Chipboard or MDF - which is better? Review, pros and cons of materials

Natural wood furniture can be unpleasant to impress with its prohibitive cost. Besides this, there are other materials. Many have heard and know about such material as chipboard. There is also MDF furniture. This stuff is less familiar but deserves the attention of the consumer. It remains only to find out which is better, more practical and more beautiful in the kitchen - chipboard or MDF?

Features of laminated chipboard (chipboard)

Chipboard is a well-known chipboard coated with a facing film. The manufacturing technology of such plates has been known for a long time; in the 80s and 90s, chipboard furniture was one of the most demanded.

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Later, obvious shortcomings were identified, which somewhat reduced the popularity of this material. At the same time, a simple chipboard has fewer advantages than its counterpart with a laminated film on top of the board.

Material pluses

Even reputable furniture manufacturing companies release collections from laminated chipboard. Cabinets, tables and cabinets are budget-friendly due to the low cost of the material itself. In addition to the economical price, laminated chipboard also has the following advantages:

• different sheet thickness;
• high hardness;
• the widest choice of color solutions;
• good tolerance to humidity and high temperatures.

Furniture made of laminated chipboard has long established itself. Many are satisfied with the value for money, as well as the long service life and ease of maintenance.

Cons of laminated chipboard

One of the most critical disadvantages of laminated chipboard is toxicity. In the manufacture of this type of chipboard, formaldehyde resins are added to the mixture before pressing, providing adhesion and rigidity.

When buying furniture from laminated chipboard, you should pay attention to the class of material. The E1 indicator indicates a lower toxicity of the components. In this case, it is always worth studying the quality of lamination of joints - they must be pasted over or closed with special corners made of plastic, rubber or metal.

In addition to the toxic effects of poor-quality assembly or damage to the laminating film, there is one more disadvantage. It is not so significant, for some this drawback does not even matter. Due to the high hardness of the material, it is impossible to create relief patterns on the surface using milling machines. Instead of a beautiful relief, chips will appear on it, so the surface remains simply smooth. It is possible to create a small imitation of the relief structure of wood or stone by using a special plastic film.

MDF characteristics

This is a more environmentally friendly type of material for furniture facades. It contains no chemical resins, and paraffin is used as a fixer. Lignin is also added to this finely dispersed fraction (MDF) of the tree.

The very process of its manufacture takes place under high pressure and at high temperatures. Plates after this pressing method are durable and lightweight.

Advantages of MDF

Unlike laminated chipboard, MDF allows the production of patterned doors for furniture. They are more aesthetically pleasing, and with the appropriate coating, they almost indistinguishable imitate real wood furniture.

Its most important advantage is environmental friendliness. If it were not for the existing disadvantages, then MDF would have outstripped chipboard for a long time in demand, although even now furniture made from finely dispersed slabs enjoys well-deserved popularity.

Disadvantages of MDF

Previously, its disadvantages were attributed to the limited design decisions regarding the number of color solutions. Now this is no longer a categorical disadvantage - the variety of colors is growing, only slightly yielding to the range of laminated chipboard.

There are only 2 drawbacks left:

1. High price.
2. Risk of coating delamination.

Compared to natural wood furniture, MDF is cheaper, but laminated chipboard is even more economical in cost. At the same time, the price is not a disadvantage for someone. All that remains is the risk of the coating peeling off at high temperatures. Enough 75 degrees Celsius for the coating to move away from the stove. This does not always happen, but only in cases of technological voids in the place of heating.

What's the best for kitchen furniture? How are such materials different?

At first glance, it is difficult to understand how MDF differs from chipboard. Experienced people can immediately see the difference, but beginners, even after several years of use, cannot guess the difference. The indisputable advantage of the first is its environmental friendliness, which determines the high operational safety, although the cost of the material also dictates its own rules. If you have financial possibilities, it is worth choosing furniture made entirely from MDF for the bedroom and children's room.

The ability of laminated chipboard to withstand high levels of humidity in rooms has made it a frequent companion in bathrooms and kitchens. It is difficult to imagine more suitable inexpensive furniture for these premises. At the same time, at nHigh-quality laminated chipboard joints tend to absorb moisture. In order for such furniture to serve for a long time, you need to carefully examine all the ends of the product. At the same time, this allows you to make sure that the furniture made of chipboard is safe for use.

If the cost of MDF was comparable to the price of laminated chipboard, then the choice is obvious - a finely dispersed fraction of wood. So far this is not the case - laminated chipboard is cheaper than the competitor, which determines its demand among consumers.

Combinability of materials

Many will not be able to determine whether it is chipboard or MDF in appearance. The visual differences between them are understandable only to experienced people. If the product is of a clear rectangular shape without a relief and ends sharpened at an angle, then even professionals who know the difference between MDF and laminated chipboard will not immediately reveal the differences.

Manufacturers often combine both materials in one product. Beautiful carved doors, smooth end parts and aesthetic relief on them are made of MDF. The rest of the furniture is made of laminated chipboard, which can significantly reduce the total cost.

This approach to combining the material allows you to use the aesthetic characteristics of the finely dispersed fraction of wood, without spending a lot of money. From the point of view of operational safety, everything remains the same - chipboard must be protected from chips.

Video: the difference between MDF and chipboard

Also, when using furniture made of combined materials in the kitchen, it is worth remembering that MDF is afraid of high temperatures. Need to PHang wall cabinets correctly to avoid heating them from a nearby stove or hob. This will prevent the coating from peeling off on the finished product.