Solid wood vs. MDF – it’s the “great debate” for kitchen cabinet doors.
The beauty, strength and character of solid wood attracts homeowners to choose wood for their new kitchen cabinets over other available materials. However, solid wood cabinets are not perfect. They expand and contract when there are environmental changes in heat and humidity. Cabinets, doors, drawers and/or paneling made from solid wood can shrink, crack or buckle.
How can this be avoided? Expert cabinetmakers use MDF.
But isn’t it true that solid wood is better vs. MDF? This is the most common perception when it comes to comparing wood and MDF. Wood is seen as strong and sturdy, while MDF is often viewed as a cheap, inferior alternative.
As this article will explain, both solid wood and MDF have their pros and cons. Despite popular belief, wood is not always the best choice; in some situations, MDF might be the better material.
Let’s look at the pros and cons of both.
Solid wood is not perfect.
Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF) is often called “engineered wood”. It’s a composite material made from recycled wood particles that are mixed with a resin binder. This mixture gets machine dried, bound with an adhesive, then heat pressed under high pressure to produce dense, stable sheets.
MDF has many of the same characteristics of solid wood, but without its limitations. In kitchens, MDF is mainly used in cabinet doors.
If you are getting painted cabinets for your new kitchen, you will want MDF center panels in your cabinet doors or one-piece MDF doors because
On painted wood doors, where the rail meets the stile on the frame, the paint will most surely show hairline cracks as the wood expands and contracts with seasonal changes.
The same cracks appear in stained cabinetry, but they are not as noticeable because the wood grain camouflages the issue.
Crack at joint in mitered cabinet door with painted finish Crack at joint in 5-piece cabinet door with painted finishMDF cabinet doors aren’t perfect.
When it comes to selecting kitchen cabinets, it can be confusing to consider the solid wood vs. MDF issue. Do you really have to make a choice? Probably not.
If you’re choosing custom cabinets, you have your choice of materials. With semi-custom and stock lines, the manufacturer of the cabinets you choose will make the decision for you. You get what they give you. Even if you are purchasing a stock line, the information in this article is good to have so you know how your cabinets will perform.
But it’s really important that you are aware of the properties of both wood and MDF if you are going with painted cabinets.
The common perception is that solid wood is stronger, sturdier and longer lasting than MDF. MDF is considered as a cheaper and flimsier alternative to solid wood. However, both solid wood and MDF have their respective pros and cons, as detailed above.
Solid wood is a natural product, while the MDF is commonly called “engineered wood”. Solid wood is primarily used for cabinet box construction, while MDF is used for specific components, such as the door center panels.
When it comes to kitchen cabinets, both solid wood and MDF are equally important. While solid wood makes the cabinets strong, sturdy and long-lasting, MDF offers a smooth finish.
MDF withstands changes in heat and humidity better than solid wood. Solid wood expands and contracts both horizontally and vertically when temperatures and humidity rise and fall. Because of this, painted cabinets and components made from solid wood will most likely show cracks at the joints.
Unlike solid wood, MDF doesn’t warp or crack when the temperature and humidity change. This is the main reasons why MDF is used as door center panels in painted cabinets.
Have we convinced you that there is no clear winner in the solid wood vs. MDF debate? Neither is the better product. Both have advantages and some disadvantages. It’s when they are combined in cabinet doors for painted cabinets that MDF definitely outperforms solid wood.
Solid wood from Mother Nature with its distinctive grain patterns and characteristic knots and pin holes will always be the preferred material for kitchen cabinetry. But to avoid cracks in the painted finish at the joints of your five-piece cabinet doors, you will need MDF center panels.
KDP exists to offer insight and advice about all things related to kitchen remodeling. Our goal is to connect homeowners with talented, experienced kitchen designers who live and work in their communities. We are a serious resource for anyone preparing to remodel their kitchen so they can make the best possible choices about designers, contractors and products.