Which Is Better for Painted Cabinet Doors - MDF or Paint-Grade Wood?
Updated December 2, 2024
Both MDF and paint-grade wood are popular options for painted cabinet doors. MDF is often the preferred option – but why?
You’re here because you need to know about your options for painted cabinet doors. As a contractor, you’re learning about the choices available and working to build your reputation. Offering the wrong products can make your customers unhappy and cost you money. So, should you choose MDF or wood for painted cabinet doors? Which is the better option?
At Cutting Edge, we’ve produced cabinet doors for over 20 years. Because painted doors are always popular, we’ve worked with every possible combination of wood and MDF. We know the benefits and challenges of each option, and we want to share that information with you.
Keep reading to learn how MDF compares to paint-grade wood across four categories:
MDF vs Paint-Grade Wood - What Is the Difference?
If you are completely new to the industry, you might need a bit more information before you get started with the comparison. First, you must understand the two competing products in this article – MDF and paint-grade wood.
MDF is a medium-density fibreboard made of compressed fibres and wood scraps glued together with wax and resin.
Paint-grade wood is any wood sorted for painted cabinet doors. Poplar and Maple are the most common paint-grade woods, but you could (in theory) paint almost any wood type.
Now, let’s dive into the comparison.
Should You Choose MDF or Paint-Grade Wood for Painted Cabinet Doors?
As we move through each category, you will find information about how each product performs, plus an explanation of any issues you might encounter. At the end of each section, we choose a winner.
Ready? Let’s look at the first category – durability.
Category 1: Durability
Durability, or how well each option holds up to use, matters because it gives you an idea of how long each option should last. Do your customers expect the kitchen or vanity to last five years or 25 years? The answer may change which option you offer.
MDF
MDF is an engineered product of wood scraps and fibres squished together. As you can imagine, it isn’t the most durable option. The upper and lower resin layers provide some strength and durability, but cabinet door makers cut through that upper layer to make a cabinet door.
Plus, even the resin layer is much softer than wood, especially hardwoods like Maple.
MDF is easy to dent, ding, chip or scratch, even once painted.
Paint-Grade Wood
Because you can choose any wood type for a painted door, you can increase or decrease the durability. Choosing a hardwood like Maple or Oak will increase the durability, while softer woods like Pine or Poplar are less durable. However, if you paint a wood with distinct grain patterns (like Oak or Beech), you may be able to see the grain pattern through the painted finish. This is why woods like Birch or Maple are more popular for painted doors.
Softwoods are easier to damage, and hardwoods are harder to damage.
Winner: Paint-Grade Wood
Yes, paint-grade wood takes this category. Painted cabinet doors made of wood are more durable than MDF, especially if you choose hardwoods like Oak or Maple.
Category 2: Stability
Now, let’s look at the stability. Which option is more stable over the long run and less likely to have warranty issues?
MDF
Left as is, MDF is extremely stable and resists warping or twisting. However, cabinet door makers cut through the stabilizing resin layers to produce MDF cabinet doors. This exposes the inner MDF core, which is susceptible to moisture changes. Depending on the door style and how much of the upper resin layer remains intact, MDF cabinet doors can be as likely to warp as wood doors.
However, MDF, specifically 1-piece MDF cabinet doors, have a significant advantage over wood – they have no seams.
Paint-Grade Wood
A 5-piece wood cabinet door has a seam where the stiles meet the rails and where the panel meets the frame. Each of these seams moves over time. For example, as the environment surrounding the cabinet door gets drier, the wood will shrink slightly. Then, when the environment gets more humid, the wood will expand beyond its original size.
This continual movement will eventually crack the painted finish over the joint. Typically, this is just cosmetic damage, not a structural weakness. However, if the door manufacturer doesn’t assemble the cabinet door correctly, it may fall apart.
Winner: MDF
We have to give this category to MDF. You can correct a warped MDF door by adding another hinge to help hold the door straight.
However, you can’t repair a paint crack caused by the movement of wood – any repairs will be a temporary fix, and the same crack will reappear the next time the humidity level changes.
