Surely, during the renovation, renovation of the interior of an apartment or house, everyone faced the question of which interior door to choose. Not everyone knows what it is - MDF doors?
The buyer certainly wants the purchased door leaf to be durable and beautiful in appearance, to be affordable and of high quality. Modern manufacturers offer a wide range of doors from various materials for every taste, color and budget. One of the most popular are MDF designs.
Material description
MDF is an abbreviation of the English words Medium Dencity Fiberboard, which translates as "medium density fiberboard". Or you can decipher MDF as "fine fraction". It is made from sawdust crushed to a powder state by pressing. The sawdust is glued together with a special compound under pressure and high temperature.
Using a canvas made from this material:
- door production;
- furniture making;
- as panelfrom MDF to iron door;
- arrangement of design solutions and decorative materials.
The wide range of applications is due to the excellent qualities of the material, allowing easy and fast processing of the product, and a guaranteed long service life.
Benefits
Like any other material, MDF has its pros and cons. As pluses it is worth noting:
- Does not change shape under the influence of high and low temperatures. This property is extremely useful in the local climate. It often happens that in the spring, after the heating is turned off, microcracks form in dry wooden doors, through which the canvas gains moisture and swells, as a result of which the doors do not close at all or only with the use of effort. Since MDF is not subject to temperature changes, then such problems are not terrible for doors based on this material.
- Eco-friendly and safe. MDF boards consist of sawdust and paraffin - these components are environmentally friendly and do not harm he alth. Therefore, the material is chosen by people with allergies, families with children for home improvement and ordering furniture with sliding doors made of MDF.
- Value for money. MDF doors have good performance, attractive appearance, the price range for products fluctuates in the middle, while solid wood has a high cost.
- Durability. The material is quite resistant to any mechanical stress,scuffs, scratches and so on.
- Insulating characteristics. Despite the relatively small thickness, the canvas has high soundproofing performance and retains heat well in the room.
Flaws
Now it is clear what it is - MDF doors. Consider the disadvantages of the product:
- Material absorbs moisture and swells. It is because of this shortcoming that buyers sometimes refuse to buy a door and install it in the bathroom. In defense of the material, it is worth noting that a high-quality canvas has a moisture resistance index of 60%. In addition, a good door is treated around the perimeter with wax or paraffin, so that moisture access to MDF is limited.
- Fragility. Some models of doors require only MDF paneling, but inside they are hollow, so they are easy to break with a few powerful blows of the hand. Paneled and tsargovye door options are a one-piece design, the strength of the canvas is provided by the pine timber inside.
The structure of the canvas
MDF interior doors (photos are presented in the article) have four main components:
- web frame;
- outer cover;
- glass elements;
- linings.
The basis of the door is the frame and the outer covering, glass elements and overlays are additions and may be missing. Panel and panel doors are the most popular.
Shield modelis a single piece or with decorative inserts. It consists of a frame, an internal filler and a coating.
Panelled doors are stronger and more expensive than panel doors, since their internal space is filled with horizontally or vertically arranged wooden inserts.
Coating: veneer, film
The quality of the canvas and its cost largely depend on the outer coating. Most buyers believe that it has an exclusively decorative function, but this is not entirely true. The wear resistance of the fabric, its moisture resistance, resistance to mechanical stress, burnout, abrasion and other external influences depend on the coating.
Having considered what it is - MDF doors, let's focus on the difference between veneer or film coatings:
- Natural veneer is one of the most expensive cladding materials as it is 100% natural and can easily replace wood. For the manufacture of the door covering, the thinnest wood cut is removed, on which the textured pattern is preserved. Then, using an adhesive base, it is applied to the canvas and covered with a protective layer.
- Ekoshpon is also made of wood, but it is less expensive. This is due to the fact that during production, thin longitudinal sections are removed from the tree, glued together under pressure, and only then the cross section necessary to cover the canvas is made.
- Film. One of the main advantages of PVC film is the ability to give the door any color anddecorative drawing. The canvas is installed in a special chamber, where a film is applied under the influence of pressure and temperature. It has the best moisture-resistant performance and low cost, but it has less resistance to mechanical stress.
