MDF would be considered paint grade I do believe

Conestoga refers to it as paint grade hybrid when it involves mdf center panel. The also have paint grade maple and "paint grade" which is comprised of a random mix of three different species �" Hard Maple, Soft Maple and White Birch.

I have Conestoga Albany door in painted hard maple. The Stockbridge is the shaker door style with MDF center. We are towards the tail end of building with install scheduled for Jan 2015 so I can't tell you how they will wear, but we are happy with the quality and look.

I have the TW-1038 door - veneered panel, composite core, painted white. It's fine so far, 3 months in. The real test will be January and February here, when all my woodwork dries out. We have only just turned the heat on.

We have managed to chip the paint on the door frames in a few places during install and with a rolling high chair shoved by the toddler, but only I would notice.

Jhophop did you post pictures of your reveal? I'm trying to decide on my Conestoga door style and color and would love to see your cabinets :)

Aries61, this question has been plaguing me. I have a short window to decide on the topic, but only recently learned of the differences. Did you order your cabinets yet, and if yes which way did you go?

happyallison, yes ordered and received. I went with the paint grade maple painted designer white. Been busy with work so haven't had a chance to assemble a cabinet yet. Here's a picture of the range hood front.

Ooooh, nice! Do you live in an area with temp fluctuations? I was leaning toward the all maple, of course someone posted their painted cabs with hairline cracks all over (not just at joints) and then made me second guess...yet for a 50th time. How did you finally decide, can I ask? I like the arch detail on the hood (don't know the technical name, I'm too new). Thanks!

Live in the Chicago area so we do have temp fluctuations. It was a preference that I decided to go all maple. Good luck with your decision.

The Stockbridge door is a VENEERED MDF center panel (not just MDF, but an MDF core with real wood veneer on front and back). When painted, the Stockbridge's veneered panel can still develop little micro-splits in the paint as the thin veneer on the panel expands/contracts with humidity.

As for the Paint Grade woods, If Conestoga is painting the doors for you, they only will paint over Paint Grade Maple (or Paint Grade Maple with the MDF panel). The 'Paint Grade' mix of soft maple/ hard Maple / Birch is only available as an unfinished product.

Temperature fluctuations are not the main issue with wood and painted doors, its humidity. As long as the humidity is stable (climate controlled), the Paint Grade Maple with solid wood panels will be fine. If the humidity fluctuates greatly (IE: a home near water versus one in Arizona) and you dont always control it with HVAC (meaning, you like to throw the windows open in the spring - spiking humidity in the home - and then close them in summer with AC on - drying out the home), you would be better to consider MDF panels. There is no difference in look once done and it takes the price down some too.

Up until the popularity of MDF panels skyrocketed in the last few years, we always sold a majority of our Conestoga projects with Paint Grade Maple doors/panels and rarely replaced a door in a job for panel cracks, joint cracks, etc. Not saying it did not happen, but for the hundreds if not thousands of jobs we sold with all-wood painted doors, there just was not an issue to speak of. Speaking for Conestoga, a couple reasons for that are: 1) they do an INCREDIBLE job of controlling moisture in the wood drying stage. Proper processing/kiln drying of raw lumber has come a long way in recent years and it heavily affects how stable wood will be over time. Since Conestoga controls their own rough/dimension mills, they have some control over this as well as some real power over the mills they may buy some lumber from simply due to their sheer size and buying power. 2) Conestoga uses their 'colortone' paint material which are really not really 'paints' at all, but a Catalyzed Vinyl based sealer with a pigment to make it totally opaque. In layman's terms, this means that their colortones 'stretch' due to the vinyl base. Traditional paints used in cabinetry (and still used by most companies) are enamels which don't move at all. When the door swells or contracts with moisture, the paint cant move with the underlying wood door, so it has to give somewhere. This manifests itself as cracks in the joints or other areas where wood is moving in opposite directions and/or as cracks where paint has 'bridged' over the panel to frame interface. Since Conestoga's material is vinyl based, it has the give/stretch when the wood expands/contracts, minimizing and in some cases eliminating cracks and other issues with painted doors. It really is a beautiful product and very trouble free.

Hope this helps!

