MDF or chipboard - which is better? Mdf or chipboard: what is better and what are the differences

Common materials from which furniture is made are chipboard. However, there are differences between them in structure, density, they also differ in resistance to moisture, appearance, and a number of other characteristics.

What is better suited: MDF or chipboard material for furniture and which type should you choose for a bedroom, kitchen or other living space?

MDF properties

First, consider the most important properties each material separately. As for MDF, this is a board made from a fine fraction of wood. It is dense, resistant to mechanical stress, the thickness varies from 2 to 60 mm. The name MDF comes from the English abbreviation MDF, which means "medium density wood board".

Note! MDF is absolutely safe for health, does not emit toxic fumes, which is similar to natural wood.

distinctive MDF feature- plasticity and the possibility of processing with cutting, drilling tools. It is easy to make holes, grooves in plates, cut out patterns on the surface, chamfer with a milling cutter. Sheets can be bent, obtaining radius facades. This allows you to make furniture of various configurations.

The surface of the plates can be polished, covered with PVC film, painted with glossy or matte enamel of any color. When pasting natural veneer the material is difficult to distinguish from solid wood, outwardly it is very similar to it, and even surpasses it in strength.

MDF furniture can be installed in rooms with humidity up to 70%. There are also more moisture resistant modifications with special impregnation, plates with fire-resistant properties are produced. Furniture made of this material is great for kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, children's room.

Chipboard properties

Laminated chipboards (LDSP) are characterized by low cost, resistance to temperature extremes and a wide range.

Laminate coating can be made in almost any color and texture, which allows you to choose furniture from chipboard for the interior in any style. It belongs to the economy class, because it has a democratic price.

Furniture made entirely of chipboard has straight lines, looks more concise even with a beautiful image on the film.

It should be noted that on the basis of chipboard they make a durable material lined with plastic, which is called postforming. He goes to the production of countertops. However, this is not chipboard in the usual sense.

Among the disadvantages of laminated particle boards, there is a tendency to form chips on the surface and the impossibility of milling. The latter property makes it impossible to obtain smooth corners and bevels, a relief surface.

Chipboard differs from MDF for the worse also in that it is less resistant to moisture. Although there are also moisture resistant types of panels, their price is much higher.

If part of the laminate has broken off from the chipboard, then the plate can emit harmful fumes. This is also a disadvantage, since one should not forget that formaldehyde glue is used to adhere the chips in the boards. Melamine film can protect against fumes of toxic formaldehyde. This is what lamination is made of. Manufacturers make sure that the film sticks to the surface as firmly as possible, completely covering it. The safety of chipboard largely depends on its quality.

Note! If the question arose of what is better to choose for the bedroom: chipboard or MDF, then you should opt for the second one or prefer the combined option.

However, certified products, which meets European standards (class E1, indicated in official documents), it is quite safe to use in any residential area. It is best to choose (if possible) products made in Austria, Germany. At the same time, it is important to properly care for it, avoiding damage.

General requirements for care and operation

When choosing a place for furniture made of MDF or laminated chipboard in the kitchen, it should be borne in mind that both materials are afraid of temperatures above 75 ℃. When heated, the coating begins to flake off. For this reason, heating devices should not be placed in close proximity to furniture.

If the furniture set is constantly illuminated by the bright sun, then it can simply fade, lose its attractiveness. Chipboard lamination is especially prone to fading.

Strong wetting of the plates is undesirable, although they withstand short-term exposure to water, so they are used for sinks and other kitchen furniture. In this case, much depends on the quality of the material. It is not uncommon for laminated chipboard sheets to become saturated with water, swell, and crumble. Such furniture acquires a terrible appearance, collapses, completely becomes unusable.

The general rules of care are:

• wipe the dust with a dry cloth or special composition for plastic;
• timely remove moisture from the surface with an absorbent sponge;
• do not overload hooks, shelves, so that fasteners do not break out;
• do not use waxes and mastics intended for polished wood.

