I have birch painted cream cabinets and I feel like they get nicks and dents very easily. I wonder if I should have gone with maple, it was an upcharge and I thought it wouldn't matter.

Defnitely go with the hardest material. I don't know anything about MDF, so can't help you there.

Yes, it would be an upcharge to do maple for us too. Im araid of the nicks and dents, especially in a painted finish. I was hoping to avoid the upcharge. Maybe the MDF?

I'd be curious to hear from others that have painted maple and if they get dings easily. My cabinet guy said all cabinets will get dinged, it just shows more on painted.I do wish I had gone with a dark stained island though. I fear the light one will take a beating in a few years.

I do love having lighter. I had dark old 70's wood before and I couldn't see the dirt to clean it!!They were so gross and grungy. With the cream cabs I see when it's dirty and wipe it up!

I do have a touch up kit too, not sure how it works yet.

I would avoid MDF if possible, or make sure you're getting a "green" MDF product. I'd do some research on it. For the health of your household it's good to avoid products that off-gas chemicals into your home. There are some MDF products that use formaldehyde-free resin, but not the majority from what I understand. Personally, I'd rather have a few dents than breathe formaldehyde.

Also, I've read that MDF does not stand up well to moisture--which there is a lot of in kitchens, between spills, steam, etc.

I would definitely read up a bit before making the choice:
http://www.austinenergy.com/energy%20efficiency/Programs/Green%20Building/Sourcebook/cabinets.htm

http://parents.berkeley.edu/recommend/home/kitchcabinets.html#formaldehyde

Good luck!

We have white painted maple cabinets and they do not dent. We get the usual scrapes, but nothing seems to go into the wood.

I know someone who has white painted MDF cabs and he says that they have taken a beating and still look great (cabs are 3 years old). He also told me he has had no problem with moisture--he cooks a lot and lives in the south, so lots of humidity. I also hear MDF takes paint better than real wood. Until today, I'd never heard of the mdf off-gassing. Anyone know, is the off-gassing a temporary thing or does it continue to do so for a long period of time?

MDF paints up really nice. I have used it for painted trim work and loved it. Have you considered an MDF box and hard maple face?

I have never noticed problems with MDF off gassing but I am not an expert by any means.

I have attached a link to the ANSI standard - conforming to the stamdard is voluntary but many companies use the standard on their product. At a former employers we had just pain MDF doors on cupboards in a high taffic area and they held up very well. They do have low VOC versions of MDF. One would think that the paint would somewhat inhibit off gassing from the material (my guess is people should be more worried about off gassing from their wood finishes). MDF is often offered for doors because the doors can be made in a variety of profiles from one piece which will eliminate cracking and movement at the joints which will discernably alter a painted finish.

Here is a link that might be useful: ANSI standards for MDF

i have birch with MDF panels. Mine are painted. So far, they look great although its only been less than a month. I know, its not long enough. But, my bathrooms and the cabinets in my living room are poplar with MDF centers and are now 12 years old now. they have held up beautifully. I don't know why most cabinet makers here use wood for the boxes and outer door frames but use the MDF centers. It works though. I have absolutely no seperation showing in the cracks where my panels are. I do see this in some of my crown molding where the pieces were joined. maybe that could be the advantage of the MDF panels?

By the way, I don't know if I would have gone with solid MDF for the boxes and door and drawer frames. It is particle board and I'm not sure how well they would hold up structurally over time.

We have been living with white painted maple cabinets (Brookhaven) for two years, and they're great! Three little kids, one 90 lb. dog, and no cleaning lady :( No dings/scratches at all. They don't feel "soft," that's for sure. They definitely show dirt--no doubt about it. But for me, it's great because I know where to clean them. I'm not the kind of person who has a cleaning routine like "wipe down the kitchen cabinets every Saturday morning." (BTW, my MIL is that person!) So, it works out for me! They clean up easily and I know where spills have hit.

I have no idea about birch. Most companies I looked at didn't even offer that--it was either MDF or maple.

Good luck!! Obviously from my previous decisions, if I were you, I'd go for the painted maple.

:)
Sarah

Our painted cabinets are mdf. I was very nervous at first, was wondering if we should do painted birch or maple, but our experienced GC and experienced designer both highly recommended mdf for painted cabinets, said that you wouldn't be able to tell a visual difference between painted mdf and painted wood, and that mdf was more forgiving in terms of expansion/contraction and tended to get nicks less than painted wood. I think they were right because our cabinets look great...only had them for about 9 months so far though.

We have an island and a pantry area with stained maple though.

redroze - Ive admired your kitchen alot, so its nice to hear that you have MDF. It probably will hold up better than the birch. My husband is really going to freak out now. First, I want painted instead of stained and now I want to use MDF instead of real wood LOL!

Lol twogirls...he'll get over it. Trust me. I've been reading the "white kitchen" post and seriously, I think the biggest and only thing to overcome in getting a painted white kitchen is the stigma and fear. Once you get it in your house, YOU WILL LOVE IT. And your husband will love it too.