MDF production as a business: list of equipment, description of manufacturing technology, nuances of the business. Interior wall decoration with MDF panels: lathing, thermal insulation, installation Do-it-yourself MDF making

The kitchen set is considered one of the simple types hand-assembled furniture for inexperienced craftsmen.

Furnishings for a relaxation room and hall, as a rule, require a professional approach and the use of extraordinary materials.

Today we’ll talk about how to assemble furniture with your own hands.

The use of laminated chipboard as the main building material

Today, natural wood in its pure form is almost impossible to find in the environment. After all, sets made from natural wood are considered expensive and quite elite pieces of furniture. Therefore, the array is replaced with an affordable material such as chipboard.

In most cases, the thickness of these plates reaches 16 mm. Sheets of greater thickness are also sold. The material is cut on machines.

You can do the work at home using electric jigsaw, however, unevenness and chips cannot be avoided. After all, it is almost impossible to saw off laminated chipboard evenly at home with a jigsaw.

Edges

One of the weak points of this material is considered to be the saw cut, since it is through it that moisture passes inside most easily. In this regard, due to poor quality protection, swelling of the ends is possible. Therefore, it is preferable to cover the ends with edges, as in the photo of the furniture you made yourself below.

On modern market There are several types of edges:

• Melamine. This is the most affordable edge of excellent quality. You can glue it yourself using a regular iron.
• PVC is an excellent choice for edging. Its gluing is only possible on the machine.
• ABS edge, similar to PVC edge, but created from a natural material.

Facades

The façade and doors of furnishings, including DIY garden furniture, are made from the best quality material.

The facade is considered a separate piece of furniture and, as a rule, is made to order.

In cases where facades have unusual shapes, they can be produced over a long period of time.

Types of facades

Since the main function of the facade is decorative, it is accordingly offered in a wide variety. The façade differs in material, as well as in appearance.

Laminated MDF is a pressed and fairly moisture-resistant material. Usually the surface is treated like a natural array.

However, even the most durable film will crack and peel off after a certain period of time. The main advantage of this material is its affordable cost and speed of production.

In addition to blind type facades, there are options curly look under the stained glass. The glass part is fixed to a special plate.

Wood facades will appeal to fans natural materials, however, their cost is quite high. In addition, environmental friendliness is also controversial.

Note!

Painted façade to look like enamel. It has a significant disadvantage - chips and deformations often appear on the surface.

It was once exploited because of its attractive, catchy shade, but with the advent of shiny plastic, everything changed radically.

Glass facades made from aluminum are suitable for kitchen spaces in high-tech style. They look fashionable, but are quite problematic to manufacture and install. Unusual fittings are used for fastening.

Boxes

There are many methods for making cabinet boxes, as well as DIY pallet furniture. One of the simplest is considered to be assembly around the perimeter using laminated chipboard.

If it is necessary to create an original facade, it must be screwed onto the frame main part from the inside.

In addition, the facade is often attached to eccentrics in the form of one of the walls of the box. In this case, the main task is not to assemble the necessary box, but to secure it correctly.

Note!

Doors

There are built-in wardrobes and free-standing ones. Internal filling It happens at the discretion of the owner; it is possible to carry out restoration of furniture with your own hands.

The main element of each cabinet is sliding type door leaf. It is not recommended to save on this part; it is important to purchase good quality fittings.

Basically, the closet is equipped with several doors, consisting of a frame into which decorative elements are inserted. Door leaves can be assembled from several materials, separated by an aluminum profile.

The movement of the canvases is carried out along special guides, which are installed with your own hands, just as you create furniture from cardboard yourself.

Conclusion

If you approach the issue of creating and installing pieces of furniture with all responsibility, then the furnishings will be not only of high quality, but also affordable, distinguished by exclusivity and specialness.

DIY furniture photo

Note!

Kitchens and wardrobes are almost the easiest types of furniture to assemble for novice craftsmen (not counting only bedside tables and shelves). In general, furniture for the living room and bedroom usually requires a more serious approach, the use of non-standard materials, glass. This article will help beginners understand how to make furniture themselves.

