A large assortment of building materials facilitated and at the same time complicated the choice of a modern person. For example, many of us have not even heard such a word as MDF. What it is, not everyone knows, and there may be difficulties with decryption. In fact, this abbreviation hides a fiberboard with an average density.
Where is it used?
To begin with, it should be said that its appearance owes to modern advanced technologies, on the basis of which wood-fiber boards were made. There are no synthetic binders in MDF; instead, lignin, already contained in wood, is used. And this suggests that such a material as MDF is environmentally friendly and safe for human health, that it is such a unique coating with which it is possible to clad walls and other surfaces. In the production process, the material becomes:
- resistant to burning and temperature changes;
- durable;
- water resistant.
It is also important that MDF is produced on high-tech equipment, so its surface can be easily processed. In addition, it is possible to release material in any form, even the most unusual. Staining, laminating, varnishing or enameling - all of these operations can be subjected to MDF. What is it and what are the distinctive features of the material, we figured out.
Wall covering
Decorating an apartment or a country house with MDF panels for walls has long been not uncommon. Such popularity is explained by the fact that the material is easy to assemble, and therefore you can even perform the installation yourself. A huge selection of colors and textures will allow you to choose a design for any style of interior design. The panels are mounted directly to the guides, which are attached to the wall in advance.
Before installing the profiles, you should process the walls using special compounds - this will protect them from the effects of fungus, microorganisms and moisture. The profiles should be tightly adjacent to each other so that there are no gaps between them. In order for the resulting array to look aesthetically pleasing and organic, you need to use various corners and decorative trims that are attached with brackets or glue. Do not forget about the ventilation between the wall and the panels.
How to get MDF?
The production of material is carried out in several stages. First, raw materials are harvested (most often this is an ordinary forest). The logs are cleaned of bark, cut into small chips, a mass is obtained, which must be disposed of from garbage, sand and steamed. After steaming, the chips are crushed, binding resins are added to it. The mass is sent to the dryer, after which air is removed from it. Already on the forming machine receive wood fiber (the so-called fiber). Using a forming machine, the mass is squeezed into the carpet, under the influence of the press, the remaining air is squeezed out of it.
The most important stage of production is MDF pressing. What it is? This is a process when a fiberglass carpet is finally pressed, after which it is cut and cooled. To give an aesthetic appearance, the resulting panels are polished, the thickness of the sheets is leveled, defects are removed. To get MDF boards, you need to use wood chips, urea-formaldehyde resin, ammonium chloride and paraffin. Material can only be stored in packaged form and in a room in which the humidity level is not higher than 70% and the temperature is a maximum of 25 ° C.