Types of coating: laminate, enamel, varnish
Doors to an MDF apartment can also be covered with the following materials:
- Laminate has characteristics similar to film and consists of two layers. The first is decorative, the second is protective. A higher-quality coating in the composition has a substance called melamine, thanks to which the finish is durable and wear-resistant.
- Enamel. In a modern interior, doors covered with enamel are very often used. It is applied to the canvas in several layers and finally fixed with a protective coating.
- Varnish is the final layer that protects the inside and outside from wear and tear. In addition, it serves as a finishing touch to the production of the door and makes it more attractive.
How to choose a quality door?
The cost of an MDF door directly depends on its quality. This takes into account the thickness of the door leaf, coating, filling and other indicators.
Tips for choosing:
- The edge along the perimeter of the product should fit snugly against the canvas.
- The door covering should be made of quality material.
- It's good if the manufacturer gives a guarantee for their products.
- In addition to the door leaf, it isinspect its components. If they have rubber seals, a nut and are professionally made, then quality comes first for the manufacturer.
- The canvas should be free of chips, dents, scratches and bubbles.
Often buyers choose white MDF doors. They explain this decision by the fact that it is convenient to paint the canvas and give it the necessary design.
Required installation tools
When a person figured out what it is - MDF doors, and plans to install the structure of the house, then you need to have the necessary inventory at hand:
- Saw.
- Building level.
- Chisel.
- Screwdriver.
- Punch.
- Roulette.
- Hammer.
- Knife.
- Rectangle (ruler).
- Secrets.
- Pencil.
DIY Installation
You can save time and money if you install the door yourself. This work is not the most difficult and is within the power of a man who knows how to handle tools.
Installation of MDF doors is carried out in several stages:
- First of all, a box is assembled on a flat horizontal surface. Two beams are installed at the bottom of the door and on top of it, which, as a rule, are included.
- There should be a small gap of 3-5 mm between the timber and the door leaf. The top bar is sawn off at an angle of 90 °, and then the top bar is adjusted. Measure its length, drill holes on the sides, laterthe right and left beams will be screwed with screws.
- Then the lower part of the box is tried on to the floor. A timber of the same size as the top bar is sawn off. Holes are drilled in the floor, into which the threshold will be attached later with the help of self-tapping screws.
- The next step is to mark the place where the door hinges will be attached. Professional installers recommend stepping back from the threshold 20 cm up and from the top bar 20 cm down. Recesses are made with a chisel to “drown” the loops. Holes for screws are pre-drilled in the extensions. Next, the loops are screwed on.
- Since there are three types of door hinges: right, left and double - respectively, the direction of opening of the door is taken into account during installation. The interior partition assumes the presence of two loops, before inserting which marks are made on it with a knife along the perimeter of the loop.
- Hollow out holes for them with a chisel. Fasten the hinges to the door leaf with self-tapping screws. Now you can proceed with the installation of the entire box, it is installed in the doorway and fixed. Wedges are inserted every 50 cm during installation.
- Next, install the door, while the vertical lines are checked using a plumb line. Having adjusted the door, they begin to fill the cracks and voids with mounting foam. When it dries, cut off the excess with a sharp knife and start framing with platbands.
- The final stage is the coating of the door leaf with a colorless varnish. This is an optional process and is optional. In order not to spoil the door, paint it carefully and slowly. It is best to cover with two layers,each of which must be thin and without smudges, otherwise there is a possibility of swelling of the web.
Reviews
Customers note such positive aspects of using MDF doors:
- relatively low cost;
- it is worth buying MDF doors from the high price segment, only in this case you can count on a quality product;
- attractive appearance;
- are light weight;
- you can restore iron doors, MDF does an excellent job with this task.
Negative reviews note the following:
- poor soundproofing as doors are hollow inside;
- the canvas changes shape after installation in the bathroom, which occurs due to high humidity in this part of the home.
MDF doors will perfectly fit into any interior solution, they will serve for a long time and at the same time retain their original appearance, save the family budget.
