Pros and Cons of 1-Piece MDF Cabinet Doors
Updated December 2, 2024
1-piece MDF cabinet doors are cheaper than painted wood doors – but are they a good choice, or does the low price equal low quality?
To become a trusted installer, you must constantly expand your product line. However, you can’t offer all the shiny new options on the market because low-quality products will harm your reputation. You landed on this article because you wonder if 1-piece MDF cabinet doors would be a good addition to your showroom. Are 1-piece MDF cabinet doors a good option? What are some of the drawbacks and benefits?
At Cutting Edge, we have produced 1-piece MDF doors for over six years. Last year alone, we made over 33,000 MDF cabinet doors. As you can imagine, we understand the 1-piece MDF product inside and out.
So, keep reading to find out:
Pros of 1-Piece MDF Cabinet Doors
Before you decide whether or not to include 1-piece MDF doors in your showroom, you need to have a good understanding of both the pros and cons. What would make a customer choose or avoid 1-piece MDF?
Let’s start by looking at the pros.
1. Stable and Seamless
MDF, a medium-density fibreboard, is made of compressed wood fibres and scraps. The compressed fibres and scraps are then sealed with a resin, which holds the scraps tightly in place.
Although MDF contains wood scraps, it is not solid wood, and therefore, is not as inclined to move over time. Notice we don’t say it won’t move – more about this later.
The added stability means MDF cabinet doors are less likely than solid wood to warp and twist over time. And, unlike solid wood, they don’t shrink or expand as the humidity and temperature change.
In addition, the construction method of 1-piece MDF avoids seams along the cabinet door.
Why does this matter?
A 5-piece cabinet door has seams where the stiles meet the rails, and the centre panel meets the frame. As the wood in the 5-piece door moves and shifts, the paint along those seams cracks. Because 1-piece MDF has no seams and rarely shifts, this is not an issue.
2. Requires Little Labour
Although 1-piece MDF cabinet doors were originally routered by hand, which was a lot of work, technological advancements have solved this problem.
With companies like Biesse developing highly advanced CNC routers, the labour needed for 1-piece MDF doors has been significantly reduced.
Instead of an employee laboriously routering into a piece of MDF, the machine now does that work for us. An employee has to develop a program, or pattern, that the CNC uses to produce the door. Then, the only task left is sanding the completed door to a smooth finish.
You might wonder why this matters. Isn’t that a benefit for the cabinet door manufacturer?
Yes, it benefits the manufacturer, but it also benefits you in two ways. First, having a machine complete most of the work reduces the possibility of human error. And second, it helps reduce the cost of 1-piece MDF doors.
3. Cost-Effective
Because MDF uses wood scraps, the price of the raw material is lower than the price of solid wood. Combined with the reduced labour we just discussed, the overall cost of 1-piece MDF cabinet doors is lower than that of comparable 5-piece cabinet doors.
How much lower?
A typical painted 1-piece MDF cabinet door costs around $47 per square foot. A comparable painted 5-piece cabinet door costs around $49 per square foot. 1-piece MDF doors cost about $2 less per square foot.
While a $2 per square foot price difference might not seem like much, it does affect the cost of a cabinet door.
For example, an 18” by 36” 5-piece cabinet door at that price would cost about $220, while the same size in 1-piece MDF would cost $213.
4. Customizable
Because the majority of work for 1-piece MDF doors is done on a computer, they are very customizable. Unlike 5-piece doors, which require manual machining, it is comparably easy to customize an MDF door.
There are two requirements.
First, the software needs to be capable of replicating your request. Second, the cabinet door manufacturer needs the necessary bits or cutters to produce your requested design.
This customizability makes it easy and affordable to create those custom-shaped pieces or feature items you need to make your kitchen designs stand out.
Cons of 1-Piece MDF Cabinet Doors
However, you know that there is no perfect product in the woodworking industry. Every option has its drawbacks.
So what are the problems with 1-piece MDF doors?
1. MDF Contains and Emits Formaldehyde
The resin used to bind the wood fibres in MDF contains formaldehyde. Over time, MDF can emit formaldehyde gases. At normal levels, formaldehyde is an irritant at worst and can worsen asthma symptoms.
Although all MDF products sold in Canada comply with the relevant regulations, you will find customers who don’t want to take the risk.
2. Less Durable
MDF is a soft product that is easy to dent, ding, or chip. This tendency makes 1-piece MDF cabinet doors more likely to show wear and tear than solid wood cabinet doors.
As long as your customers treat their cabinet doors carefully, the softness won’t be an issue. However, the extra care needed isn’t practical for all customers or projects. For example, installing 1-piece MDF doors in a high-wear area (like a mudroom or butler’s pantry) will result in an unhappy customer when the first dents and dings show up soon.
3. Limited Profile Selection
Although it is relatively easy for cabinet door manufacturers to create a new door style or design for 1-piece MDF cabinet doors provided they already have the necessary cutters, new profiles can be more tricky.
Depending on the profile design you require, your manufacturer may need to source new bits or cutters to replicate the design.
More complex designs are only possible with advanced machinery, which not all manufacturers have.
So, before you offer a new profile to your customers, ensure it is something your cabinet door manufacturer can replicate in 1-piece MDF. Otherwise, you may be left trying to source a product from a supplier you haven’t worked with previously, which can lead to many other problems and mistakes.
4. Susceptible to Warping
Although the design of MDF means it is less likely to move than wood, it is still made with wood products.
MDF doors can warp or twist over time, especially if the cabinet door design does not allow sufficient stability.
The first millimetre of MDF is the most stable layer. As you remove more of that stable layer to create the door design, the cabinet door becomes more likely to move.
This is particularly a problem with slim shaker doors, like the ones in the picture on the right. Because this door style only leaves a thin section of the stable layer behind, they are much less stable.
What does that mean for you?
If you order a slim shaker MDF cabinet door, your cabinet doors may warp over time. Usually, you can correct any warpage in MDF doors by adding extra hinges to hold the cabinet door flat.
When You Should Offer 1-piece MDF Cabinet Doors
So should you put 1-piece MDF cabinet doors in your showroom and sell them to your customers? It is up to you.
There are some scenarios where your customers will be more receptive to, or more likely to purchase 1-piece MDF doors.
For example, if your customer has a lower budget and wants a painted kitchen, 1-piece MDF doors will help you design the kitchen you need within the right price range. Plus, it may even leave some room in your customer’s budget for add-ons like custom drawer organizers, dovetail drawer boxes, and other items that increase the value of their kitchen and set you apart from your competitors.
1-piece MDF cabinet doors also work well in areas that aren’t humidity-controlled. For example, bathrooms or laundry rooms tend to have humidity variance. In these environments, wood cabinet doors will want to move, shrink, expand, and twist – all of which cause issues like doors that bind, don’t lay flat, or shrink. To avoid these problems, suggest 1-piece MDF doors for these rooms. Noticing and approaching these issues before your customer has a problem will help you build trust.
Cost of 1-Piece MDF Cabinet Doors
You need assistance to become a trusted installer, build your reputation, and increase your success. A supplier focused on their profit margins, not your success, will sell you products that don’t meet your customer’s needs. So, before you expand your showroom and offer new products, you need to understand the options.
Cutting Edge has empowered you to decide if 1-piece MDF doors are a product you can use without harming your reputation. Now, your next step is to find out the cost of 1-piece MDF cabinet doors.
