MDF Kitchen Door Stability

[slennon]

Hi All

Im thinking of making some doors similar to the ones at the link below. Those seem to have been made by taking 12mm MDF the full size of the required door and gluing on 6mm MDF styles and rails to get a shaker effect. It seem like a way we could afford to revamp or very tired kitchen and maybe get a few more years out of it.

mdf-doors-t28119.html

What im specifically wondering is this. Is the 12mm MDF with 6mm borders going to be stable over time. Is there any chance we might get warping or such in the doors? Im thinking that the 12mm might expand/contract at a different rate than the 6mm....

Id probably be more comfortable using 18mm MDF, maybe with a routed boarder line or such, but then they will be pretty boaring doors.

Id hate to put in the money and time to find it looks poor within a short time.

Also would anyone have thoughts on how to paint. Im think its MDF primer and 2 or 3 coats of acrylic water based satin wood or such?

Any help much appreciated..

Thanks
Simon

[royaloakcarpentry]

You can do the doors however suits you. Not worth doing a simple router detail if you think it will make the doors boring.

12mm and 6mm mdf will be fine.

For the finish, ideally you need the undercoat and top coats to be oil based. Water based for anything other than primer or primer/undercoat will leave you having to whack about 8 combined coats on to get any depth of colour.

[dewaltdisney]

I have made loads of these and not had any failures. You just need to ensure that the material is flat to start and that they are sealed well with paint. 12mm with 6mm strips glues on works well and with careful cutting and gluing you can make a pro job. I use oil based paint which I feel is best for kitchens.

DWD

[slennon]

Hi All

Thanks so much for the responses.

The use of oil based paint is interesting. I had planned on water based largely because it seems more easy to cleanup etc. Also my wife found the color she likes in a water based range.

A little bit more research required to find an oil based counterpart so.

Many thanks
Simon

[dewaltdisney]

I have been plugging Johnstones of late moving away from Dulux. A good MDF primer is needed and someone linked to this Flag one at Toolstation http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Paintin ... 006/p50498 which is cheaper than Zinsser BIN. Both are a shellac based primer. Two coats of this and two top coats on top. Sand back the furry cut edges and rub filler in if neccessary.

Johnstones solvent based paint can be mixed to any colour, find a centre neat you http://www.johnstonestrade.com/store-finder.aspx

Come back if you need help.

DWD

[slennon]

Have been thinking on this one a little and the wisdom of using a solvent based paint seem to be the way to go... Im a little concerned that the solvent paint will take so long to dry though. In particular during the winter months when the workshop is cold.

I wonder are paint drier additives like that below ok to use?

http://www.rustins.eu/Details.asp?ProductID=777

Thanks
Simon

[dewaltdisney]

Never used driers but it looks like it is adding all the stuff that has been taken out of paint (and messing it up) under the VOC 2010 regs.

I see your problem with painting the doors. If you paint just the backs and edges outside you can hang the doors and paint the faces in situ. With the MDF sealing coats they go off real quick, it is only the top coats that take a bit of time to dry. I guess you could do the sealer coats in the workshop and then hang the doors if you mask the hinges well as an alternative.

DWD

[slennon]

I trained as a glazier as my first job and we made lead lights (stained glass). We used to put the driers into the sloppy putty and plaster mix, smudge it was called, it was used to seal up the panels. It was pushed into all the lead between the glass and the H section. After a day or two you scraped and scrubbed it back when it dried. The driers used to set it of quick ok but you sometimes got a very crumbley flakey texture....

Anyway thats all beside the piont really.

I think the doors will have to be hung up to paint alright. My brother is a panel beater so he has given me some advice on spraying them and says that if they are left flat, dust will land on them for sure. I can probably make a little enclosure or such, to hang them in to dry. Maybe put a little heat lamp in there to keep the chill out too....

This is the problem with doing these DIY projects over long periods of time, you have too much time to think up problems that probably done exist....