Wood in its pure form is practically no longer used in cabinet furniture; solid wood is considered an expensive luxury material.

Now wood is being replaced with a cheaper material - laminated chipboard (abbreviated laminated chipboard). Most often, these plates have a thickness of 16 mm; you can also find on sale Chipboard thickness 10 and 22 mm. 10mm sheets are typically used to fill wardrobe doors, and 22mm sheets are used for bookcases and shelves where high bending strength is required. Also, sometimes the structure is decorated with elements made from 22 mm laminated chipboard.

Almost all furniture parts are made from 16 mm laminated chipboard (except for doors and facades).

Laminated chipboard

Laminated chipboard is cut on special machines along guides. Of course, you can saw it off at home using a jigsaw, but then there will be chips and wavy irregularities on the edges. It is almost impossible to saw off chipboard evenly with a jigsaw at home.

Edges

The most vulnerable place of laminated chipboard is when it is cut down. It is the easiest way for moisture to penetrate inside, so if the protection is poor, the ends may soon swell. Therefore, the ends are closed using edges; there are several types of them.

• • Melamine edge is the cheapest, but of poor quality. You can stick it on at home using an iron.

• • PVC edge 0.4 and 2 mm – best option. It can only be glued on a special machine, so it is done immediately when ordering a cut. To save money, 0.4 mm is glued to the invisible ends, and 2 mm to the external ones, which will experience constant loads and friction.

PVC edge 2 mm

• • ABS edge is similar to PVC, but made from environmentally friendly material.
  • Mortise T-profile– inserted into a groove previously made with a milling cutter. Rarely used.

• • Overhead U-profile - can be easily glued to liquid nails at home. The main disadvantage is that the edges will protrude a few millimeters, so dirt will get stuck under it. On the other hand, this drawback allows you to hide a poor-quality cut.

Facades

Kitchen fronts and furniture doors are usually made of more elegant material. But if you are making a drawer door inside a sliding wardrobe that no one will see, you can use regular 16 mm laminated chipboard with a 2 mm PVC edge for it. But the cabinets in the kitchen should look more presentable.

The facade is a separate furniture element. It is usually made to order. If the dimensions of the facades are non-standard, their production may take several months.

By standard sizes you can easily navigate: usually the facades are made 2 mm smaller than the cabinet itself on each side. Therefore, for a standard 600 mm cabinet, a 596 mm façade is used.

The height of the kitchen cabinet also depends on the facade and ranges from 715 to 725 mm for floor cabinets (without legs) and low wall cabinets, and 915-925 mm for high ones wall cabinets.

Types of facades

Since facades are mainly decorative function, the choice is huge, they differ in appearance and material.

• • Facades made of laminated MDF. This is a pressed material, more moisture-resistant and dense compared to chipboard. Most often, the surface is laminated to look like wood. But no matter how strong the film is, over time it can come off at the edges and crack. The main advantage of this material is its low price and fast production.

MDF facades

• • In addition to standard blank facades, there are also options with figured cutouts for stained glass. The glass is attached to the cover on the reverse side.
  • Softforming - such facades are similar to ordinary MDF, but have a characteristic two-color layout with relief on both sides. They can only be used in dry rooms, bedrooms or living rooms.

• • Postforming – even higher quality and durable products. Thin plastic at the edges is wrapped 90° or 180°, thereby eliminating unnecessary seams at the corners. Chipboard or MDF boards are used as the base. Typically, postforming is done in a strict form, without unnecessary pretentious decorative elements.

• • Plastic facades- high quality, but expensive. They consist of a base (chipboard/MDF) lined on both sides with thick plastic. They always have a strict design and flat surface, glossy or matte. The edges of the slab are sometimes protected with ABS edges or aluminum profiles. IN Lately Super glossy acrylic plastic is especially popular.

Plastic facades in aluminum profile

• • Wood and veneer facades - suitable for amateurs natural materials, but they are expensive. In addition, there is a long debate about environmental friendliness: there is an opinion that there is so much varnish and impregnation that there is only one name left for the tree.