The last point is worth focusing on. Wood polishes are not suitable for MDF and chipboard. The laminated film can change color under their influence and even peel off. It is also impossible to use acids, alkalis, abrasive substances.

Both types of plates are resistant to pests and mold. In a dry room, they can stand for decades without any additional processing, without collapsing. They make beds, tables, cabinets, chests of drawers, whatnots, shelves, all kinds of cabinets for the kitchen.

External differences of materials

Many are interested in how MDF differs from chipboard in appearance, how to determine them? The difference is clearly visible on the cut. In MDF it is dense, fine-grained, in chipboard or chipboard it is more heterogeneous, rough, chips are visible. On the surface of chipboard without lamination, fibers and chips are clearly visible, while MDF is more uniform.

If we take MDF and chipboard boards of the same size (in terms of area and thickness), then the weight of the chipboard will be less than finely dispersed.

If there is a milled, carved surface on the material, we can definitely say that this is not chipboard, since nothing can be cut on it. You can’t make small parts out of it either, because the material will crumble.

Advantages of MDF over chipboard

So, comparing two types of wood-based boards, we can conclude that, in general, MDF differs from chipboard in better side. Advantages of MDF the following:

• no chips are formed at the edges, in places where screws are twisted;
• differs in high density, durability;
• the material is environmentally friendly;
• more resistant to moisture than laminated chipboard;
• MDF can be bent, milled, therefore, create beautiful shapes, drawings.

Advantages affect the price. Typically, the cost of fibreboard is higher than particle board. If MDF is combined with metal, glass, made according to the original design decision, decorated, then its price increases even more. At the same time, such furniture, whether it is in the kitchen or in the bedroom, requires more careful maintenance.

Combination of materials

In order to somewhat reduce the price of furniture, while maintaining its strength and aesthetic characteristics, manufacturers combine MDF and chipboard or chipboard. Beautiful impact-resistant facades are made from MDF, and chipboard is used for the base of the structure. Fine slabs are extremely rarely used for the frame, since such furniture turns out to be quite expensive and massive. Combined structures are installed in apartments, offices, private houses, public buildings.

Frame facades are very popular, which are made with individual orders. Frames with grooves are cut out of MDF sheets and inserted into them strained glass or a mirror, sometimes they use the same 8 mm thick wood boards, decorated with milling. Wherein color scheme and the configuration can be absolutely anything.

1. Chipboard ( chipboard) - is made from wood chips and sawdust glued together with formaldehyde resins.

The advantage of chipboard is its low cost, good strength- Chipboard perfectly holds screws and nails, water resistance. Among the shortcomings, it is necessary to note the binder of the plate - formaldehyde resins, which do not have the best effect on human health. There are 2 emission classes of formaldehyde resins - E1 and E2. E1 is a more environmentally friendly material, the amount of resins emitted into the atmosphere is much lower than that of class E2 chipboard, so the latter is prohibited in the production of children's furniture.

Almost all economy-class furniture is made from chipboard. When buying furniture, pay attention to whether the seller has certificates of compliance with GOSTs and sanitary and hygienic requirements - this way you will protect yourself from buying furniture with a high resin content, because in certified furniture all indicators are within allowable rate and therefore do not pose a threat to human health.

Chipboard is a very hard material, therefore it does not allow milling and figured processing.

2. LDSP (laminated chipboard) - chipboard finished with a film based on polymers. The film is paper impregnated with melamine resins, so you can often come across such a term as "melamine board". Chipboard can be washed and cleaned - it is moisture resistant. He is also not afraid of high temperatures. Its advantage, in addition to all of the above, is its excellent ability to imitate various textures, most often - imitation of the texture of wood.

3. MDF (from the English Medium Density Fiberboard) is very small sawdust (wood dust) glued together. Larger residues are used in chipboard. The main difference between MDF and chipboard is the binder, MDF contains much less formaldehyde resins. In high-quality MDF, sawdust is glued together with paraffin and lignin (a substance that is part of natural wood). Such production makes MDF absolutely harmless to humans. Unfortunately, the production of plates using this technology is not properly established in the territory of the Russian Federation, which explains its rather high cost.