What Conestoga doesn't control is nature. The wood in your cabinet door was ounce a tree. It had water running through it like a river. Look at a microscopic view of a piece of wood and it looks like a luffa sponge. When there's moisture in the air (humidity) it gets sucked up into the wood and it swells. When it dries it shrinks. That's when you get cracks. Vinyl sealer which is the common primer used under conversion varnish can only mitigate this a bit. Most cabinet companies do not use enamels as stated above they use this same, antiquated to me, paint schedule as Conestoga. Conestoga does not do anything different than a myriad of other companies out there. Will they give you a guarantee that their doors won't crack. I think not. Not commenting on the quality of their product never looked at it. Just commenting on the hype proffered above.

aries61, Very pretty range hood. My kitchen is too small so our microwave is mounted over the stove, no range hood for me:( What door style is that? Do you know your framing bead and panel raise names/numbers? Can you post a picture of a door in a slightly better light? I am getting ready to order but I still can't commit to the door style.
I am replacing thermofoil so I want something with "depth" in the panel area so that it looks like I replaced my cabinets. I dread the idea that I do all this and nobody can tell! My thermofoils are pretty decent, but to me the framing bead and panel raise are "soft".
I also wonder if the mdf center door feels different than all wood when you knock on it or open and close it when it is mdf vs solid wood center. I am all for saving $ if you can't tell, and minimizing swelling etc is good to, we get humidity in the upper 50 % sometimes in summer and down as low 28% in winter cold snaps. The last thing I want to hear when I sell someday is "those cabinets are pretty, but I wanted solid wood" which is partly why I wonder if you can tell the difference.
Thanks cabinetjoint guy for your explanation.

Cindywhitall, The door is a crp-10, the framing bead is what they call regular bead and the panel is M-Bead. Conestoga only had 4 framing beads when I ordered and they now have 7. I'll try post a picture of the door on Sunday in better light. The picture I posted was taken when it was getting darker. The price difference between a mdf panel and the maple panel was $44 for 33 doors and drawer fronts. Let me know if you have any other questions.

The price then, between mdf and wood, really isn't a factor. I'll have to discuss the decision when I call them. Do you have any drawers you could take a picture of? I am going to have some 6 1/8H and some 7 7/8H and I wonder how they will look. I was considering getting the smaller ones in recessed panel. (mine will be white too). I really like how yours looks, but I'm considering the Monarch because I think it will show more of a change from my current doors. I wish someone would just decide for me! Looking forward to your pics aries61!

Like I clearly stated. I wasn't commenting on their product. I don't know their product. They my or my not put out a fine product. I was commenting on what it appeared to me as a person selling their cabinets (a sales person) insinuating in essence that all other companies make an inferior product ("Enamel Paint"? Who uses enamel paint?) and that Conestoga's "beyond paint" defies the laws of physics. If I've mistaken that as "hype from a sales guy" then I apologize.

To address your other questions. Yes, there are newer and better technologies available today.

I don't even know what is meant by "they don't term it as paint" but it's a pigmented finish. Paint is a pigmented finish other than clear coat. What else is it. I don't know what their paint schedule is but from my experience what you would gain in elasticity you lose in hardness and durability.

And if fact I do know of a company that DOES guarantee their painted doors from cracking and I happen to use that same process in the painted doors I make. I don't need to share that information with Conestoga or anyone else but if you're looking for improvements that can be arranged.

If you have years of experience selling their products and can stand behind them then that's fine. If that was what was said then it wouldn't have gotten the response it did.

Defy the laws of physics? Wow, you really all that from my comments? I agree I wrongfully used the generic term 'Enamel' to describe 'a hard surfaced paint' (not in its chemical properties) as a layperson can generally identify with this term. Chipping/cracking, etc. In fact, even traditional oil based paint companies have adopted the term (go to Lowes and see the 'enamel' terminology on oil based and latex paints - they are not really enamels either, now are they?) simply to insinuate 'hardness'. I should have said 'Enamel-like' and I appreciate you calling me on it. I certainly need to be better about being clear on these forums and will try to bone up on the chemical properties of different finishes so I do not mislead anyone.

