What is better MDF film or paint?

What paint is suitable for MDF?

How can you paint MDF?

water-based compositions (water-based). ...
compositions based on alkyd enamels. ...
silicone materials. ...
polyvinyl acetate materials - suitable only if the product is not subject to heavy loads or damage;
oil-based compositions are moisture resistant;

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Reviews of MDF kitchens with various facade coatings

Anna Soboleva, Moscow

Our kitchen space has a very poor layout - a narrow, elongated room, like a pencil case. Therefore, standard models were absolutely not suitable. I wanted to order kitchen furniture according to my sketches, but it turned out that this pleasure was not cheap. My husband and I consulted and decided that we could put together the boxes ourselves. And for the surroundings and presentable appearance, purchase inexpensive MDF facades laminated with PVC film. Of the decors, I liked golden oak. It is both beautiful and neutral at the same time - any other color goes well with it, there is no need to rack your brains over the shade of the countertop and fittings.

In addition, I was attracted by the fact that the facades have softly rounded edges, and if desired, the manufacturer can also round the corners. I have small children, so the safety of MDF is one of the most important qualities for me.

We measured the dimensions of the kitchen down to the millimeter, found a furniture design program on the Internet, calculated it and placed an order. A week later they called us and said that the facades were ready. They took it, and in a few days my husband screwed on the hinges, handles, glass (where they were supposed to be according to the plan) and installed the doors on the cabinets and pencil cases he had assembled himself. It turned out to be almost 40% cheaper, but no worse. I’ve been using it for three months now and I can’t be happier: it’s beautiful, clean, any dirt, grease, or water can be easily removed with a rag without any effort or detergents. In my opinion, MDF for the kitchen coated with PVC film is the most practical and reliable solution.

Elena Mitina, Krasnodar

They added a covered veranda with full glazing around the perimeter to the country house and decided to move the kitchen there. This is very convenient - in the summer, open all the windows and doors, it takes all the smells away, it’s pleasant to cook, the stove doesn’t get too hot. And in winter it’s the other way around – during cooking the room warms up well, no additional heating is needed.

I spent a long time choosing furniture for the kitchen. I wanted a material that could withstand constant temperature changes like wood, but at the same time was unpretentious in operation and cleaning. Wood is not a cheap pleasure, and it is also demanding: it either dries out, swells, or the varnish needs to be renewed. Problematic and expensive.

I found the best option - I decided to order kitchen furniture from MDF. It meets all my requirements, looks presentable, and is inexpensive. For a long time I was choosing between a coating - PVC film or enamel. I read the reviews and decided for myself that painted facades with a high-gloss varnish are better. Looking ahead, I’ll say that the price was 12% cheaper. What also attracted me was the fact that the damaged surface can be easily restored if desired.

Using the directory, I called several companies and went to those whose production was closest. Not because it’s lazy, but simply because everyone’s prices are almost the same, but transportation depends on the distance between the client and the customer. I looked through the catalog and selected a kitchen model in the most neutral shade – beige – based on my measurements. Furniture enamel of this color is available in any hardware store, and if you get tired of it, I’ll repaint it.

I appreciated the beauty of the painted MDF facade after assembly - not too flashy, but impressive. The bright gloss does not spoil the impression at all; stains from fingers and grease can be easily removed with a sponge.

Oleg Evdokimov, Nevinnomyssk

I built the house with my own hands, and decided to make the furniture myself. All the necessary tools are there, the design ideas were also formed during the construction process, so all that’s left to do is start.

The most problematic part of the situation was the kitchen furniture. My wife and I argued for a long time about the set of cabinets and their color. After a compromise solution was found, I began to act. I decided on the material right away - MDF. It can be milled, bent, and rounded. I don’t like furniture with corners; sooner or later you can hit them, and this is painful and unpleasant.

The most difficult thing is the facades. Making them yourself is difficult and time-consuming, so I turned to a furniture shop. I was shown samples of MDF for the kitchen: PVC film for wood and stone, melamine paper for wood and plain, glossy and semi-matte enamel - for every taste and budget. If desired, they can even make it look like crocodile skin or add printed designs.

I really liked the facades under the film, but for me it’s expensive, so I limited myself to painted products. The manager suggested decorating individual elements with sticker prints with a floral twist. My wife really liked the idea, and we ordered solid doors and several for glazing. I had glass.

Additionally, they suggested choosing hinges and handles. I also took door closers to prevent the doors from slamming, as well as furniture enamel, in case chips or scratches would have to be treated. After I received the order, I very quickly installed the fittings and installed glass “windows” lined with PVC film with frosty patterns. The assembled furniture with semi-matte facades looks very organic, cozy and modern. As practice has shown, the surface is easy to clean and does not deteriorate from steam or splashes of hot water.