MDF, compared to chipboard, is more environmentally friendly pure material. MDF is stronger than wood, and, in addition, it is very plastic - it can be milled and curly parts made from it. pay attention to facades MDF They are usually decorative.

4. Fiberboard (Fibreboard) is a well-known hardboard, a thin board that is used as the back panel of cabinets or the bottom of drawers. It is made like MDF from wood dust, but the particles are steamed before pressing. On the surface of fiberboard, a mesh pattern is clearly visible. As a rule, one side of the fiberboard is laminated to match the texture of the entire product, and the second, facing the wall, is left untouched. Main dignity of fiberboard- low cost. This material is indispensable where it really has a place - the cost of a product entirely made, for example, from MDF, will be higher than that with a back panel made of fiberboard. Therefore, in order to significantly reduce the price of furniture, where the design allows it, it is better to use fiberboard.

IMPORTANT: pay attention to the norms of formaldehyde content in cabinet furniture. The Russian standard GOST 10632-89 establishes compliance with class E1, where the formaldehyde content is 10 mg per 100g. dry mass. Norm E2: - up to 30 mg per 100 g. Products that comply with E1 standards are safe for health. In addition, the better the furniture made of chipboard and MDF is processed, the better the edges, the fewer cracks and cracks, the safer the furniture.

5. And finally, a tree or an array of wood. Before proceeding with the manufacture of solid wood furniture, the wood must be dried and processed. by special means, otherwise high humidity and temperature fluctuations, frequent in the kitchen, will inevitably lead to its deformation. Wood is an expensive pleasure, therefore, most often, a cabinet body is made from it, and, for example, veneered chipboard is used as facades - that is, chipboard finished thin sheet wood.

Most often, oak, pine, cherry, beech, walnut wood is used as an array for the production of cabinet furniture. All these materials differ in strength. You should not use "soft" pine for the manufacture of children's furniture or hallways, it is better to prefer harder hardwood materials. Although, pine, of course, has one big plus - low cost.

At wooden furniture there are also disadvantages: the tree is afraid of fire and water, it is easy to damage it, it requires special care. Wood furniture is very heavy.

But, if such a factor as environmental friendliness matters to you, then, of course, solid wood furniture is your choice. The texture of the wood is unique, it exudes warmth, in addition, the wood ozonizes the air, giving it a unique aroma.

Wood is an expensive material. It is significantly more expensive than chipboard and MDF, incl. due to the complexity of production and processing complexity.

MDF and chipboard have been arguing with each other for a very long time. Here it is impossible to say unequivocally from what it is better to order a cabinet and point out the winner and the loser. After all, it all depends on each specific case: goals (what do you want to buy?), destination (what room and who will use it?), budget (the amount that you included in your personal estimate marked “for furniture”?) and, of course same, wishes in appearance (what should the future product look like?).

Both materials have long been successfully used in construction and interior decoration. We are interested in their procession through the furniture market.

Mr.Doors uses both MDF and chipboard in its collections, giving you the opportunity to decide which material to choose. But you don't have to choose! They are perfectly combined and combined with each other. Let's talk about their differences below.

MDF

MDF - Medium Density Fibreboard. This is the Russian version of the English term. Transliteration sounds like " fibreboard medium density. MDF production is structured as follows: fine wood chips (technological chips) are pressed under the action of high pressure and temperature. As a binder, only natural substances are used: lingin (wood resin) or paraffin.

Already from the description of the production process, it becomes clear that the main advantage of MDF is environmental friendliness. And indeed it is! During operation, MDF does not emit absolutely any impurities harmful to humans and animals. This is a durable furniture wood material, which, at the same time, has a high density. Thanks to this, the plate securely holds the mounting fittings and the holes do not crumble. MDF is easy to work with. It is possible to make curved facades from it and perform curly milling (panel), which not every material can boast of.

MDF has an amazingly huge number of processing options: PVC films of any color and texture, high-gloss films and enamels, veneer and natural wood finishes. Believe me, it's a lot! Even the most demanding customer will find what he is looking for.