• • Painted facades to resemble enamel. They have a significant drawback - the surface is vulnerable to scratches and deformations, and has low chemical resistance. They used to be popular due to their rich color, but with the advent of glossy acrylic plastic, everything changed.

• Aluminum facades with glass are suitable for a high-tech kitchen. They look modern, but are difficult to manufacture and install. Non-standard fittings are used for their fastening.

Back walls and bottoms of drawers

The back wall and bottom of the drawers are most often made of HDF. The smooth side of the sheet should face the inside of the cabinet/drawer. The thickness of the sheets is 3-5 mm, the color is selected to match the chipboard.

Some people prefer to mount HDF on furniture stapler, but you can’t do that. Over time, the brackets will become loose and the structure may warp. It’s not worth talking about the bottom of the drawers - a stapler is clearly not suitable for fastening.

Furniture LDVP

Sometimes it is inserted into a groove prepared with a milling cutter, but all dimensions must match down to the millimeter.

Most often, HDF is attached to nails or self-tapping screws. It is better to use self-tapping screws with a press washer, but before screwing them in, you must drill a hole, otherwise the product may crack.

In rare cases, for example, to create a “stiffener” in a tall cabinet or in drawers with high loads, fiberboard is replaced with laminated chipboard. These materials can also be combined.

Tabletops

Table top – horizontal working surface, on which you can cook, eat, read, write, etc.

Most office and desks, as well as in cheap dining rooms, the tabletop is made of the same chipboard as the main parts. Thickness is 16 or 22 mm, required PVC framing edge 2 mm.

Special countertops are used for the kitchen. They are a sheet of chipboard 28-38 mm thick, which is covered on top with durable plastic using postforming technology. Moisture-resistant countertops are green when cut, while regular chipboard is gray. Correct kitchen countertop must have a drip tray that will prevent the flowing liquid from getting onto the facades and drawers.

Weakness Such countertops are cut edges. They are usually covered with a simple melamine edge, so they become unusable within the first year of use. To avoid this, it is recommended to protect the edges with special aluminum profiles ( end strip), and to protect against moisture, pre-coat the cut with silicone sealant.

There are also other types of profiles: corner and connecting strips, which are needed for joining several cabinets with different countertops.

Corner, connecting and end strip for table top

One more element - decorative corner, which closes the gap between the wall and the countertop.

A wall panel is sometimes used to finish the apron. Unlike tiles or mosaics, it is more practical due to the absence of seams and is inexpensive compared to glass splashbacks.

The tabletop is attached to the cabinets from below using short self-tapping screws to horizontal spacers so as not to spoil the smooth front surface.

Countertops made from natural or artificial stone are higher quality and more durable than others. Natural stone is heavy and requires special care due to its high porosity. A fake diamond has no such disadvantages, it can be given any size and shape. Main disadvantage stone countertops– high price, for a small kitchen they cost from 40 thousand rubles. and more.

An alternative option is a countertop made of tiles or porcelain stoneware. You can make it yourself, but the tiles cannot be mounted on regular plywood or chipboard. The base must first be covered with cement-fiber sheets.

Location of parts

A detail is any element of cabinet furniture: lids, tabletops, walls, facades, shelves. Each part can be either nested or invoice. Right choice the type of location is very important.

Let's look at examples of two kitchen cabinets: one of them will stand on legs, and the second will be hanging.

Base cabinet:

As can be seen in the photo, the operating stress in the floor-standing cabinet is directed downwards from the lid and in the first option is naturally transmitted through the parts to the cabinet legs.

In the second, incorrect option, the load is transmitted through the confirmat (furniture screw), and because of this it will be torn out of the part at a fracture.

Wall cabinet:

In the second example, the opposite is true: the load will go to the bottom shelf, and the attachment point will be on top.

If we use the same fastening scheme here as in the floor cabinet (option 1), all 4 bolts will be constantly under the load of being pulled out of the wood. Therefore, it is better if the confirmations experience stress on the fracture (see diagram “correctly”).

