Surely, everyone during the repair, renovation of the interior of an apartment or house came across the question of which interior door to choose. Not everyone knows what it is - MDF doors?
The buyer certainly wants the door leaf to be distinguished by wear resistance and a beautiful appearance, be affordable and of high quality. Modern manufacturers offer a wide range of doors from various materials for every taste, color and wallet. One of the most sought after are structures made of MDF.
Material Description
MDF is an abbreviation of the English words Medium Dencity Fiberboard, which translates as “medium density fiberboard”. Or you can decrypt MDF as a "finely divided fraction." It is made from crushed to powder state sawdust by pressing. Sawdust is glued together with a special composition under pressure and high temperature.
Use of a cloth from this material:
- door production;
- furniture manufacturing;
- like a panel of MDF on an iron door;
- arrangement of design solutions and decorative materials.
The breadth of application is due to the excellent qualities of the material, allowing easy and quick processing of the product, and guaranteed long life.
Benefits
Like any other material, MDF has its positive and negative sides. As pluses it is worth noting:
- Does not change shape under the influence of high and low temperatures. This property is extremely useful in local climates. It often happens that in the spring, after the heating is turned off, microcracks form in the dried-up wooden doors, through which the cloth collects moisture and swells, as a result of which the doors do not close at all or only with the use of force. Since MDF is not exposed to temperature extremes, such problems are not a problem for doors based on this material.
- Eco-friendly and safe. MDF boards consist of wood sawdust and paraffin - these components are environmentally friendly and do not harm health. Therefore, the material is chosen by people with allergies, families with children for arranging housing and ordering furniture with sliding doors from MDF.
- Price-quality ratio". Doors made of MDF are characterized by good characteristics, they are attractive in appearance, the price range for products varies in average terms, while an array of wood has a high cost.
- Durability. The material is quite resistant to any mechanical stress, scuffs, scratches and so on.
- Insulation characteristics. Despite the relatively small thickness, the canvas is distinguished by high soundproof performance and well retains heat in the room.
disadvantages
Now it’s clear what it is - MDF doors. Consider the disadvantages of the product:
- The material absorbs moisture and swells. It is because of this shortcoming that buyers sometimes refuse to buy a door and install it in the bathroom. In defense of the material, it is worth noting that a quality canvas has a moisture resistance index of 60%. In addition, a good door is treated along the perimeter with wax or paraffin, so that the moisture access to the MDF is limited.
- Fragility. Some door models require only MDF paneling, while inside they are hollow, so they can be easily broken with a few powerful blows of the hand. The paneled and drawer door options are a one-piece design; the strength of the web is ensured by the pine timber inside.
Canvas structure
MDF interior doors (photos are presented in the article) have four main components:
- canvas frame;
- external coating;
- glass elements;
- overlays.
The basis of the door is the frame and the outer coating, glass elements and linings are additions and may be absent. The most popular are panel and paneled doors.
The panel model is a one-piece canvas with decorative inserts. It consists of a frame, an internal filler and a coating.
Panel doors are stronger and more expensive than panel doors, since their interior is filled with horizontally or vertically wooden inserts.
Coating: veneer, film
The quality of the canvas and its cost largely depend on the external coating. Most buyers believe that it carries an exclusively decorative function, but this is not entirely true. The wear resistance of the web, its moisture resistance, resistance to mechanical stress, fading, abrasion and other external influences depend on the coating.
Having considered what it is - MDF doors, let us dwell on the difference between veneer or film coatings:
- Natural veneer is one of the most expensive facing materials, since it consists of 100% natural material and can completely replace wood. For the manufacture of door coverings, the thinnest wood cut is removed, on which the textured pattern is saved. Then, with the help of an adhesive base, it is applied to the canvas and covered with a protective layer.
- The eco-veneer is also made of wood, but differs in lower cost. This is due to the fact that during production thin longitudinal sections are removed from the tree, glued under the press, and only then is the cross section necessary for covering the canvas made.
- Film. One of the main advantages of PVC film is the ability to give the door any color and decorative pattern. The canvas is installed in a special chamber, where a film is applied under the influence of pressure and temperature. It has the best moisture resistance and low cost, but has less resistance to mechanical stress.
