How to Paint MDF Furniture and Cabinets

Hello, my friend, hello again; today we come together to talk about How to Paint MDF Furniture and Cabinets and hope the blog can help you.

Want to give your IKEA furniture or cabinets a refresh? This guide will show you how to paint MDF and give them a whole new look.

Medium-density fiberboard (MDF) is commonly used in furniture and home construction these days. An inexpensive, engineered wood material, MDF is a composite of sawdust and resins, fused together in a high-heat, high-pressure process. Typically it comes in 4-foot × 8-foot sheets and smaller project-sized boards ranging from 1/4 inch to 1 inch thick, much like boards of plywood.

But unlike plywood, which is manufactured from many thin sheets of wood veneer, MDF is free of the knots, rings, and grain of real wood. The result? A composition that is very easy to cut, and therefore often used for such upscale applications as custom trim work and cabinetry. Plus, its hard, smooth surface takes veneer and paint very well.

Painting MDF requires an understanding of the material, however: It comes from the factory sanded to a 150-grit smoothness, so the face is ready to paint, but the edges are more porous, almost fuzzy, and require some prep for a smooth, uniform finish. The other important thing to know about painting MDF is that the material’s porosity also makes it unsuited to water-based products for the initial coat. Follow the guidelines here for how to paint MDF and your colorful project will turn out great!