Furniture fasteners

Furniture fasteners are hardware (metal products) that are used to connect parts. Most often, connections are made at right angles.

• • Wooden dowels - inserted into pre-drilled holes in both parts. They are used for preliminary fixation and increasing the shear load, then the parts are fixed in a more reliable way.

• • Furniture corners are a popular, but outdated type of furniture fastening. Among the disadvantages: appearance, loosening over time and bulkiness.

Furniture corner

Main disadvantage This type of fastening means that screwed-in caps remain visible. To hide them, use plastic plugs matching the color of the chipboard.

Furniture fittings

• • Handles - everything is clear here. They are usually attached with screws.
  • Legs are convenient in rooms where wet floor cleaning is often done, for example, in the kitchen. Any wood, especially chipboard, will quickly deteriorate from daily contact with water. In addition, the legs can be used to level furniture on uneven surfaces.
  • A silicone damper is a cheap but very useful part that can reduce the noise of impacts from cabinet doors. It is glued to the top and bottom of the cabinet door or end to soften the impact.

• • Furniture hinges. Round cutouts for them (additives) in the facades can be made in any furniture workshop, if the manufacturer has not made them in advance. The hinges differ in the degree of door opening. Standard hinges have an opening angle of 180° and a closed angle of 90°.
    The hinges have special mechanism, allowing you to adjust the doors in height and seating depth. For glass doors Separate hinges are sold; glass can be clamped into them without drilling a hole.

Furniture hinges

Among the inexpensive manufacturers of accessories, we can recommend the Chinese Boyard, and among the serious global manufacturers, the Austrian Blum.

Drawers and slides

There are many ways to make furniture boxes. The simplest of them is to assemble a perimeter from laminated chipboard. If a beautiful facade is required, it is screwed onto the main frame from the inside (like the tabletop). The façade can also be secured to eccentrics as the fourth wall of the drawer.

But the main thing is not to assemble the drawer, but to secure it correctly.

Drawer guides are divided into roller or ball guides.

• • Roller guides are usually attached to the bottom of the drawer. He will ride on them on two rollers. A pair of such guides costs about 150 rubles, but it is highly not recommended to use them. The main disadvantage is that they do not allow the drawer to be pulled out completely; a heavy drawer in the more than half-open position may simply fall.
  • Ball guides, or as they are also called, “full extension telescopic guides,” can exactly double the length. They have many balls inside, like bearings, so they provide a smooth ride.

Roller and ball guides for drawers

• In addition, Blum has metaboxes and tandemboxes. These are ready-made side walls of drawers with installed guides. All that remains is to install the façade, back wall and bottom.

Doors for wardrobes

The sliding wardrobe can be separate (with side and back walls), or built into a niche or corner (with one side wall). The internal filling can be anything: ordinary shelves and mezzanines, drawers and baskets, clothes rails, special hangers for trousers, ties, etc.

The main element of the wardrobe is sliding doors. You can’t save on them, you need to buy high-quality fittings, otherwise you’ll suffer with falling and jamming doors. In almost any city, finding domestic Aristo sliding systems in specialized stores is not a problem.

A sliding wardrobe usually has 2-3 doors. They consist of a profiled frame, inside which decorative elements are inserted: mirrors and glass, chipboard, rattan sheets, bamboo, artificial leather (based). Each door can be assembled from a combination of several such materials, which are separated by an aluminum profile. It is not recommended to make doors more than 1 m in width.

Standard profiles are designed for a sheet thickness of 10 mm. But how to insert a 4 mm thick mirror into it? To do this, put on the edge of the mirror silicone seal. So that in case of impact broken glass no one was hurt, you need to order a mirror with a film glued to the back side.

The doors move along guides; they are installed at the top and bottom. The lower doors provide forward and backward movement, and the upper ones fix the door relative to the depth of the cabinet.

The bottom rollers are usually made of plastic, have a shock-absorbing spring and a screw for height adjustment. The upper rollers have a rubberized surface.
With the proper approach, homemade furniture turns out to be cheaper and of better quality than that displayed in stores. But besides this, it will be exclusive, precisely suited to the needs of the owners and the characteristics of the room.

