What's the reason for all the anti-MDF?

[cinderspritzer]

The only house I have previously built was wood. The houses I'm working on now are wood. I have no experience with MDF, though I've read a lot about it- including a lot of comments that seemed very negative. Is there a reason most people don't seem to like it? Is it a sensory thing or hard to work with or....?



My newbie-ness is readily apparent right now, I suppose?

[havanaholly]

I have built a roombox kit of MDF and I had no particular issues with it other than it's extremely heavy for its size, BUT I like to bash and the resins holding MDF together will gum up saw blades, the sawdust is at least as toxic as treated plywood (but I can recycle the wood sawdust into wood putty) and apparently there's a trick to getting a smooth paint finish. I have a strong personal preference for wood, although I do NOT like the plywood with some plastic/ fiberglas in the layers.

[Selkie]

Most of the differences are simply personal preferences that folks have. There isn't any right or wrong with either product.

I have both and my preferences are the lighter weight plywood.

The MDF is very, very heavy and just too heavy for me to move around on my own to work on. I have the Alexandria and it's huge and bear in mind that I'm old and have arthritis. I also have some breathing issues and the dust from cutting the MDF bothers me more than regular sawdust does, although that isn't without it's problems.

I do like the smoothness of the MDF though because the wood requires spackle and sanding to achieve a similar smooth surface so that's a trade off the other way.

Some of the fancier gingerbread trims are harder to achieve in MDF and with the laser cut companies doing more of that, it seems that it is all done in wood.

It comes down to what you like for yourself.

[Jane S]

There is also a concern with the toxicity level of MDF, particularly the formaldehyde based resin that they use in its compression. Although there is some play with more non toxic binders already being tested..unknown if used yet.

But these concerns are like all things we dose ourselves with each day. If you are "superbashing" MDF either for a dollhouse or furniture in 1:1, think about the quantity of dust you may be breathing in if you are cutting the wood ...and consider a mask.

Otherwise its not really concern when you start considering that this same version of binder is in your walls and floors and some rugs and clothes...and your lampshades....

Having said all that.. I like my Creatin Contest MDF kit, I have cut it a few times and am quite pleased with its quality :thumb:

JS

[Esther]

For me, it depends on what the house is being used for. I've made several for granddaughters that are MDF because they're sturdier than thin plywood and will last better when handled by toddlers. The houses I've made for myself are mostly plywood.

[jbnmini]

Although I do like MDF in certain instances, it is very heavy and it is a real bugger for installing brads and light fixtures when doing electric!

On the positive side- it is very sturdy for a play house, and as mentioned earlier, creates a nice smooth finish for painting.

[jennymoomeow]

My two cents: I like both and dislike both wood and MDF for different uses. I've noticed that plywood warps in humidity. I've had no issue with MDF ever warping. Yes, MDF is heavier. I've never been concerned with how easy or difficult it is to cut. As for finishing, both have their issues, but if you sand and paint it right you can get great finishes for both.

I suppose I lean toward using MDF for kid houses. They can't pick it up and drop it or knock it over.

Interesting topic, thanks for bringing it up.

[elfprincess]

As I've said before I have a Georgian house (The Dartmouth) which is gorgeous BUT so heavy and large I can't lift it without help. I realised a couple of months after buying it that it didn't 'speak' to me so I thought, no problem! I'll bash it... Noooo. Not MDF! Can't saw it unless you have the strength of He-Man (or She-RA!), dare not breathe-in the sawdust, can't do this, can't do that...

I now avoid MDF houses. On practical grounds.

[havanaholly]

As has been mentioned, they make sturdy houses for young, somewhat destructive children's play, but don't give it one who still likes to chew on things...

[More Minis Dollhouses]

There are many beautiful (as if any dollhouse could ever be ugly) MDF dollhouses and its a good product. The only negatives with it is how heavy they are. The heavier the parts you have to work with, the more difficult the assembly. These dollhouses are also very large. You have to use glue and nails to put them together and the hammering nails at the right places can be a turn off for some. Other than that, there's the warping issue. If MDF warps its basically a wrap for that part and you'll need to get a replacement but Real Good Toys is great at handling those issues. So MDF is not at bad. Its sturdy and the assemblies are easy, even for beginners. Its just a matter of personal preference.

