What are the advantages and drawbacks of doors with MDF?

When advertising their doors, manufacturers sometimes refer to MDF as one of the used materials.

Commonly, the average door buyer does not understand the advantages of MDF as door material. Why not solid wood, plastic, or metal?

What is MDF?

MDF means “finely dispersed fraction”. More simply, it is wood chips compressed into a block under high pressure and heat. MDF is often unjustly confused with particleboard (chipboard) because it was replaced by MDF. MDF production began at the end of the 90s. The first boards, of course, were far from modern standards.

MDF boards are hard, environmentally friendly, moisture-resistant, and durable. They are used in many areas: construction, furniture making, finishing. For different purposes, boards of different thicknesses are used. It can range from 1/16’’ (2mm) to 2-1/4’’ (60 mm).

The beautiful appearance of the board makes it possible to use them, among other things, for finishing or making entrance doors and interior doors. Externally, such a door looks like a wooden door.

Interior doors made by Belldinni include:

• MDF as exterior skins, which can be flat, molded, milled and paneled. These skins are fixed on a pine frame and then are finished with enamel paint, polypropylene, veneer, CPL and sometimes decorated with aluminum strips.

• As parts of the door leaf in assembled doors. First, the MDF part is wrapped on all sides with a finishing material, and then it gets installed into the door leaf.

Advantages of Doors with MDF

There are a lot of advantages of doors made with the use of MDF. Buying and installing a door with parts made of fine-dispersion fraction will make you happy because of the following advantages:

1. The door will last a long time. The material is very durable and will not crumble like a chipboard after a couple of years. It withstands impact, does not crack, does not rot. Bugs and fungus also bypass them. It does not warp over time. It does not matter if the layer of the board is thin or thick. Manufacturers claim its service life is up to 30-40 years.
2. A variety of coating types. MDF can be painted, veneered, eco veneered, or CPL-coated. You can order any shade of paint to make the door fit into your interior, even if it is green or purple. Many people, of course, prefer doors with a surface that resembles natural wood, and this can be achieved with various finishing techniques, giving the door surface the appearance of any type of wood.
3. Its eco-friendliness. The fashion for a healthy lifestyle encourages many people to use only safe materials. And MDF is made with the use of high temperature and consists of wood fibers, resin, and paraffin, bound by the natural substance “lignin”. MDF does not emit an odor, unlike plastic.
4. It is a lightweight material. Solid wood and metal doors are heavy and sag over time, but MDF doors do not. They are also easy to transport and lift.
5. Good thermal and sound insulation. Since MDF is made of wood chips, it acquires many of the characteristics of natural wood. For example, such an entrance door with several sealing loops allows you not to worry about someone overhearing your internal conversations or noise, and also protects the house from the cold air.
6. Attractive look.
7. Affordability and a large selection of models. MDF is now very common and doors with this material can be found in any online and offline store, both in metropolitan areas and in small provincial towns. MDF Direct is offering wide range of MDF sheets available in a choice of 
8. full-size boards or cut to size.

Drawbacks of Doors with MDF

The disadvantages are also present, but they are few, and some of them are conditional:

1. Price. If compared to doors made of chipboard, plastic, or other cheap materials, MDF door options will cost more. But they are cheaper if compared to natural wood or metal. The thicker the MDF board used for production, the more expensive the product.
2. Like any wood, the fine fraction is a combustible material. However, only a metal door is likely to save you from a fire. All other options, if they are not special fire-resistant doors, will burn.
3. If you damage the surface of the door, you will have to replace the door completely. There is no way to restore the attractive appearance of a broken board. Yes, the material is hard, but defects can appear on it as well.
4. Short-term exposure to moisture for the door is not terrible, but the constant high humidity is destructive for MDF. The door leaf will begin to swell. Therefore, for bathrooms and other rooms with constant high humidity you need a door made of another material.
5. Prolonged exposure of the material to direct sunlight is undesirable. In addition, the sun can cause the color of the finishing material to fade.
6. Probability to run into a fake: some manufacturers, most often Chinese, pass off their chipboard doors as MDF. Few inexperienced customers can tell the difference between MDF and chipboard at first glance. Only when it’s too late will you realize you’ve been cheated. That is why we advise you to buy doors only from proven door manufacturers.

Conclusion

Doors with MDF parts or made entirely of this material have almost all the advantages and characteristics of natural wood doors. At the same time, the cost and installation of such doors are cheaper, and the service life is the same as with natural wood doors. Although these doors have some disadvantages, they will still perform their function and decorate your home.

The relevance of MDF especially increased in 2021, after a spike in the price of lumber.