Sliding wardrobes made of MDF occupy a fairly impressive niche in the furniture market. They are roomy, comfortable and functional, but buying such a product in a specialized store, as well as ordering from a furniture company, is a very expensive undertaking.

However, that's enough simple design such cabinets allows you to make them yourself, minimizing costs. Not long ago I decided to master this technology, and in the article below I will tell you what I did.

MDF or chipboard?

The first thing I had to face (and what you will definitely face) was the choice of material. Today, either chipboard or MDF are widely used for the manufacture of cabinet furniture.

Laminated chipboard has one undeniable advantage: it is cheaper.

In other respects, MDF is superior to it:

• high homogeneity of the material provides it with greater density and strength;
• fasteners inside MDF hold up much better;
• Despite the above arguments, MDF is easy to saw and drill, with virtually no chipping.
• the walls of even a very tall and wide cabinet are practically not deformed by changes in temperature and humidity;
• low content of volatile phenols ensures a high level of environmental friendliness.

Among the disadvantages, I would note the greater mass of MDF compared to panels of the same thickness, but since we move the cabinet very rarely, this disadvantage will be very conditional.

Getting ready for work

Cabinet dimensions

The dimensions of the wardrobe are largely determined by the size of the room in which we will install it. If you have your eye on a niche for this purpose, then in principle there will be no problems: just measure the width, height and depth of the recess in the wall, and make a 20-30 mm gap on each side for installing the structure.

With a wall cabinet everything is a little more complicated. Its dimensions can be any, but after analyzing the advice of professional furniture makers, I came to the conclusion that it is better not to go beyond the standard dimensions. If we make this or that element larger or smaller than recommended, then using the design will not be so convenient.

I usually focus on this list of sizes:

1. Height- from 2.4 to 2.6 m. You can do it higher (as long as the ceiling in the apartment allows it), but then you will have to build a separate mezzanine, and to access it use a stepladder or a high stool.
2. Width– from 800 mm. Less is a pencil case, which will fit well if you have one set of clothes. The maximum width of the structure that I had to assemble was slightly less than 3 m.
3. Base(distance from floor to bottom) – from 70 to 100 mm. If you install the bottom directly on the floor, then problems with opening the swing door will inevitably arise: even with a perfectly level installation, sooner or later a slight misalignment of the hinges will appear, and the door will catch, if not the floor, then the carpet.
4. Hinged door width– from 600 to 700 mm. Sliding wardrobe systems may have a little more.

1. Depth(distance from front to rear wall) – 600 mm. About 100 mm will be occupied by the sliding system, so the shelves will need to be made taking this fact into account.
2. Shelf width- up to a meter. If you make it wider, you will have to attach a stiffening rib made of timber to the underside of each shelf, otherwise they will sag and may break under the weight of clothing.
3. Shelf height– from 30 to 50 cm.

In addition, drawers can be included in the cabinet design. Their height is usually up to 30 cm, and their width is from 40 to 80 cm. The bottom of a cabinet up to half a meter wide can be made of fiberboard (so the price of the product will be slightly lower), but for wider models I use only MDF to avoid sagging and jamming in a cabinet compartment.

We make a drawing based on these dimensions. If you are not computer friendly, then you can build a diagram the old fashioned way, on graph paper indicating all the dimensions. I prefer to work with special programs (WOODY, K3-Furniture, etc.): yes, some of them apply to on a paid basis, but even the demo version will be quite enough for one-time work.

Furniture maker tools

When the drawing is ready, we need to think about the material support of our project. Without a doubt, the main tool here will be a smart assistant: a sliding wardrobe made of MDF is a fairly large structure, so another pair of hands will definitely not be superfluous.

But seriously, to successfully complete the build we will need:

• saw for cutting MDF - circular or reciprocating with appropriate blades;
• a good hacksaw for making it exactly to size;
• drill and set of drills;
• screwdriver;
• a set of magnetic cue balls for a screwdriver (you need at least two - one for a cross and one for a hexagon);
• flat and Phillips screwdrivers;
• set of hex keys;
• clamps;
• marker or simple pencil;
• roulette;
• level.

