, it’s like moisture resistant mdf, but the main benefit for me is that it has a much denser “grain”, because of this, it furs up a lot less when being machined/moulded.
To seal edges and get a great finish simply paint edges with pva glue and sand smooth once dry.

If you don’t have a sprayer expect a lot of sanding between coats if you want a consistent finish.

I did a gloss white project last year with aerosols. It was a nightmare.

Made some shelves from quite thick MDF, should’ve sealed the ends

Painted with melamine? Based paint as recommended by the timber yard

Used a closed cell foam roller, finished really nicely,
https://flic.kr/p/ebRsrF

We use a type of paint on our furniture that is specifically made for us, and formulated to be applied by brush/roller but leave a spray finish. If you want to know any more drop me an email .

As mentioned, it tends to be the edges which are harder to paint. It sucks up paint so needs a sealing and then a rub down.
You can get a real good finish on it though.
Rub down between coats and you’ll get a nice finish without a ‘heavy-build’.

Be careful of using mdf over larger spans
such as shelving or weight bearing where unsupported as it can sag like a mofo.

I made a piece recently where the client just wanted it lacquered. So I had to prep the edges very, very well. The lacquer then got built up gradually.
Looks awesome..

What I’ve done in the past is to use MDF and then glue/biscuit wood on the ‘ends’. You can then either paint the lot, gloss has always given me a good finish or just paint the MDF leaving the wood on show.

Obviously router to get the exact finish.

If you want MDF, coloured or otherwise, with really crisp edge details then you need to use a router and clean sharp bits. A decent face mask is essential, eye protection if you are sensitive and good to have dust extraction too.

Best to paint or lacquer with short pile rollers, with a very thin first coat and build up with a number of thin coats to get a good finish. You can spray it too, but you need a clean area to work in.

You can also get plywood faced with phenolic, laminate or various veneers.

router and bits no prob.. festool router and tracksaw has been used alot, and bits replcaed after the bathroom furniture was finished…

facemask is also a firm fave..

My “godfather” is a cabinet maker/joiner and makes quite a bit of stuff with MDF. He has an absurd attention to detail so his paint finishing takes him for ever. Not to mention he spends a fortune on heating fuel for his workshop when he’s painting.

here are two pieces he’s made for me. The boot rack is his own design. This is a prototype that would be modified a bit for subsequent versions. The wall end shelving is my own design. The close up shows the lovely finish he’s got. IIRC he used gloss rollers and sand downs to achieve the finish. It holds up well.

[img]https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-7XI-9aP-GM4/VCz-C5v0gQI/AAAAAAAAKuA/KHJ2YsyRkNw/s640/IMG_20141002_082249.jpg[/img]

Medite is a brand of MDF

Use Medite rather than mdf

‘Medite’ is just a brand name and they make all sorts of grades of MDF.

Amongst other grades Medite and Kronospan both make a moisture resistant MDF (MR MDF) which is sold with a green tint in it, which takes water based paint better than regular mdf, with the cut edges being less prone to fluffing and swelling when the paint goes on. There is also ‘medite exterior’ MDF thats used on shop frontages, boat interiors and the like. Its about double the price of regular boards, heavier (you wouldn’t think that would be possible) and has a tinted grey core. It cuts, routes and sands really well – a routed edge is as smooth as the face of the board, with non of the fluff.

Don’t confuse the exterior grade with Tricoya which is properly expensive and more than you’d need for anything being done indoors.

You’d need to ask your local supplier if they have any of the above boards. MRMDF is quite common but you won’t get it in B&Q, exterior grade is less available.

The other option though is using sanding sealer (shellac) before you paint. Its normally used as preparation for french polishing but with MDF its good for tackling the board’s enthusiasm for sucking up paint and going plump. A few coats with a sand in between consolidates the surface without swelling the wood and the boards end up feeling like they’re made of glass and all the cut and routed edges stay crisp and smooth.

very nice stoner..

would be interested in his ‘design’ for the shelves – with the oak i used rabbet joins and conventional joins with glue.. still going strong after a years hard use..

but with mdf im not so sure.. but i like the invisible joins on your bookcase/shelving..

would you mind asking him or if you know letting me in on the knowledge?

also, im in switzerland so i’ll have to see whether its possible to get these materials here.. sometimes not always feasible..

its not like in the uk..

thanks for info MAc..

IIRC they’re all rabbet’d and glued.

ok cool thnaks for that. good to know – it worked on my last pieces so it should be even easier with mdf/sort of mdf..!

I’ll have to post up some of the work I’ve done over the past few weeks! You’ll get a good idea of the finish that’s achievable with the paint I mentioned.

Be interesting to see the finish you can get philbert. I built a huge wardrobe out of mdf in our bedroom which still needs painting and I’ve been putting it off for a while as it has quite a lot of edges on it.

Edit: looks like this but is now full of the other half’s crap

My technique with MDF is to cut it oversize on the panel saw then change the blade for a really sharp one I keep just for trimming.
Biscuit + screw or biscuit and glue the joints.
Edges need just one pass with 150 grit before the first coat. Rub down after this to get rid of hairy edges.
As has been said, don’t have panels of much more than 600mm length that are unsupported in the middle/along the back edge.

yup would be nice to see the finish philbert.

thanks in advance 🙂