Hi everyone,
I did a search but there is not a whole lot of info about this stuff. What is the general opinion on 5-part MDF doors, especially from those who have experience with them?

To give a little bit of background, I have my m.arch degree and about 2 years ago started doing kitchen design. I used to be tko just for kicks years ago (before having my son) so between that and my design background, although there has been a steep learning curve in dealing with semi-custom cabinets, it's been so much fun and I love my job even more than when I did full architecture.

So my favorite cabinet company is going to start carrying 5-part MDF doors and I am pretty excited about it. I live in a hard climate, on an island, so moisture in general is an issue, but there is also a culture of "why use air conditioners, you only need it a 'few weeks out of the year'" here so many renovations (even high end, few hundred thousand dollar ones) do not include a/c. People understand they will have to live with swelling in the summer and many want the white painted cabinet looks... you can see where I am going with this.

Our old display from a previous vendor had 5-part mdf doors and there is no way you could tell by looking at it... in fact, it was our most popular display and we are replicating a similar look in the new one with a current cabinet maker. But after 7 years on display, this thing looked great. There were no chips or cracks, the joints were tight, the profiles were crisp... and this thing took plenty of hits because there were tons of scuffs on lower doors (black marks that rubbed off) but no chips or scrapes or anything but it looked great when we pulled it out and installed it in another kitchen.

So I guess I am hoping those with a lot more experience will be able to talk about their thoughts about 5-part mdf doors. My inclination is that this is the best thing since sliced bread... I do not care for single panel routed out mdf because of the "tell" of the rounded corners, even if they get as tight a radius as possible, it is still there. But with the rail and stile construction, it seems like the best of both worlds.

One issue is the emissions issue, but this company is greenguard certified and uses no added formaldehyde products. Another issue I've read about is that MDF chips but again, in my (limited) experience, I haven't seen that problem any more than painted wood. When exposed to direct moisture it can swell but in just the generally humid coastal environment, the dimensional stability is a huge plus to me. The only other thing is that it can paint up a little TOO smooth. I have done one painted MDF slab kitchen and I thought the finish was lovely - so smooth and silky and matte. But I can see how the perfection of that on a 5-part door would ruin the illusion a bit. Has anyone ever tried a white brushed glaze over white paint? I was told that "you can't see it", which is kind of the point - I do not want it to look glazed, I just want to add the tiniest bit of brushed texture to break up the smooth look of sprayed paint over mdf.

Anyway hoping to hear some first hand experiences with all of this stuff so I don't miss any pitfalls and can talk intelligently about it with customers. Thanks!