This is the minimum set needed to assemble furniture from pre-cut panels. If you do the cutting and edging yourself (I strongly do not recommend it unless you are a professional carpenter), then you will also need stationary saw with a hair dryer.

Purchase of raw materials

The next step is purchasing the materials needed to make the cabinet. We will determine how many MDF panels we need by analyzing the drawings, and we will start from this figure when planning the budget.

Speaking about the independent production of furniture, I cannot help but note that today, when imported components are becoming more expensive, the cost of products is growing, and quite significantly. It still turns out cheaper than when ordering from specialists, but preliminary costs must be calculated:

Material	Cost, rubles
Double-sided laminated MDF, 2800x2070x16 mm (standard)	1600 — 2000
PVC tape for edging, roll 16 mm x 5 m	50 — 150
Set of roller hangers for wardrobes	250 — 700
Closer for wardrobe	650 — 1700
Rail for wardrobe (top), 2.95 m	610 — 1200
Sliding wardrobe guide (bottom), 2.95 m	250 — 600
Door seal, PVC, linear m.	50 — 80
Buffer tape (brush for collecting dust), m.	30 — 60
Furniture handle without latch	50 — 250
Furniture mortise lock	90 – 250
Pipe for hangers, 90 cm	150 – 250
Retractable rod for cabinet	90 — 350
Cabinet slides	350 — 800
Furniture screws (50 pieces)	150 — 250
Confirmats (50 pieces)	120 — 270

I note that here only indicative prices: You can find components both somewhat cheaper and much more expensive. It all depends on what price category products you calculate, as well as on the volume of purchase, region, etc.

Cabinet assembly

Primary processing

The assembly process itself begins with sawing MDF according to the cutting sheet and processing the edges. I strongly recommend entrusting both of these operations to specialists, especially since where you order the material, this service will most likely be offered to you. The overpayment will be relatively small, but you will receive a set of blanks that are ideal for further work.

If you still decide to work independently, then you should proceed as follows:

1. Using a tape measure and a level, we mark the cutting lines on the MDF, focusing on the drawing drawn up earlier.
2. Using a wood circular saw, we carefully cut through the material, marking each piece to avoid confusion.
3. We install the MDF panel vertically and place an edge strip on the end.
4. We iron the edge through a sheet of paper with an iron or roll it with a roller, while simultaneously heating it with a hair dryer.

Important!
Avoid strong heat to prevent the edge from melting.

1. We remove the exposed glue and cut off the edges of the edge tape with a sharp knife.

According to this scheme, we need to prepare all the details.

Frame assembly

And only now we begin to assemble the main part of the cabinet. I prefer to work in stages: first I prepare all the holes for fasteners, and only then tighten the mounting screws.

To assemble furniture, it is better to use special products - so-called confirmats or Euro screws. They are stronger than ordinary self-tapping screws and are attached to solid MDF; in addition, if necessary, they can be unscrewed without compromising the integrity of the material. The disadvantage of confirmations is the need for preliminary drilling to install them, but once you understand the technique, you can quickly prepare mounting holes.

I do this:

1. I mark the edges of the panel for drilling holes. The fastening pitch is usually from 35 to 50 cm, depending on the position of the part.
2. Using a clamp, I press the parts against each other, setting them strictly perpendicular.
3. Using a 5 mm drill, I make a through hole so that a recess of at least 60 mm is formed at the end.
4. In the plane I widen the hole to 8 mm (use a thicker drill or a special countersink) for the wide part of the confirmat and its head.

1. I remove the clamps and once again check that the holes match.

The instructions depend on the cabinet configuration, but I usually do this:

1. I am assembling a base frame on which the entire structure will rest.
2. I install the plinth on the base and level it. I attach the bottom to the base.
3. Next, I install the side racks, which I immediately secure with stationary crossbars (if their presence is provided for by the design).
4. I put the cabinet lid on top.