You have obvious experience and I apologize if my comments offended you as those of a 'sales guy'. I will say, it is somewhat circular logic to expect someone who has years of experience working, selling and servicing a company and its product to weigh in with criticism. If I were critical of them or their product, I would not sell it and therefore could not comment with any certainty at all. I have personally had a terrific experience and I have seen their product resist cracking when many other cabinet companies I sold exhibited it to a MUCH higher degree. Call 'hype'. Call it whatever you want. Its my experience and logically, I can only offer opinion based on my experience. The fact that I have dropped every other line of cabinets we sell and have focused on only Conestoga in the past several years should speak to what I have found to be true. It is a great finish and seemed to hide or minimize the cracking so prevalent on painted doors. I therefore can spend far more time working with my customers versus replacing faulty product or doing the 'two step' to avoid their wrath when their doors crack and chip, but they 'singed a waiver'. Yes, its a really good product and I enjoy standing behind it because it is easy to do so.

If you have found a process that is guaranteed not to crack, bully for you. That is truly awesome. That company should take the market by storm. For the rest of us who are clearly inferior in our understanding of the basics of wood, finish technology and the marketplace, I can only offer that I personally think Conestoga is a great alternative.

Have a terrific Sunday, all!

Cindywhitall, unfortunately it cloudy and rainy today so I'm not going to able to get you the pic. I'll try to post it when I get a chance when it's sunny and bright.

I have a request for both jdesign_gw and Cabinet Joint, if the 2 of you want to discuss/comment further about the matter that the 2 of you that have been going back and forth the last couple of days, please start another discussion.

@ cabinetjoiint, I think you should check around once in a while, and maybe just message someone if you think you have info they need. I liked your explanation of the paint process. I just hope the paint doesn't have toooo much of the vinyl properties, I am switching from thermofoil after all!

@ aries61, thanks for that. Everytime I see your name I think of my brother in FL, He is an aries, born in '61

Yes, agree. So to answer the question posted. An MDF center panel is much more preferable if you are going to paint. I think there is a bit of confusion between an "all maple" panel and a "solid wood" panel. Although there can be a solid wood panel that is all maple. Thus the confusion. What was stated above was the maple panels are maple veneer over an MDF core. This is something you would use if staining a maple door (maple styles and rails, maple veneered panel). For painting, putting a layer of wood veneer over the MDF to then paint over it is not typically done because you would not have as smooth of a surface as MDF alone and the veneered panel does have the potential of failure either by the veneer lifting or checking (drying out and causing small fractures in the grain) although less common with tight grained hard species like maple. The more solid sound you hear when knocking on the door is due to the thickness of the panel. 1/4" is about the thinnest that is used. 3/8" would give you a much more solid feel. Then there is 1/2", 5/8", raised panel and reversed raised panel depending on door style. The point being the same thickness of panel whether wood or MDF would more or less some the same.

I'm torn. On the GW side, we're hyper alert to any sort of spam or marketing directed at us. On the Houzz side, it does make sense for vendors to weigh in. Jdesign - as someone who has purchased Conestoga products three times and who has NO complaints some five years into the process, I can attest to the quality of the work and finishes. (We used paint grade maple, I believe). The most expensive cabinet makers in my New England town use these doors; I've always been tickled that I am able to avoid their upcharge.

What I see above from Cabinet Joint is the same sort of input I received as someone looking into the product. This can only be helpful. When posted on a forum like this, anyone who has purchased the same product and who had a different experience will chime in. Haven't seen this in on my time on the forum but there always will be a chance as we place our fourth fifth, sixth orders :)

Cindywhitall, my username is exactly for that same reason. My birthday is actually this Wednesday.

I'm also posting a picture that I posted previously showing the door that I chose which is unfinished. The only difference is the outside door edge.

My sister and brother-in-law were over yesterday and they remarked how nice the quality of the doors and cabinet components were.

Hopefully I can start assembling them soon. Been busy at work and not a lot of time left to start. Then my weekends are spent looking for a new vehicle. Wasn't planning on a new one, but my 97 Chevy Astro started to act up and figure it was time to buy a new one instead of putting more money into it. Hopefully this doesn't take as long as it did for me to choose cabinets.

jdesign_gw and Cabinet Joint, thanks for honoring my request. It appreciated.

@aries61....I hope you're still out there....Checking back in. We never did our doors three years ago but we are going to now. Still going with Conestega from either Cabinetjoint or cabinetauthority...How did your doors hold up? You did paint grade maple right? I'm still leaning toward mdf center panel, but am fighting with myself on the final decision. Looks like your outer edge was not the standard edge. Do you know what it was and whether they did the hinge boring for you? Any pics of the finished project?