MDF loses chipboard in value, and loses seriously. This can be called its only serious disadvantage. But this is fully justified, since MDF will last you much longer and will look like it was just bought.

Chipboard

Chipboard - chipboard, the raw material for which is sawdust, shavings, dust. Formaldehyde resins act as a binder in the case of chipboard. Chipboard is widely used in furniture and shows its good side. Of course, if it meets high quality standards.

We want to draw your attention to the edge. Chipboard is safe only in one case: if it is qualitatively and seamlessly laminated (covered with a film)! Only under this condition you can sleep peacefully, without fear for your health and the health of your loved ones.

Mr.Doors cannot afford to use materials that are hazardous to health, so our range includes only high-quality E1 class chipboard. This is the standard at which formaldehyde emissions are the lowest. Chipboard class E1 is recommended for use in the manufacture of furniture for children's institutions.

Chipboard, as a rule, has a laminate finish. There are a lot of colors and textures too. The main thing competitive advantage Chipboard as a material - its cost. At the same time, it looks more than presentable.

MDF or chipboard. What to choose when we go to order furniture?

Of course, you need to measure your desires with your capabilities. There can be no unequivocal advice here. To go to the salon you need to thoroughly prepare: make at least an approximate measurement of the room; decide on the number of items that you plan to purchase; browse the internet for pictures finished interiors(there are now a great many); designate the amount you plan to meet and come to the nearest furniture store Mr.Doors at a convenient time for you.

Our experienced specialists will be happy to show you all the materials and components that we use to create furniture and tell you about the latest novelties in the world of furniture fashion. You can touch everything, open / close, become a participant in the design of your future little cozy world.

MDF or chipboard. What is best for the kitchen?

The kitchen is without a doubt the most important room in the house. It is where the most significant events of our lives take place. With all this, for furniture it is not the best place. Judge for yourself: water, heat, greasy dust, hot steam and cleaning products are quite an aggressive environment.

The frame of kitchen furniture, as a rule, is made of chipboard. This is due to the fact that the entire impact is taken by the facades. They get all of the above.

If you are for durability, then for the kitchen, you definitely need to choose MDF. It is highly moisture resistant, fireproof and easy to clean. You will be offered a rich selection of colors and finishes, however, it will cost more.

If you are short of money, then choose chipboard. With careful use and careful care, it will also serve you faithfully. Do not forget to pay attention to the edge and inquire about which class of chipboard belongs to.

MDF or chipboard. What is best for children?

When choosing a nursery, of course, we are concerned about the safety and environmental friendliness of future furniture. Of course, much depends on the nature of the child and on the period for which you purchase furniture. For a long time or, for example, until the moment when the child goes to gnaw at the granite of science.

If you have a hooligan boy growing up, conducting experiments on everything where the eye falls, then your option is MDF. And if you have a gentle and neat excellent student, then you may well make a choice in favor of chipboard.

Visit any of our Mr.Doors furniture showrooms with your children! We guarantee that you will experience a lot of positive emotions and get an answer to every question you have! You will be pleased with the professionalism, willingness to help, individual approach and high quality service.

The choice of furniture is a special process. It is necessary not only to successfully fit it into the interior, but also to take care of the quality: the durability and environmental friendliness of the material, its strength. This statement is especially relevant for kitchen furniture: temperature changes, high humidity… In addition, most families are used to having breakfast and dinner in the kitchen, and women often spend the lion's share of their free time there.

Natural wood furniture is rightfully considered an ideal option for the kitchen. However, these headsets are quite expensive. Therefore, two types of material are offered as an alternative to them: laminated chipboard (LDSP) and medium density fibreboard (MDF). It doesn't matter if you want to make a kitchen to order or buy a ready-made set - you should familiarize yourself with the advantages and disadvantages of each material.

Let's try to figure out which furniture is better for the kitchen - from MDF or chipboard?

Main characteristics

As already mentioned, kitchen furniture is constantly exposed to negative impacts: temperature changes, moisture, the use of aggressive detergents for greater hygiene.

