I'm resurrecting this thread...have a slightly different question in addition to all of the issues already discussed. I'm going to order from Conestoga I think. I'm replacing white thermofoil doors which are 20 years old and haven't really faded, but there are a few where a candle or the toaster got too close and caused some minor melting....Most people think they look nice, but in my mind they are still "cheap". The uppers are 42" I'm going to stick with white and just buy doors to match the existing boxes which are fine. Also, I have granite and it's hard to find someone willing to remove it to install complete cabinets. My question is....will a mapleframe/mdf center FEEL like a real wood door? Will it feel different than my thermofoil? I'm talking in terms of both surface and the weight in your hand as you open and close it. Will the outside edges and the panel raise etc be sharper than thermofoil? If I get mdf center will I still have the defined edges I am looking for. If you've had thermofoil you will know what I am asking. I'm toying with getting 5 peice mdf...but don't want to lose the wood look or feel... I think the mdf center is my best bet. My husband is what I like to call..anal...pretty sure he will be bothered by cracks, but he doesn't want the fake plastic look either. Pretty sure all wood is not a good choice for me, too bad because I love wood... The style I am leaning toward is https://www.cabinetjoint.com/cabinet-door/monarch-square/  but I am also toying with shaker style. Wondering if the shaker trend is headed out....Also considering doing a grey island by applying end panels. Guess I could start a new thread for those questions.

Yes, there is a difference. Usually, quality cabinetry is made from furniture grade board, which is very different from the cheap stuff. I don't know that it would make a big difference in the fronts like it does in the sides, however. I don't know if it'll make a difference where the hinge sets, or whatever. Do you know any carpenters you can ask? Hopefully, someone else here will chime in...

To repeat what others have said, for painted doors, MDF is certainly the choice for the center panel of an otherwise solid wood door, as it does not expand and contract as much as solid wood so you minimize the cracks at the joints. The center panel of a door is always loose - not glued in place - to allow for this movement. We did not want even minimal cracking on all our doors, so we went with solid MDF. They are made on a computerized CNC router machine to exact specifications and are one piece. So we went with solid MDF doors on plywood carcasses. The BLUM hinges position in the doors and expand when the little hinge is pressed down - no 'fasteners' per-se. Not sure how the drawer fronts are fastened to the drawer boxes honestly, but of course the pulls go all the way through to the inside so no force is on the MDF panels. In the Toronto area, all 'custom' cabinet makers construct their own carcasses and order doors from Cut Rite doors in Waterloo. They make solid and MDF doors of all description to whatever measurement you want. Then the cabinet maker does the finishing, typically in Benjamin Moore paint for colors or of course stains. So the only difference between one cabinet maker and another is the construction of the carcasses, the quality of finishing and installation and of course price. We're very happy with ours. Ended up less expensive than going with 'semi-custom' from Home Depot, Lowes etc.

lazy_gardens: I appreciate your sending the link. If your comment "Why do people get all happy about composites..." is meant to be a generalization, then I apologize. But my query was specifically questioning the inconsistent use of materials (some including MDF, some not) in my cabinets, and trying to better educate myself on why MDF is just as good as or better than conventional plywood. I'm not griping about advanced technology at all, but am trying to find out exactly what that advanced technology is getting me. Regarding the MDF, it seems to be one veteran/pro's opinion over another. As a consumer watching this online ping-pong, and getting ready to spend a ton of money on a once-in-a-lifetime purchase, I need more to go on than, "Trust me, it's better." When our toe kicks and hardwood flooring were pulled apart after the leak, I saw that the old particle board bottoms (of the cabinet) were areas of dissolved, mushy sawdust. However, parts of the cabinet that were plywood, as well as our engineered solid-hardwood were fine (seemed structurally sound, in our opinion) -- intact and no warping. So, going into this purchase, and from our one-time experience, we were on the pro-conventional plywood, anti-anything-but-plywood side. Just trying to figure out the "anything but plywood" materials. practical: thanks. MDF - yes, that's what I keep hearing. But I also hear/read just as many woodworkers/carpenters recommend that MDF shouldn't ever be used (water absorption and disintegration is cited). Maybe this is wrong of me, but I'm assuming those who work with wood products would know from first hand experience...could be a bad assumption, but that's what I tried to sort out. Taylor's: Thanks -- our rep did a nice job of explaining to us why they used the MDF on the end panels (i.e., a much flatter surface on which to adhere the 1/32" maple veneer"). When the general public sees/reads/hears/uses the term plywood, we mean 'conventional' plywood -- our rep conceded this point. So, when a customer orders "all plywood box" construction, we're expecting conventional plywood to be used. It doesn't go over well to have non-conventional appear in the kitchen and then be told (after the fact), "technically, that's still plywood...plies of wood." I think that discussion needed to be had during the ordering process. What made matters very difficult for us is that our dealer/KD also thought we were getting conventional plywood, and plywood was spec'ed on the invoice. Our meeting went very well with the rep, and we're rallying, taking a leap of faith that the MDF composition will be perfectly fine, and moving forward.