The benefits of using MDF in furniture applications

Wood is an excellent material to create all kinds of furniture. As well as adding warmth and charm to any room, wood is a long-lasting natural material that’s durable, resilient and easy to maintain. Hardwoods such as oak and birch are a common choice for furniture makers as they are denser than softwoods such as pine and cedar and can last for longer. However, they can be more expensive and sometimes more difficult to work with. Engineered wood panels such as MDF are a great alternative and are available in a variety of specifications.

What is MDF and why should choose MEDITE MDF

Medium density fibreboard (MDF) is an engineered wood panel that can be used to make furniture, cabinetry and can be laminated for decorative purposes in flooring. It’s a popular material due to its smooth finish, machinability, strength, consistency, and it’s generally more cost-effective than other wood-based products. MDF is also environmentally friendly and sustainable and can last a long time if well maintained.

So, why you should consider using MEDITE MDF for your projects? Our technological innovations have led the greater market to advances in areas such as finish quality, moisture resistance, flame retardancy and many more MDF attributes.

One huge benefit of MEDITE MDF is that it has excellent machining properties. The wood fibres are pressed with the resin, to make a homogeneous panel which makes it easier to machine and the edges won’t splinter when cut, compared to alternative wood products. Additionally, the wood fibres create a smooth surface which means there are far less imperfections and makes it easier for furniture makers to apply paint on to it.

Infinitus Bespoke Interiors created an art-deco inspired interior for a home in London using MEDITE TRICOYA EXTREME and MEDITE MR and was particularly impressed with the machinability and finish of MEDITE MDF. Director, Andrew Fishwick found the panels to be extremely beneficial in terms of aesthetics and time spent on the project. “We needed a material with no grain structure to be able to achieve a perfectly smooth, seamless finish,” he said. “It was also beneficial for us and the client to use MEDITE TRICOYA EXTREME (MTX) and MEDITE MR as it saved us a lot of time which would have otherwise been spent planing timber. Instead, many of the decorative pieces left our workshop completely finished and ready for installation.”

Another benefit of using MEDITE MDF is that MEDITE SMARTPLY has long been at the forefront of ‘low formaldehyde' innovation in Europe. Although formaldehyde is a common, naturally occurring Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) found in very small, safe amounts in all natural things including wood, it can sometimes present a problem if wood and wood-based products include formaldehyde resins. Since 2010, all MEDITE products have been tested and approved as being fully CARB 2 compliant, carrying all the relevant identification associated with the standard.

This led to the development of MEDITE CLEAR – a specialist, no added formaldehyde panel, which is commonly used in environmentally sensitive interior applications such as museums, laboratories, art galleries and schools. Currently, some alternative wood products do not have a range of no added formaldehyde panels.

Additionally, if using more sustainable materials is high on your agenda, then wood is a great option – providing its sourced from sustainable managed forests. All our products are made using sustainable wood that is fully FSC certified, and legally sourced. Our MDF timber content consists of 40% wood logs and 60% of wood chips, a by-product from Irish sawmills. This gives furniture makers and joiners greater peace of mind and helps towards the sustainability goals on the projects. All of our MEDITE SMARTPLY products are UKCA and CE marked.

Limitless inspiration for the products can be found on MEDITE’s exclusive MDF community site MEDITE Makes It Real - www.meditemakesitreal.com. Those who sign up can share work, gain inspiration, and win prizes that will enable them to build bigger and better with MDF. Receive a free gift when you sign up.