1. I level the frame, controlling the perpendicularity of the planes. I fasten the back wall either using self-tapping screws or using a construction stapler.
2. I move the cabinet to the wall where it will be installed, or push it into a niche.

1. I install supports for the shelves (if they are removable), or fix them myself with confirmations through the side walls.
2. I secure the guides in the grooves for the drawers (if the drawers are low or narrow, this should be done in advance so as not to have to worry about tightening the fasteners in a tight space).

1. I assemble the drawers by attaching the fronts and bottom panels to MDF frames. I install slides on the sides of the drawers and slide them into the cabinet compartments along the guides.

Fittings and other details

The procedure for installing fittings depends on what kind of product we are assembling: swing cabinets made of MDF require the installation of conventional hinges, while a sliding wardrobe will require installation sliding system.

The “sliding” is assembled like this:

1. Guides are placed at the top and bottom. Here it is important to ensure that they: a) are perfectly parallel and b) are strictly in the same plane. If you violate even one point, the door will definitely be scratched.
2. We install fastening systems for rollers on the top and bottom of the moving sash.
3. If you intend to install a mirror, fix it on the sash using a fastener. We also install seals, dust brushes, handles and other parts.

Important!
Sometimes the door does not have an MDF base. In this case, we simply clamp the mirror cloth around the perimeter with a frame made of a light but durable metal profile.

1. We install the sash on the guides, first moving the upper part, and then snapping the lower rollers onto the runners.

1. We adjust the sliding system, adjusting the position of all its elements and achieving free movement of the sash and its clear fixation in extreme positions.

Hinges for swing doors are assembled differently:

1. We install the counter parts of the hinges on the cabinet body, fixing them with ordinary self-tapping screws.
2. We apply markings to the sash, marking the installation location of each hinge.
3. We insert a Forstner drill into the drill and make recesses under the bases of the hinges.

• pens;
• tires for hangers;
• roof rails;
• laundry baskets;
• shoe stands, etc.

Conclusion

Having figured out how to make a wardrobe from MDF panels, you can significantly reduce costs: despite the high cost of materials, savings are achieved due to self-installation. You can master the assembly technology by studying the video in this article and practicing on simple models. And if necessary, you can always ask a question in the comments to this article.

The history of furniture made from MDF (from the English MDF - Medium Density Fibreboard) dates back to the 60s of the last century, when the technology for manufacturing fiberboard began to be actively used in the USA medium density. And although this material began to be used in furniture production in the post-Soviet countries only 30 years later, this did not prevent it from quickly gaining popularity and being a serious competitor to chipboard and natural wood. Modern technical means allow us to produce facades from MDF in any shape and color palette, but more important aspect are unique properties material, thanks to which the furniture is able to withstand serious external loads, which is especially important for the kitchen.

For MDF manufacturing Various waste from the wood processing industry is used. First, they are processed into fine sawdust, which is subsequently compressed under the influence of high temperature. A special resin is used as a binder, causing minimal formaldehyde emission, which puts this material on par with an ordinary tree in terms of environmental friendliness.

Compared to particle board, MDF has a denser structure

The main advantage of MDF over chipboard and natural wood is that the material is less dependent on the level of humidity in the room. It is known that chipboard loses its shape and strength upon short contact with water. Wood dries out over time, as a result of which cracks may appear on the furniture, which are not always visible under varnish, but are clearly visible under regular paint. In turn, medium-density fiberboard is less susceptible to such deformation processes, therefore it is more often used for the manufacture kitchen facades.

Please note! The ability of MDF to resist moisture is determined by its density. On average, the density of such material from different manufacturers is 700 kg/m³. If it exceeds 1000 kg/m³, then the slab can easily withstand high humidity in the room without the additional use of moisture-resistant impregnations.

Despite its strength, MDF is a soft material and is very easy to process, which is why furniture makers and designers love to work with it. Having at hand milling machine, it becomes possible to produce almost any profile. If the kitchen design involves the presence of semicircular elements, using a press you can bend the sheet to the required shape.

