Apron for kitchen from MDF panels: advantages, installation method

It's nice when in the kitchen all the interior elements are combined with each other, and the design is delighted not only by the owner of the house, but also by the guests. One such link in the interior is the kitchen apron, which can be made of MDF. Such glossy panels can be attached to the wall in several ways, but not all types of paint can be tolerated. See also options for kitchen aprons from tiles, glass, plastic.

What is MDF?

The abbreviation MDF does not fully reveal the essence of this building material. The abbreviation is literally translated from the English meaning of MDF. In fact, MDF products are medium density fiberboards. Based on the decryption, it is more logical to call these products DPSP. However, this name did not take root among the Russian-speaking population. Read more…

The basis for MDF boards is small chips, which are processed under the influence of high temperature, and then compressed under pressure. The binding component for these products is eco-friendly lignin. In the normal state, it is safe and harmless to health.

The advantages of an apron for the kitchen from glossy wall MDF panels

The undoubted advantage of MDF products is its low cost. In addition, you can order an apron in almost any company that is associated with the production of furniture. And since the pressed small chips are easily amenable to decorative processing, then a private specialist, having the necessary equipment for cutting, it is able to create an apron from MDF cloth with an individual by design. Moreover, the properties of the MDF material allow you to perform sheet processing with smooth transitions and lines.

In addition to curly cutting, MDF material can be painted with almost any paint. Although there are limitations in the choice, a correctly selected and applied layer will not depart from the panel. The property of wall MDF products is that the paint is not absorbed in them, but at the same time provides a strong adhesion between the plate and the decorative layer.

disadvantages

The paint applied to the apron holds well and does not peel off. However, applying a decorative layer can be far from all types of paint. High susceptibility to alkali reagents has imposed a restriction on the use of nitro-paint, as well as finishing materials containing aggressive chemical elements. Also, MDF products are highly flammable. During combustion, lignin undergoes a chemical reaction. As a result, toxic substances harmful to health are formed.

Another disadvantage of MDF material is its flexibility. If the wall is not properly fixed to the wall, the web can become deformed, which will also lead to peeling of the decorative layer applied to it. But in order to prevent deformation, it is necessary before installation, first of all, to prepare a section of the wall on which the apron will be mounted. That is, eliminate obvious defects and strip the wall so that the connection is fairly tight.

Design and Decor Choice

Observing the basic melted color compatibility, choosing an apron that will fit into the overall style of the kitchen is not a difficult task. For a small room, light colors will play a key role in the interior. A white apron is no exception. After all, the property of white color is to visually increase the room.Black color has two sides of the coin. On the one hand, the dark apron looks spectacular, and on the other, traces of grease and other impurities will be clearly visible on such a canvas. Therefore, for the aesthetics of the entire room, you should constantly monitor the purity of dark-colored products.

Bright photo printing on the panel itself already focuses attention. Therefore, this option will be combined with the interior of the kitchen, made in soothing colors. One of these colors is beige, which will dilute the brightness of a motley apron.

But to a bright and catchy headset, a canvas made of wood, stone or concrete will fit perfectly. Such tones balance the overall background of the room.

If the floor in the kitchen is decorated with wood, then the panel combined with it in texture will look the best.

Measurements and calculation of material

You can find out about the necessary dimensions of the apron, armed with a measuring tape. First of all, the height of the decorative panel is determined. There are several mounting methods that have their own nuances. Learn more

First optiont, it’s the most economical one - installing an apron between the floor and the upper cabinets of the kitchen unit. In this case, the distance between the floor and the bottom of the upper shelves is measured. In this case, a margin of 20–25 cm is taken. The advantage of this method is a large supply of canvas, however, the cost of buying finishing material will increase.

Unlike the first option, measurements taken between the lower and upper parts of the headset will save money. But in order to avoid re-purchase in case of an error during processing, the material is also taken with a margin of 20–25 cm.

Also, the height of the apron depends on the availability of a kitchen hood. The installed appliance may not be in line with the upper cabinets. Therefore, measurements are made so that the decorative panel completely covers all the gaps between the upper and lower modules.

There is another installation method, which is applicable mainly for finished kitchens. Since the installed headset will not allow you to fix the panel under your modules, then in this case the cloth is cut so that its lower part is almost in contact with the cabinets on the floor. And the resulting gap is covered with a plinth with glue or screws. The length of the web is determined by the size of the headset. But the calculations are done with a small allowance of a few centimeters.

Also, subsequent processing of decorative material is influenced by sockets and switches located on the wall. Therefore, before starting installation, markings for holes are pre-applied to the apron. It is in these openings that all the protrusions will be located.

Surface preparation

How securely the panel will be fixed, primarily depends on the integrity of the wall. On an uneven surface, MDF material will not last long. Therefore, the wall is freed from finishing materials, as well as nails and other objects that interfere with the installation. The wall section on which the panel will be mounted should be as even as possible. If on the surface there are obvious defects, then a metal or wooden crate is mounted on it.

After all the preliminary work, the wall is treated with an antiseptic. This procedure is necessary to kill microorganisms.

How to install: installation

There are two ways to fix the apron to the wall: install it with self-tapping screws or liquid nails. The second option is preferable if the hats of the screws are knocked out of the overall design of the kitchen.

Fastening with screws

The method is good in that the panel fixed with self-tapping screws fits snugly against the wall. And this is an important indicator for small kitchens. After all, even the thinnest panel takes up a certain amount of space, and tightly pressed releases even a small, but much-needed space.

To fix the apron, to begin with, future holes are outlined on it. The distance between the marks is:

• along the length of 50-60 cm;
• in height, no more than 15 cm.

Then, holes are drilled in the panel through which marks on the wall are made with a thin pencil. And already in the drilled recesses dowels are inserted, after which the panel is attached with self-tapping screws.

Fixing with liquid nails

The use of liquid nails for attaching a kitchen apron carries a number of undoubted advantages.

Firstly, the installation of the panel can be carried out already with a fitted kitchen set. The use of self-tapping screws will cause a lot of inconvenience during the work.

Secondly, liquid nails are easy to apply. For strong fixation, it is enough to apply vertical or horizontal stripes to the back of the panel at a distance of no more than 30 cm from each other. You can also apply glue in zigzags, the main thing is that the binder composition is distributed evenly.

Installation on wooden battens

If the wall has significant defects, which for some reason there is no way to fix, then the MDF apron can be fixed to wooden battens. In fact, this is a frame that performs two functions: it hides the irregularities of the wall and reliably holds the kitchen apron.

The decorative panel is attached to such a frame using self-tapping screws. And the installed rails should have a cross section of 10 x 40 mm and be located at a distance of 40 cm from each other.

Drywall Wall Mounting

Fastening the panel to drywall is possible only when using special dowels. The use of standard fasteners is unacceptable, since conventional dowels will not be held in drywall.

Video

A distinctive feature of the MDF apron is that its installation is not so complicated. It is only necessary to comply with the rules for performing work with this type of material. The cost of MDF products is low, which allows us to attribute it to the budget option.