MDF cabinet doors often have a glossy finish for easy cleaning and this makes refinishing a challenge. MDF cabinets are installed in many homes because they’re inexpensive and easy to maintain. MDF is a material made from wood fibers bonded and pressed together with glues to form a hard material that looks similar to wood. Over time, your MDF doors may fade or yellow, or they may no longer match your decor. Refinishing MDF cabinet doors is a task most homeowners can do themselves, but requires some care and preparation to avoid having to repeat the job. Preparation Before you begin refinishing, remove all of the doors and their hardware, including hinges. When removing the hinges, take the bottom first to avoid causing stress on the hinge, which could cause damage to the door. Clean dirt, grime and other buildup with a cloth and soapy water, then dry the doors thoroughly. Examine the edges of the doors before you paint. Sometimes these are not finished, and are porous like the end grain of a piece of lumber.
These porous edges will soak up paint, and this can lead to swelling and distortion of the door. You have a couple of options for finishing the edges before applying paint. First, you can apply edge banding, but this often results in a visible seam. Instead, you can fill the edges with drywall compound. Apply liberally along the edge of the door with a putty knife and smooth it with your finger. Once it fully dries, sand it smooth and finish. Sanding MDF is a smooth finish, which is not ideal for paint adhesion. To ensure your paint goes on smoothly and does not crack or peel later, rough up the MDF finish with medium-grit sandpaper. Do not sand too aggressively. MDF is easily damaged. You only want to remove the surface sheen of the door. When all doors are sanded, use a fine-grit sandpaper to smooth away any scratches or uneven spots in the finish. Wipe away the dust with a dry cloth before you prime the door. Priming and Painting A primer coat is essential for a successful refinishing.
MDF doors should not be primed with a water-based product. The fibers will absorb the water and this can lead to the doors swelling and distorting. Instead, use an oil-, alcohol-, or lacquer-based primer. Apply the primer with a roller or a brush and allow it to dry according to the label recommendations. Once the doors are sealed with primer, you can use a water-based paint for the finish coat. Select a paint that has a sheen to ensure the cabinet doors are washable once the paint dries. Paint MDF cabinet doors with at least two coats of quality paint, whether you choose to use water-, lacquer- or oil-based products. Allow all of the doors to fully dry before you reattach the doors and hardware. Additional Options If your MDF cabinet doors are old or damaged, refinishing may not prove to be a long-term option. However, replacing your cabinets is a costly endeavor that you may not be prepared to jump into. A less expensive option for updating your cabinets is to have them refaced. Refacing consists of installing new doors and drawer fronts to your cabinets and covering these with a wood or plastic veneer that matches the cabinet base.
While this option is less expensive than replacement, it does cost more than repainting and should be done by a professional. /Getty Images Suggest a CorrectionLaundry Basket DresserLaundry BasketsLaundry IdeasLaundry Room Basket IdeasSmall Laundry Room IdeasWashing BasketsKitchen DresserDimensions 35X41X30Laundry OrganizationForwardThis just gives me the idea of how nice it would be to have some sort of way to store each family member's laundry. Nothing else about it is too appealing. But this is a pretty compact way to do something like that. As a generic term, particleboard simply means any boards made with large particles. Particleboard cabinet doors typically contain smaller particles and are usually covered with plastic laminate. Not typically referred to as particleboard cabinet doors, this type of door is made with medium-density-laminate, which consists of smaller particles compressed to form a dense, durable material. When MDL cabinet doors are exposed to high levels of humidity or have direct contact with water, they can swell or expand.
Remove the door from the cabinet by removing the hinge screws with an electric drill and bit. Remove the hinges from the door. Place the door on a flat surface. Insert the tip of a putty knife into any loose edge under the laminate and pry up gently to separate the laminate from the plywood at least 1/16 inch. If there are no loose edges, tap the tip of the knife under the laminate with a hammer and pry up. Inject acetone into the crack between the laminate and particleboard with a glue bottle or any bottle with a thin, narrow tip. Allow the acetone to soften the glue under the laminate for one minute, and then pry up gently. As the laminate lifts up and begins to resist, continue adding acetone. Repeat this until the laminate is removed from the particleboard. Inject wood glue into any open cracks along the edge of the particleboard. Apply clamps to the glued areas. Allow the glue to dry for one hour, and then remove the clamps. Sand the swollen area flat using a belt sander with a 100-grit belt.
Place a level on the door. Sweep the level over the door to ensure it's flat. If you find high spots, re-sand the door and check it again with the level. Apply acetone to the back of the laminate. When the dried glue begins to soften, scrape it off with the putty knife. Add contact cement to the sanded door and the back of the laminate with a brush. Allow the cement to dry for 15 minutes or until the glue is dry to the touch. Place 1/4-inch dowels across the surface of the door, roughly spaced 4 inches apart, and long enough to span the length of the door. Set the laminate on the dowels, centered over the door. Remove the dowels by sliding them out one at a time, starting with the center dowel. Tap the surface of the door randomly with a rubber mallet to rebond the laminate to the particleboard. Use a hand-sanding block with 220-grit sandpaper to smooth and round the edges of the door if needed. Place wood screws and hinges into a tin can or other container as you work to avoid losing them.
For simple repairs on medium-density fiber doors without swelling, such as loose corners or edges, inject wood glue into the crack and use clamps to bond the laminate to the door. Be careful when using a belt sander on particleboard doors. Don't tip the sander and create a bevel along the edges of the door.Keep the sander moving. Laminate will bond instantly to contact cement. Check that the laminate is square with the particleboard before removing each dowel, and make adjustments as needed. YouTube: Repairing Damaged MDF Cabinet Doors The Family Handyman: Tips for Using MDF You May Also Like Cabinets define the style and function of your kitchen. Determining the right kind of kitchen cabinets will make your kitchen more practical... With time, your countertops will show the effects of water, heat, and daily wear and tear. Minor damage to laminate is inexpensive... When baseboard made of medium-density fiberboard sustains water damage, your best solution is to replace it.
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