Interior Doors for Kitchen/Fam Rm - MDF vs. Wood?

13 years ago

Hi all,

For those of you who have installed interior doors in your home during a renovation -- e.g., for closets, a pantry, doors leading from the kitchen to dining room, etc. -->

Did you select doors made of MDF or wood? Why did you choose what you did?

My understanding is that MDF doors (and I'm not talking kitchen cabinetry doors) are slightly more expensive than wood doors, they don't shrink/expand, are slightly heavier, don't have seams. The only downside I've heard is that, if there is a chip and moisture gets in through that area, it can be very difficult/impossible to repair; it seems this might only happen in "wet" areas of a home, though (bathrooms?).

For some odd reason, I like the idea of solid wood doors better, probably because they seem more "natural" to me.

Advice and opinions?

Thanks for your feedback!

Featured Answer

powertoolpatriot

13 years ago

I have installed many doors, MDF, wood, metal and for interior doors I would go with wood everytime. Depending on your climate, MDF could swell and while wood might swell, it will go back to it's orginal size. MDF not so much. The corners tend to have issues as well.
Bottom line though is what you are comfortable with.

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Comments (11)

breezygirl
13 years ago
Do you plan to paint them?

Im trying to decide the same thing. I need new interior doors for almost every single door in the house. A door guy told me on the phone yesterday that if I wanted them painted white anyway, I should go with MDF. I questioned him. He said that as soon as I see them I will want them. We'll see.....
rob from nj
13 years ago
We replaced all of our interior doors with painted MDF about 5 years ago.

No issues at all.
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formerlyflorantha
13 years ago
We've just installed 6 solid interior oak doors. Matches other woodwork. We have exterior solid metal doors--have to be painted.
babs711
13 years ago
A lot of people I know put solid wood downstairs (for looks and feel) and MDF upstairs to save money. Another thing is putting the taller doors (if you do higher ceilings downstairs) and regular standard sized doors upstairs.
aliris19
13 years ago
I don't know how general this advice is, but we found seconds solid wood doors in a giant warehouse-type place for way less than mdf and they look just perfect. I have no idea what the 'problem' with them is. They're cherry. Maybe there's a place like that near where you are? If you need a name in SoCal contact me offlist.
jenny1963
13 years ago
I think there can be an issue with MDF and off-gassing. I think formaldehyde is a component of MDF. That's why, although it's been recommended to us in our remodel, we probably won't use it.
kateskouros
13 years ago
i was being pressured by our cabinet maker to go with MDF for our laundry room (it was cheaper for him to build and would have been cheaper for me to buy) but i feel it pays to be very particular about the type of materials we select for our home.
first off, i feel wood will maintain a stronger resale value. do you ever hear about about a home boasting mdf or particle board construction? secondly and most important: mdf contains formaldehyde. i don't expect to have that stuff pumped into me when i'm dead. forget about while i'm still living. there is off gassing associated with these products and the thought of my kids inhaling those types of fumes don't really appeal to me.
Fori
13 years ago
Gee, Luis, if you're going to spam us under two different login IDs, at least TRY to look like a different guy.

As far as doors go, I don't mind MDF if it's a slab door. If it's got any detailing or paneling, it's gotta be wood. (And metal for exterior is fine. For me.)

And faux wood graining is a terrible decorating crime as far as I'm concerned.
writersblock (9b/10a)
13 years ago
>And faux wood graining is a terrible decorating crime as far as I'm concerned.

Totally agree. I don't at all mind MDF, but I hate it when it tries to pretend.
jmcgowan
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks for all of your comments -- it was good to hear your reasons for choosing wood over MDF (or vice versa). I am going to go with wood doors -- after seeing doors in person, I agree that I will prefer the look and feel (and it's a "greener" choice).

Thanks again!

Interior Doors for Kitchen/Fam Rm - MDF vs. Wood?

powertoolpatriot

Comments (11)

breezygirl

rob from nj

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formerlyflorantha

babs711

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writersblock (9b/10a)

jmcgowan
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Interior Doors for Kitchen/Fam Rm - MDF vs. Wood?

Comments (11)

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