Choose what's best: MDF or chipboard for kitchen

The first thing that is taken into account when choosing furniture for the kitchen is its functionality. But no less important is the attractive look. Yes, you need to consider the price of furniture. Many people want to get quality and beautiful furniture for little money. But what is better: MDF or chipboard for the kitchen?

Material for the facade of the kitchen

Materials for the arrangement are as follows:

• Chipboard;
• MDF;
• tree;
• Framework;
• aluminum profile.

If everything is clear with wood or aluminum, then the abbreviations of MDF and MDF for many cause questions. These materials are widely used in modern furniture production.

The creation of materials such as chipboard and MDF, allows you to develop a wide range of products for the house, including for the kitchen. Which is better: MDF or chipboard?

For the kitchen it is necessary that the furniture withstand temperature fluctuations and high humidity. The doors of the cabinets are constantly subject to mechanical influence, they are opened with wet hands. Therefore, the facade of the kitchen set is usually made of MDF, and the side walls and shelves are made of chipboard. This is due to the peculiarities of the materials.

What is chipboard and MDF

Laminated chipboard is a laminated chipboard. It is obtained by pressing sawdust. But first they are treated with formaldehyde resin. Then it is laminated - covered with a paper film impregnated with melamine resin. Waterproof slab LDPE make paraffin or its emulsion.

The predecessor of the particleboard appeared in the 40s of the last century. For its finishing use not only lamination, but also plastic, veneer, acrylic and even artificial stone.

MDF is a fiberboard produced by pressing dried chips. Before this, paraffin is added to it. They make the material durable. The sawdust used for the production of MDF is very small. Therefore, the product obtained from it is much stronger and denser. Resin harmful to humans, in such products is not so much. There was such a plate in the 60s of last century.

So is it better, MDF or chipboard for the kitchen?

Advantages of waterproof chipboard

Perhaps its main advantage is the low cost of chipboard. The price of the sheet ranges from 220 to 400 rubles. It depends on the thickness, which can be from 8 to 25 millimeters.

Products made of this material are well tolerated by humidity and high temperatures, which are often found in the kitchen furniture from chipboard.

The price depends also on the type of decor.

The color range of products from the LDPS is quite wide. Often it repeats the colors of wood of different breeds.

Disadvantages of chipboard

Firstly, it is rigidity, because of which it can not be milled.

Due to the presence of different resins, the chipboard is classified as toxic material. This indicator depends on what kind of resin was used in its manufacture. The least harmful substances are in plates of class E1.

Nevertheless, even countertops are made from chipboard. The chipboard is coated with HPL plastic, which is also called a laminate, using postforming technology. Particular attention is paid to the quality of the seams. If it is bad, the moisture gets to the sawdust, the board tops swells and loses all its qualities. The worktops of the chipboard are often not very high-quality.

Advantages of MDF

The material is easy to handle with milling tools. It turns out a patterned relief surface.

A PVC film of various colors can give furniture a modern and stylish look. She is not afraid of the effects of acids and household chemicals. Applied for the decoration of furniture various enamels.

MDF products are fireproof. They do not swell from moisture. We can say that the material is much closer to wood than its chipboard. The surface of the kitchen MDF (gloss) is beautiful and original. The use of special effects (mother-of-pearl, chameleon) makes it possible to get beautiful and original products. And if we take into account the availability of various colors, then the manufacturers have wide opportunities to create beautiful and original products for the kitchen.

Disadvantages of MDF

A higher price than for products made from chipboard.

The coating can peel off at temperatures above 75 degrees.

Frame facades

Frame facades are applied. Frame made of MDF profile is complemented by inserts of chipboard, metal, glass. The frame is finished with PVC foil or veneer. Their advantage is the low price and the ability to create a large number of different design options.

Disadvantages - short-lived, difficult to care for. The frames are sometimes loosely connected, which leads to the shakiness of the product.

End face machining

The method of postforming is that the paper-laminated plastic is already bent at two ends. The others are treated with a decorative edge after the size is trimmed.

More often, all four ends are treated with PVC, acrylic or aluminum rim. The color of the fringing can contrast with the color of the furniture.

The method of softforming consists in processing the edges of the workpiece with milling cutters with a rounding outward. The decorative film is glued at the cutting edge.

MDF with enamel

Very effective products can be obtained by decorating the products from MDF with enamel of different colors. First, the surface is primed, painted, dried, and ground. A subsequent layer is applied, then a few more.

After processing the last layer, the surface is varnished. After drying, polish again.

The advantage is a beautiful view, the disadvantage is that it is expensive compared to a plastic or film coating. Such furniture can fade in the sun, on it there are traces of fingers. The back of the doors is usually white. In addition, from mechanical shocks there are chips that can not be repaired.

What's better

So it's better: MDF or chipboard? For the kitchen, it would be nice from MDF to produce all the furniture, and not just the facades? Yes, it would be stronger. But much more expensive. Therefore, this type of equipment is more often used.

MDF has a higher density. This will not only prolong the life of the products, but also allow them to decorate them with various carved patterns and decorative ornaments.

The furniture created in this way has a beautiful appearance, the facade does not lend itself to destruction. Of course, this furniture is not as durable as a wooden one, but with normal care it will serve the owners faithfully for a couple of decades. And during this time, probably, new technologies will be created, allowing to produce more high-quality furniture. The kitchen from the MDF reviews collects different. Basically, consumers like the look, but does not like the quality of the countertop.