Yaroslav Demidov, Pyatigorsk

We have very popular wooden furniture in dark colors: teak, cherry, stained oak. Of course, it is very beautiful and solid, but it is very expensive. For myself, I found a more economical solution - kitchen furniture made of MDF, the facades of which perfectly imitate wood texture. For this purpose, special kraft paper impregnated with melamine resins is used. It is not just glued, but rolled with rollers with small protrusions so that the texture of natural wood is obtained on the surface.

If varnish gloss is required, the surface is additionally treated with special compounds. It is very difficult to distinguish MDF facades from real varnished wooden furniture, only up close and by touch.

I chose a model from the catalog and additionally equipped it with another wall cabinet and a pencil case. The order arrived a month later, but I didn’t complain - I ended up with a very beautiful and cozy kitchen, the gloss shines in the sun. The surface of MDF furniture is not afraid of water, I have already checked it, it is difficult to scratch it with a knife. All pros and no cons.

Inna Gromyko, Rostov-on-Don

Furniture made from MDF is a matter of taste, and if the company is good, then the purchase will be worth it. Unfortunately, I was unlucky. About five years ago, my sister bought a kitchen made from this material from a Belarusian manufacturer. The coating of the facades is coffee-with-milk enamel, gloss. Over the past years, the surface has not faded at all, nor has it been damaged by steam or water.

I looked at her furniture, studied the prices on the market and chose, as it seemed to me, a very good offer - kitchens coated with PVC film at the price of painted ones. The furniture shop quickly accepted my order, discussed everything, made an advance payment and began to wait. A week later, representatives of the company arrived, collected it, received an estimate and quickly left.

Surprises emerged a few days later. Sometimes drops of water fell on the facades near the sink and dark spots formed in this place. Another couple of weeks passed and in some places the film began to swell. I was very upset looking at this disgrace. I called the workshop, but the manager said that I did not comply with the operating conditions, so the furniture was deteriorating. And they cannot be held responsible for my negligence.

A month later, I discovered that in places where my clothes often come into contact with the surface of the facade, the wood pattern began to wear off. My sister brought the engineer who designed her kitchen, he looked at it and said that it was second-grade MDF, which is actually used in rough construction work. And the cheapest Chinese film is glued to the surface in makeshift conditions using the simplest wood glue. It is already drying out, so the coating swells and the decor wears off. He advised us to remove and throw away the facades, and instead order new ones, but from a good manufacturer. I really regret that I decided to save money, but actually threw money away.

Evgenia Korolevskaya, Voronezh

When I bought a new apartment, I decided that I would furnish it with furniture ordered according to my taste and my own sketches. I am a decorative artist by profession, so I know how to work with form and color. I paid special attention to kitchen furniture. I am a woman after all, the kitchen is my kingdom.

I wanted simple fronts in a sky blue shade with a matte surface. I intended to subsequently apply a large-scale drawing on them using airbrush technique. The manager listened to me and advised me to equip the cabinets and pencil cases with doors made of enamel-coated MDF. I liked the idea, because on the samples the coating turned out to be perfectly smooth, without embossing or roughness. Just what I needed for my idea, and besides, MDF can easily withstand up to 7 layers of paint.

As a result, after 3 weeks I became the owner of neat, ergonomic kitchen furniture. Not a single sharp corner, no sharp transitions - everything is smooth, rounded, as if flowing. The job was completed by airbrushing under the sea. Only the glass looked somewhat simple, I easily removed it myself and decorated it using the fusing technique - it turned out incredibly rich and stylish. Still, MDF is a very successful material; it is almost impossible to achieve such an effect from chipboard or wood.

Andrey Samoilov, Lipetsk

We decided to update the decor in the house and started with the kitchen. We visited several stores and really liked the furniture with veneered MDF fronts. Natural wood looks very rich, and costs almost half as much as products made from good quality solid wood. Moreover, you can choose any veneer, be it wenge, mahogany, or ordinary oak.

We ordered the kitchen according to our measurements. For the facades we chose reddish-burgundy cherry veneer on an MDF board.

When assembled, the furniture turned out to be even more luxurious than at the exhibition stand, but after six months of use, one unpleasant defect emerged. Under the influence of steam, the fronts of the cabinets that were close to the stove and sink began to delaminate. We called the manufacturer, explained the problem, and they advised us to buy regular wood glue and glue the veneer. And to avoid a recurrence of the problem in the future, purchase U-shaped end caps and install them on all facades.

Which ones should you choose?

Each of the facade options proposed above has its own disadvantages and advantages. In general, thanks to modern production technologies, they all work perfectly in the kitchen, but there are nuances. For example, painted facades, unlike film ones, cannot have a wood structure or pattern, but we have the opportunity to give them absolutely any color. The disadvantage of plastic facades is that milling cannot be done on such facades. At the same time, there is a definite plus: they can withstand temperatures up to 240 degrees Celsius (according to some experiments, even more).

Solid wood facades are a very individual product that is not suitable for everyone. Firstly, they are quite expensive compared to all other options. Secondly, they require proper conscious care. But with good care they will last in the kitchen for up to 50 years, and possibly longer.