Types of coating: laminate, enamel, varnish
Doors to the apartment from MDF can be covered with such materials:
- Laminate has characteristics similar to film and consists of two layers. The first is decorative, the second is protective. A better coating in the composition has a substance called melamine, thanks to which the finish is durable and wear-resistant.
- Enamel. In a modern interior, enameled doors are very often used. It is applied to the canvas in several layers and finally secured with a protective coating.
- Varnish is the final layer that protects the inside and the outside from wear and tear. In addition, it serves as the finishing touch for the production of the door and makes it more attractive.
How to choose a quality door?
The cost of an MDF door depends on its quality. It takes into account the thickness of the door leaf, coating, filling and other indicators.
Tips for choosing:
- The edge along the perimeter of the product should fit snugly to the canvas.
- The door cover must be made of quality material.
- It is good if the manufacturer gives a guarantee on their products.
- In addition to the door leaf, it is worth inspecting its components. If they have sealing gum, sills and professionally made, then quality is in the first place for the manufacturer.
- There should not be chips, dents, scratches or bubbles on the canvas.
Often, buyers choose white MDF doors. This decision is explained by the fact that the canvas is conveniently painted and given the necessary design.
Necessary installation tools
When a person has figured out what it is - MDF doors, and plans to install a house structure, you need to have the necessary equipment at hand:
- Saw.
- Building level.
- Chisel.
- Screwdriver.
- Hammer drill.
- Roulette.
- Hammer.
- Knife.
- Rectangle (ruler).
- Self-tapping screws.
- Pencil.
DIY installation
You can save time and money if you install the door yourself. This work is not the most difficult and can be done by a man who knows how to handle tools.
Installation of doors from MDF is carried out in several stages:
- First of all, a box is assembled on a flat horizontal surface. Two bars are installed in the lower part of the door and on top of it, which, as a rule, are included.
- A small gap of 3-5 mm wide should remain between the timber and the door leaf. The upper beam is cut off at an angle of 90 °, and then proceed to fit the upper bar. Measure its length, drill holes from the sides, later the right and left timber will be screwed into them later.
- Then try the bottom of the box to the floor. A beam of the same size as the upper bar is sawed off. Holes are drilled in the floor, into which the threshold will be fixed with the help of self-tapping screws.
- The next stage is marking the place where the door hinges will be attached. Professional installers recommend stepping back from the threshold 20 cm up and from the upper bar 20 cm down. Recesses are made with a chisel to “drown” the loops. In the extensions pre-drill holes for screws. Then the loops are screwed.
- Since there are three types of door hinges: right, left, and double, respectively, during installation, the direction of opening the door is taken into account. The interior partition suggests the presence of two loops, before which they are marked on it with a knife around the perimeter of the loop.
- Chisels are hollowed out holes under them. Fasten the hinges to the door leaf with screws. Now you can proceed with the installation of the entire box, it is installed in the doorway and fixed. During installation, wedges are inserted every 50 cm.
- Next, install the door, while the vertical lines are checked using a building plumb line. Having adjusted the door, they begin to fill the cracks and voids with foam. When it dries, the excess is cut with a sharp knife and proceed to frame the platbands.
- The final stage is coating the door leaf with a clear varnish. This is an optional process; it is performed as desired. In order not to spoil the door, paint it carefully and without rushing. It is best to cover with two layers, each of which should be thin and without smudges, otherwise there is a possibility of swelling of the canvas.
Reviews
Buyers note such positive aspects of using MDF doors:
- relatively low cost;
- it is worth buying MDF doors from a high price segment, only in this case you can count on quality goods;
- attractive appearance;
- light weight;
- metal doors can be restored, MDF copes with this task.
Negative reviews note the following:
- low sound insulation, because the doors are hollow inside;
- the canvas changes shape after installation in the bathroom, which is due to increased humidity in this part of the home.
MDF doors will perfectly fit into any interior solution, will last a long time and at the same time retain their original appearance, save the family budget.