[pats]

I agree with Jackie: getting electrical brads and eyelets into mdf is very difficult.

[WyckedWood]

I dislike it intensely...but if you find a house you want or are given a house made of mdf, then you can find a way to live with it and work with it.

[elfprincess]

When my Corona Willow first arrived, its sheer size made me tremble. Then I lifted it to take it upstairs. What a surprise! So light, compared to my Dartmouth. My Worthington, likewise, is made of light ply but has been assembled on a solid, very heavy base - and is so BIG all over that I will always need help to lift it. Had either house been made of MDF, I dread to think how heavy they'd be.

[moonberry]

If shipping costs are an issue for you - watch out for MDF.

I am very sad about the contest Garage kit that arrived this afternoon. It is SUPER heavy.

I knew it was heavier than the Greenleaf kits, but I had to fork out a whopping $97 shipping to get the $29 kit to Dubai (plus the shipping in the USA to my NY address) - way out of proportion to the size house you end up with.

I ordered this one for my Emirati friend (who prefers working with thicker wood kits). I was going to order mine at the end of the month, but I think it is just too expensive and I may have to skip the contest.

I really hope the Spring Fling contest is announced soon. At least it will have a lighter kit to work with and will be cheaper to ship over to me.

[Roxxie2]

I liked my nice sturdy MDF houses. I am a klutz and they aren't as fragile as wood houses. They don't require as much preparation and have a lot fewer pieces. If you like to "bash" houses they would be more difficult to work on and they are very heavy. I am loving my Orchid because I can move it around without breaking my back!

[cinderspritzer]

My contest garage kit arrived today. I didn't think about MDF when I decided to buy it, so I guess this will be the telling factor in whether or not I ever do another one in MDF.

[havanaholly]

The grand roombox I did for an HBS contest one year was enough mdf to last me!

[Caseymini]

I did an mdf townhouse a couple years ago. That was enough for me. No putting extra windows in it, let alone other bashing. And I just plain can't move it more than a couple of inches by myself! Back to Greenleaf for me.

[Gee]

My house is made of MDF, and so glad with it .No kid running around and accidentally bumping into my house can do major damage.

Bought it as an already assembled house but made some changes to it.

Doing so I found the sturdiness a big pro.

I've cut out and added on some pieces without any problems.

However, as mentioned before, I strongly recommend to use primer/undercoat and paint to close in any fumes when the house is assembled.

I use round wire for lighting and have put my house on a tv table with wheels underneath so it moves around easily.

just my 2 cents.

[Just One More]

My largest house is MDF. There is no way I could lift it without help. Other than the weight, I like how smooth the interior is so just priming it before wallpapering is so easy. The paper goes on so smoothly with no grain showing through. I have just used water based stain on all the floors in my MDF houses and they look as nice as wood. One exception is a MDF house that had scored floors and they were a yellowish color. Painting them was a pain because of the grooves but I eventually got them to look OK. I don't wire my houses so no problems there.

[Deb]

I've built both and even tho the mdf houses came out nice, they're the only ones in my personal collection that I got rid of when it came time to move because I decided that they were just too heavy for me to handle anymore. I kept the Conservatory which is our mini museum but the others went to the VA donation center. And while I think that most mdf kits are gorgeous, my personal preference as a collector is more about the delicate appearance that you can only get with plywood. It seems more in scale and more realistic to me. There are a lot of mdf kits that have upgraded accessories like rounded banisters, stair railings, and windows which I love, but I'd rather get a plywood house and add the upgraded accessories myself.

As a builder, plywood is definitely my thing. I like to bash and so far there hasn't been anything I can't do with a plywood house so the end results are more satisfying to me. The building process is also more enjoyable because I turn houses on their heads, spin them around, and toss them up in the air if that's what it takes to do something fun in a hard to reach spot. I use a lot of power tools but even with their help, plywood is still more agreeable to the things I want to make it do.

The other big thing I love about plywood is working in the smaller scales. I do a lot of half and quarter scale building and mdf just isn't compatible with the smaller scales. Then there's the laser cut aspect which almost eliminates the need to sand and dramatically reduces the chance of warping, so I'm pretty much a 100% plywood kind of girl.

Deb