ADVANTAGES of acrylic facades for the kitchen

LET'S START WITH A CLARIFICATION:

All the described advantages of an acrylic kitchen are relevant ONLY for QUALITY furniture polymer

(low-grade products have a completely different story)…

Saturation of deep color + ultra-gloss of a smooth surface, confidently “bypassing” painted facades and plastic analogues (analysis of the differences between plastic and acrylic here).
Resistance to UV radiation penetrating the window lasts for over 10 years (guaranteed that there will be no fading during this time).
No fear of moisture, mold (does not rot), sharp objects, solvents and liquid cleaning chemicals.
Resistance to mechanical and loads without surface deformation (you can place household appliances and heavy dishes).
Possibility of creating radius parts for bold designer sets.

An important characteristic of the polymer material is NON-TOXIC - exposure to high temperatures will not cause the appearance of strong odors or harmful fumes.

Pros and cons of acrylic

So, which is better, acrylic or plastic?

Acrylic is one of the newfangled materials, the demand for which is growing every day. This is a durable coating, 1 mm thick, with a glossy texture. Other advantages of an acrylic kitchen are as follows:

The material retains its performance properties even after many years of service.
Easy to care for. To remove dirt from the acrylic surface, simply use a soft cloth soaked in warm, soapy water.
Possibility of restoring smoothness and shine by polishing. Even if scratches appear on the acrylic surface, they can be removed by polishing.
Acrylic kitchens are highly resistant to high humidity.
Environmentally friendly and completely safe for health.

However, this material also has some disadvantages. The disadvantages of an acrylic kitchen are not so numerous. For example, curved facades or facades decorated with decorative milling cannot be created from acrylic. And because of the gloss, on which any dirt is clearly visible, you will have to do additional cleaning to remove greasy stains and droplets (after almost every cooking).

Comparative analysis

Furniture facades MDF PVC and facades coated with paint have certain features that it is advisable to analyze and compare in order to make the right choice. Let's make a comparison:

Film is cheaper than paint. Consequently, film-coated facades will cost less.
The film is more resistant to mechanical stress. It is not as easy to scratch as it seems. It can withstand relatively high temperatures. Not afraid of moderate exposure to ultraviolet radiation. A surface coated with paint is easier to damage as a result of mechanical stress.
You can clean the film surface without paying special attention to the choice of cleaning product. A painted façade can only be cleaned of dirt using special products.
MDF PVC kitchen facades are somewhat less moisture resistant. Read the rules for using facades!
When covering a facade with enamel, you can combine colors and create different effects. When using film, this is more difficult to do.

Here are just a few comparisons that already show that paint and film are completely different coatings with different properties.

Film is more practical and costs less. Therefore, you need to proceed from what is more important for a person who wants to purchase a kitchen with MDF facades. To dispel doubts about the quality of film facades, we wrote an article MDF facades: myths and misconceptions!

MDF White wood + gold patina

Kitchen facade patina silver

MDF facade with “Wave” milling

MDF film facade patina

Plastic

Another solution that is often used in modern kitchens is covering the facades with plastic. The environment in which it has to be does not allow making the kitchen completely plastic, so only the covering is done.

There are two technologies that are used to create facades covered with plastic:

The plastic is glued to the chipboard.
Plastic is glued to MDF.

There are several ways to process ends:

PVC or acrylic edge, you can make the ends a different color than the main plane;
aluminum profile edging;
postforming - obtaining ends without seams.

Advantages

resistance to damp environments;
long service life;
resistance to chemically active household products;
wide range of color solutions;
resistance to ultraviolet radiation.

Flaws

The matte surface does not wash well, and over time the aesthetic properties deteriorate;
the back side, as a rule, is white, which causes a fairly rapid deterioration in the appearance of this part of the facade;
During production by cold pressing, geometric distortions occur;
Fingerprints remain on the coating, which affects visual perception.

Which ones should you choose?

CONS of acrylic kitchen facades

Uniform surface without patterns or woody colors.
A small palette of choice - 21 glossy and 7 matte colors.
Resistance to increased scratches is lower than that of equivalently priced HPL plastic.
SUPER GLOSSY. Judging by the reviews of owners of acrylic kitchens, some consider the perfect gloss to be a plus, while others consider the dazzling shine of its solar reflections to be a minus. If you don't want to give up acrylic beauty. We recommend complementing the interior with curtains or roller blinds, or... Order furniture made from super-matte nano-plastic FENIX NTM.

It is not a shortcoming, but a feature of acrylic that our company abandoned the production of glass facades (showcases).

Using the trial method, we realized that high-quality processing of the inner side of the ends with an edge is impossible. And the use of chrome beads on expensive acrylic material reduces the cost of the set as a whole.

Summarizing the pros and cons of an acrylic kitchen

The pros of an acrylic kitchen outweigh the cons. But this is our opinion. Let us remind you that practicality and functionality, external beauty and stunning characteristics can fill your home with a new style. And the disadvantages of a limited range of colors should not prevent this!