In addition, kitchen furniture often comes into contact with food. So, it should not contain harmful and toxic components.

In addition, kitchen furniture must be durable: slipped off cutting board a knife, a hot frying pan placed on a curbstone due to forgetfulness ... There can be many factors.

Well, of course, do not forget about the cost: it makes no sense to look for an analogue natural wood if you win nothing in price. In addition, I want even the most economical option looked nice and classy.

Let's try to use a table for clarity:

Parameter	MDF	chipboard
Environmental friendliness	Environmentally friendly material that does not contain harmful impurities.	Contains toxic element- formaldehyde. Therefore, laminated chipboard materials are divided into two quality categories: the first and second. If the first can be conditionally called environmentally friendly, the second is not recommended for use in kitchen furniture.
Density	Soft material that requires gentle handling. However, the disadvantage is also an advantage: the pliability of the material allows you to give it any shape, which greatly expands the range of MDF kitchen furniture.	Harder than MDF, chipboard performs better in kitchen environments. However, the complexity of processing significantly limits the lineup such furniture.
Price	Significantly outperforms analogs in price.	The price is more affordable, but you should not buy the cheapest options: it is possible that chipboard of the second category was used for this furniture.
Appearance	Fairly limited to standard layouts.	Lacquer coating allows you to imitate wood, stone or any abstract matter.

Thus, it can be concluded that each material has both advantages and disadvantages. The undoubted advantages of MDF include a wide range of models and the guaranteed absence of harmful impurities in the composition. At the same time, laminated chipboard is distinguished by a variety of design, affordability and durability.

Let's see what are the features of the operation of kitchen furniture of each of the materials.

Caring for MDF and chipboard furniture in the kitchen

Kitchen hygiene - important element health.

Products come into contact with kitchen furniture, and therefore care for it must be extremely thorough. MDF and chipboard behave differently, so you need to carefully study the features of each material:

• Chipboard lamination can be damaged by any active chemical substances. Therefore, when cleaning the kitchen, it is worth using a regular soap solution. This can make it difficult to remove grease drops and other stubborn stains.
• At cleaning MDF you can use any detergents. However, you should avoid harsh abrasives and sponges with a scratchy surface to prevent scratches.

Thus, we can conclude that MDF is much easier to clean and allows you to achieve greater hygiene.

Key Point: Safety in the Kitchen

However, the most an important factor when choosing a material for kitchen furniture, its safety must be taken into account. The kitchen is a place where fire is constantly present, electrical appliances work, water flows.

Therefore, it is impossible to allow soaking and deformation of furniture, its heating, etc. As in the previous paragraphs, MDF and chipboard have their differences.

So, chipboard should never be used for surfaces next to the stove.

Exception: you managed to lay a high-quality thermal insulation between the side panel of the stove and the furniture - this option is acceptable.

Being exposed to constant heat, such furniture emits toxic aldehyde fumes, which are extremely dangerous to the health of people and pets. For the same reason, it is not recommended to install on chipboard panels hot dishes. In addition, lamination may begin to melt, which is not best property will affect appearance furniture and fragrance in the room.

MDF tolerates high temperatures much better. However, the features of the coating require avoiding prolonged wetting. If the cabinet made of MDF is used as a stand for kitchen sink, you need to carefully avoid any leaks and wipe it down after each use.

Final conclusion

Thus, despite the diversity of design and affordable price, furniture made of laminated chipboard is better not to buy for use in the kitchen. An excellent option in other rooms, in the kitchen, due to its toxicity, it becomes simply dangerous.

More expensive, but environmentally friendly MDF is not only much safer, but also easier to operate.

Today on construction market special demand began to enjoy such Construction Materials like chipboard and MDF. What are they? To begin with, chipboard and MDF are chipboard, which is made from small chips.

The material can then be subjected to various types processing and acquire the required type of surface. Both of these products are actively used in the manufacture of furniture, so let's try to figure out which product is considered the best.

