# MDF cabinets



## weedeater (Aug 22, 2012)

I am planning to build some cabinets in my shop area at home and was curious has anyone used MDF in an area like this. It is inclosed but not humidity controlled but they would be painted....


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## ChuChu (Jan 23, 2010)

I built some sewing machine tables using MDF, I sealed it with polyurathane. No problems yet. I was thinking of using MDF for tool cabinets in my shop.


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## Ruthless53 (Jul 6, 2007)

weedeater said:


> I am planning to build some cabinets in my shop area at home and was curious has anyone used MDF in an area like this. It is inclosed but not humidity controlled but they would be painted....


MDF sucks up paint like you wouldn't believe!! I built a laundry cabinet for my wife and tried the combo paint/prime in a spray can and went through 3 times what I would with normal wood and it only covered 1/3 of it. I finally went and got regular primer and regular paint so I could finish it.


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## u wont know if u dont go (Jan 2, 2012)

Might as well used compressed cardboard


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## Wado (May 15, 2011)

Some lumber yards stock an AC Pine exterior cabinet grade plywood. It is very stable and paints well. It is also called Radiata Pine I believe. I did these garage cabinets with it. Chinese Birch works pretty good also but the glue they use is absolutely not water proof.


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## ChuChu (Jan 23, 2010)

Gotta watch that Chinese Birch. I built a utility room cabinet, and finish sanding it I sanded thru the birch. It was only about .006 thick in the middle of the panel.


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## Wado (May 15, 2011)

C Birch is pretty junky. The first time I used it it wasn't too bad. Now the veneer is paper thin and it has string in it. You can burn through it hand sanding.


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## Gottagofishin (Dec 17, 2005)

Wado said:


> Some lumber yards stock an AC Pine exterior cabinet grade plywood. It is very stable and paints well. It is also called Radiata Pine I believe. I did these garage cabinets with it. Chinese Birch works pretty good also but the glue they use is absolutely not water proof.


AC ply is what I used for my shop cabinets. I use MDF for my bench tops. I glue 2 3/4" pieces of MDF together with contact cement and then surface that with Formica.


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## goatchze (Aug 1, 2006)

Gottagofishin said:


> AC ply is what I used for my shop cabinets. I use MDF for my bench tops. I glue 2 3/4" pieces of MDF together with contact cement and then surface that with Formica.


Same here, but I bought the fiber board with the white veneer already in place. Then I trimmed the edges with poplar.


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## MT Stringer (May 21, 2004)

No mdf for me. I hate the dust, screws don't hold well, and that stuff is heavy to handle.
I vote for the AC pine.


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