The space above kitchen worktops should be effectively lined in order to complement the design of the room. In this article, we will talk about the MDF kitchen apron and learn about the qualities of this material.
Choosing an apron, we study the disadvantages and advantages of certain materials, start from their characteristics and features, evaluate visual data, in addition, combine them with the style of the room. This list may include plastic panels, ceramic tiles, artificial stone, glass, but now we will focus exclusively on MDF.
Material description
Before starting a discussion of the features and benefits that an MDF panel backsplash has, it would not be superfluous to understand this material in more detail.
For its production, the basis is crushed wood shavings. This raw material is pressed under high temperature and high pressure.
Why is MDF called a natural material? The use of dry wood dust does not guarantee naturalness.received plate. This is explained by the fact that not glue or synthetic resins are used for its manufacture, but lingin - a natural substance, which is a polymeric natural compound, one might say, wood glue.
In general, MDF is a familiar chipboard to all of us, created using modern technologies and becoming environmentally friendly.
This material has quite significant advantages. Among them:
- constant geometry (difficult to break due to the high bond strength of the fibers);
- excellent resistance to water and moisture (its material is reported by lingin, a wood polymer);
- variety of formats of ready-made plates, allowing you to create a kitchen backsplash from MDF (the thickness of the plates is 4-22 mm, and this makes it possible to use them in the widest building spectrum).
With their operational durability and strength, the boards lend themselves well to processing. Therefore, there are great opportunities for imagination if you want to make something more complicated from it than a simple rectangular MDF kitchen apron. The dimensions of the slab can be adjusted to suit your individual needs.
Properties of the MDF apron
There are no ideal materials, as we are convinced every time we plan a new renovation in the room, especially if it will take place in the kitchen. At this point, you need to pay attention to a huge number of specific requirements, and they will help to place the necessary accents.
Dignity
It cannot be said that the MDF kitchen apron, the price of which starts from 1,500 rubles per meter, is considered the most popular, although it occupies one of the leading contenders for finishing the kitchen work surface. So, the advantages that this material has:
- you need to understand when you are going to install a kitchen apron made of MDF - installing it from you will not require professional tools and special skills;
- MDF is an affordable material;
- installation of panels is made on any surface, including not prepared initially;
- you can always lay communications under the apron, in addition, sew sound insulation and insulation into the wall;
- MDF kitchen apron can be very quickly corrected, dismantled, some parts replaced if there are defects or damages.
Flaws
Comparing MDF with other finishing materials intended for the kitchen, unfortunately, you can find some drawbacks:
- MDF kitchen apron can very quickly be damaged by the environment of the kitchen space. Splashes of grease and water, aromas and wet vapors very quickly eat into the material, leaving traces on it;
- material is toxic when burning and fire hazard;
- such panels are not strong enough, therefore, they can move away from the wall or sag even without the use of physical effort, only from time, humidity and temperature.
MDF kitchen apron: installation
Despite the fact that the shape of such an apron is mostly rectangular, manually or using a simple electric jigsaw, you can make it and a complex configuration. But after cutting it, it will be necessary to carefully fix it, but how to do it? Below is a simple instruction:
- Mark and cut a kitchen backsplash from MDF panels or from a solid sheet. It's a good idea to sketch the surface to keep the number of cuts to the bare minimum (often it can be cut in the workshop or in the store itself).
- Purchase mounting plate and fixing materials for MDF. It should be borne in mind that the strips should be twice the length of the entire workspace. In this case, the fasteners are either included in the kit, or purchased at the rate of a couple of pieces per one meter of the panel. Again, a sketch helps, which will also show a wooden frame intended for mounting an MDF sheet. Here we also buy a special kitchen plinth and slats for decoration.
- Installation begins with preliminary preparation of the wall in case of its problems: protruding nails or rods, scraps of wallpaper and other things that can become a breeding ground for microorganisms and moisture. Antiseptic treatment of mounting rails and wall will be important.
- Marking the position of the rails and frame indents: we retreat 15 cm from the hanging cabinets and the work surface, while the distance between the frame rails is up to 45 centimeters. Horizontal layout is checked by level.
- Rails of the required length are cut and attached to the walldowels in such a way that the dowel passes through the rail, in addition, it enters the wall to the full thickness of the rail, preferably 5 centimeters. Then, with self-tapping screws with special decorating overlays (they are selected in a contrasting color or to match the color of the panel), we fasten the apron itself. In addition, fasteners for gluers or “liquid nails” are possible.
- Fastening a one-piece apron will require an assistant, and even better two, but if it consists of panels, then basically grooves for fastening are cut out in them. Then you can do it yourself, starting from one edge. In this case, the groove is inserted into the groove tile by tile in a locking manner, after which they are fastened in the chosen way.
Interesting fact
It takes a day to choose, purchase material, and markup, while installation takes only two hours, even if you do not have such experience.
Decorative trim
After the apron is installed, the work will seem unfinished to you. Actually, this is actually the case, since the panels are installed on the wall, but their edges and end parts still look unaesthetic. In addition, there are gaps in the joints of panels and furniture, and this is not very pretty. But you can spend a little more time and bring your own MDF kitchen apron back to normal.
To do this, you need to take MDF rails, put them on the extreme parts of the material, after lubricating them with “liquid nails” or glue. The gaps between work surfaces, an apron and cabinets need to be sealed with a plinth - it is easyattached to the "liquid nails". So, the work is over, now you can enjoy the result.
The MDF kitchen apron is very easy to choose and install on your own, therefore, if you have made such a decision, you can safely proceed to the process.
Designer Secrets
Also, the design of the kitchen can be supplemented by focusing directly on the apron or on other elements:
- It is desirable to make an emphasis on something specific, while all other details should support the style of the interior. If the emphasis is on furniture, it is advisable to make the apron neutral, discreet, and vice versa;
- use bright, saturated colors, only a lot and not poisonous, so as not to make the design "parrot". It is necessary to emphasize the mood and appearance, but not to dazzle and not overload;
- contrasting style will perfectly emphasize the beauty of every element of the kitchen. It is not necessary to pay absolutely all attention to one apron, especially if you are designing a kitchen in the style of "ethno", "Provence" or "classic".
MDF kitchen apron: reviews
Since the MDF apron has become very popular in recent years to install at home, you can find a huge number of opinions about it. People leave positive feedback about the low cost of this material, its environmental friendliness, hypoallergenicity, the possibility of independent and fairly quick installation. Of the negative characteristics - poor resistance tomoisture, the ability of MDF to absorb odors, as well as the fire hazard of this material.