Optimal solution

Before deciding on the most best material It is worth considering the pros and cons of each.

In the photo - chipboard and MDF:

Pros and cons of chipboard

Let's start with chipboard and its positive characteristics:

• moisture resistance;
• strength;
• ease of processing;
• securely hold the screws and nails that are used to fasten the structure;
• plates can be painted and glued;
• in certain physical and mechanical qualities they surpass natural wood;
• low cost.

Not without such material and cons:

• the presence of components harmful to health;
• high hardness of the material does not allow for fine processing;
• although the product is characterized by high hardness. For this reason, for decorative finishes kitchen furniture from, however, after grinding, the structure becomes loose.

You can learn about what is better than MDF or chipboard for furniture from this

Pros and cons of MDF

Now consider the advantages of MDF:

• high environmental friendliness;
• the material can resist moisture and temperature changes;
• long service life;
• MDF can be subjected to even the finest machining;
• optimal ratio between hardness and thickness;
• the presented product has a flat, smooth, uniform and dense surface, due to which the external processing of the plates is much easier;
• MDF boasts all the advantages of wood, but the price is much lower and the service life is longer.

You can find out chipboard or mdf which is better for a cabinet by reading

The video tells what is better than MDF or chipboard for furniture:

Choice for the bedroom

For such a room, it remains a very important accessory. For this reason, the choice of the material from which it will be made is a very responsible process.

Today, very often people order furniture for the bedroom from chipboard or MDF, but they still don’t understand which is better. Let's look at chipboard first. The presented product is obtained from chips, which are then treated with a binder, namely formaldehyde resins.

DPS today is very relevant in the manufacture of cabinet furniture, or rather bedroom sets. The main advantages chipboard material can be considered: easy processing, strength, excellent water resistance, the material perfectly holds all fasteners and is not expensive.

bathroom material

To be honest, none of the materials in question are suitable for making furniture in the bathroom. Unless, of course, there is not much choice, then it is best to use an MDF board, which has a laminated surface.

As a rule, such processing is present only on one side. If we consider chipboard plates, then they are generally not suitable for installation in the bathroom. You can, of course, also purchase a laminated product, then only over time the furniture will begin to delaminate and deteriorate, and the furniture set will begin to lose its attractive appearance.

How to install kitchen apron from MDF with your own hands you can find out

There is only one conclusion here: neither MDF nor chipboard are suitable for the bathroom, but for those who choose from these materials, laminated MDF enjoys a great advantage.

What is more harmful

If you choose the material under consideration according to the criterion of environmental friendliness, then MDF is in the winning position. As mentioned several times, in the process chipboard production formaldehyde resins are used. During evaporation, they emit harmful components and thus adversely affect human health. MDF do not imply the use harmful substances, therefore, in terms of environmental friendliness, they can be compared with natural wood.

How furniture is made from two materials

MDF can be amenable to various types of mechanical processing, due to which they are actively involved in the manufacture of facades for cabinet furniture. In this case, CNC machines are used during production. Thanks to this equipment, it is possible to make various patterns, curly drawings.

The MDF production process involves the use of a thermal vacuum press, as a result of which various PVC films can be applied to the surface of the board. For this reason, the cost of MDF board is much more expensive than chipboard. In order to final product possessed excellent quality and price, the furniture production process can be based on the combination of these materials. As a rule, it is possible to make not only facades for furniture, but also table tops.

It is the low content of harmful components that allowed MDF boards to be used in the manufacture of cribs. Today there is a large quantity of PVC films, on the surface of which many children's drawings are applied. As a result, it is possible to obtain a strong and practical furniture which is very easy to care for. In addition, edge milling avoids sharp ends, which is important in the manufacture of furniture for a children's room.

Chipboard and MDF are very popular products today, which are actively used in the manufacture of furniture. To say unequivocally which material is better will not work. Indeed, in terms of environmental friendliness and beauty wins MDF material. But the cost is lower and the chipboard has a long service life. When choosing furniture, pay attention to the purpose for which you buy it and under what conditions it will be used.