Category 3: Price
Price is one of the most important qualities of any cabinet door option. Can your customers afford the product they want?
MDF is an engineered product that uses wood scraps and fibres. It is relatively simple to turn a sheet of MDF into MDF cabinet doors.
On the other hand, wood is wood, and it takes a lot of labour to get the wood ready for use and then turn it into a cabinet door.
Depending on the wood type you select, the price difference between MDF and wood cabinet doors starts at about $1.25 per square foot – and MDF is consistently the less expensive option.
Winner: MDF
MDF is easily the winner of this category. Thanks to the cost-saving attributes of MDF (using scrap wood and fibres), it is less expensive than painted wood – about $1.25/square foot less.
Category 4: Finish Quality
And finally, which option will allow your team to be more efficient? Will one product take more time to prep and finish than another?
MDF
Providing your supplier takes the time to sand smooth the machined MDF, MDF cabinet doors are relatively easy to finish. The problem is that not all suppliers put in this time and effort.
If the machined MDF isn’t sanded to a smooth finish, your team will need to spend more time working on the cabinet doors before you can apply the finish. You can only achieve a smooth painted finish if the machined MDF is smooth. If the MDF is not well-sanded, your cabinet doors will have a rough finish.
And, because MDF is so soft, it is fairly easy to damage while finishing.
Paint-Grade Wood
On the other hand, paint-grade wood is much easier to sand and prepare for the first coat of a painted finish. Although the wood may have character, like cracks or mineral streaks, that you need to fill, this is easier than sanding MDF.
However, the problems begin to occur once you apply the primer. As the primer soaks into the wood, it will reveal cracks and splits that weren’t visible before, meaning you and your team have to repeat the filling and sanding process before you can apply the next coat of finish.
In addition, you may prefer to caulk the gap between the panel and the stiles and rails before applying your first coat of finish. You may add this step to your process to help prevent the paint from splitting along that gap – but again, this is extra time and effort. Most cabinet door suppliers don’t recommend this and therefore don’t do it for you.
Winner: MDF
Although you will find it easier to prepare paint-grade wood for the first coat of primer, you will have problems after that. MDF doors take more work to start with, but once you have them ready, finishing them is much easier than finishing paint-grade wood doors.
| MDF | Paint-Grade Wood | |
|---|---|---|
| Durability | ||
| Stability | ||
| Price | ||
| Finish Quality |
Either MDF or Paint-Grade Wood Works Well for Painted Cabinet Doors
Although MDF is technically the winner in this comparison, your decision comes down to your preference combined with your customer’s preference.
Who Is MDF Right For?
MDF can work well for low-budget projects that don’t need to hold up for long, but that’s not the only option. If your customers care for their MDF cabinet doors correctly and treat them carefully, they can last just as long as other door styles. As long as you educate your customers and ensure they know what to expect, you can use painted MDF doors in luxury kitchens as well.
MDF cabinet doors, particularly MDF slabs, also work well in environments that aren’t humidity-controlled. However, you shouldn’t depend on MDF for all of your projects.
Who Is Paint-Grade Wood Right For?
Instead, you should choose paint-grade wood for customers who want higher-quality, more durable cabinet doors and don’t care about the price difference.
Alternatively, you may find customers who refuse to purchase MDF due to concerns about formaldehyde emissions. At the levels emitted by MDF cabinet doors, formaldehyde is, at worst, an irritant. Even though all MDF products sold in Canada comply with the relevant regulations, some customers won’t want to take the risk.
Find Pricing for 1-Piece MDF Cabinet Doors
As someone new to the industry, you can’t risk harming your reputation by offering a poor-quality product. Low quality leads to unhappy customers, lower profits, and a damaged reputation. However, you also don’t have all the knowledge you need to make an educated decision. You need a guide who can empower you to make the correct decisions and offer the right products to your customers.
So, now that Cutting Edge has explained the differences between MDF and painted wood, and you understand when to use each option, it’s time for you to learn about the cost of 1-piece MDF cabinet doors.