Professional production of kitchen MDF facades

Manufacturing process furniture facades using specialized equipment includes several technological stages:

• cutting the sheet;
• surface milling;
• external finishing.

Cutting sheet material

MDF sheets used in furniture production are initially large in format, so they are subject to additional cutting. Sawing of material according to specified dimensions is carried out on format-cutting machines, which can make cuts at any angle. The cutting depth in such machines reaches 21 cm, allowing cutting of several sheets at once, which is very convenient in case of mass production.

To make a façade from MDF with a uniform coating, it is necessary to completely eliminate the presence of micro-chips and other defects that may appear after hand sawing. Modern panel saws thanks to special disks allow you to immediately achieve an ideal result, so the end surface does not require serious processing. Before gluing the edges, the end of the facade is only subjected to final sanding to remove wood dust after cutting.

Cutting sheet material on a sawing machine

Surface milling

If the kitchen design assumes the presence of smooth facades, then there is no need to mill the outer plane. However, very often customers require the production of furniture with original decorative elements, for which the surface is treated with a cutting tool on milling equipment.

Important! The quality of milling must be very high. Otherwise, after application decorative covering there is a high probability of manifestation and intensification of all milling defects.

To make decorative facades from MDF, as a rule, special templates are used, according to which a cutter cuts out the required contour on the surface of the slab. Advanced enterprises use CNC machines for such purposes, allowing them to create absolutely any design in a matter of minutes.

CNC milling of MDF

External finishing with polymer film

Facade finishing is the most important stage in production kitchen furniture, because from the quality outer covering The service life of the product largely depends. MDF can be coated with enamel or polymer film. If it is quite possible to paint a facade at home (this technology will be discussed below), then covering the prepared part with PVC film is only possible in a workshop with special equipment - a thermal vacuum press.

Finishing the facade with polymer film is carried out in the following sequence:

1. The ends and outer plane of the part are covered with a layer of glue.
2. The facades are evenly laid out on the table of a thermal vacuum press.
3. A polymer film is placed on top suitable color.
4. A protective casing is lowered onto the table, isolating the parts and film from the external environment.
5. The heating of the working space is turned on while air is pumped out to create the necessary vacuum.
6. Under the influence of high temperature and negative pressure, the film softens and tightly envelops each part.
7. At the end of the cycle, the parts are cooled, after which the excess film is cut off along the contour.

Production of MDF facades using a thermal vacuum press

How to make kitchen facades at home

If desired and technical capabilities can be made kitchen MDF facades on one's own. To do this you will need:

• MDF board;
• Circular Saw;
• sandpaper different grain sizes (P180-240, P320-400);
• scotch-brite;
• wood filler;
• insulating soil;
• polyurethane primer;
• acrylic enamel;
• acrylic lacquer.

Cutting MDF boards

To make kitchen facades, you should first purchase an MDF board. Typically, furniture makers use sheets with a thickness of 16 mm or 19 mm - this is quite enough to create reliable kitchen furniture. Of course, you can purchase a sheet of a larger size, but there is little point in this, unless such a thickness is needed to implement some design idea.

When purchasing MDF from furniture makers, you can immediately cut it to the required dimensions. The average price for such a service is 40-50 rubles. per meter of cutting. If every penny counts, you can do this work yourself, for which you will need a circular saw.

To simplify the work, it is better to first divide the slab into several smaller fragments, from which you can then cut out parts for future kitchen facades. Despite the fact that MDF is less susceptible to destruction than chipboard, you should be very careful during the cutting process to prevent micro-chips or at least reduce their presence to a minimum.

To produce kitchen fronts without distortion, the saw must be moved using a guide structure

Surface painting

Film cladding, which is carried out in a factory, is considered by many to be more resistant to mechanical damage and aggressive cleaning agents. In fact, modern paint coatings are also able to withstand severe loads typical of the kitchen, and do not lose their properties over time.

In order for the coating to have a uniform structure and adhere reliably to the MDF, painting must be done according to the following instructions:

1. Sand the surface of the part with P180-240 sandpaper to remove the gloss and create the necessary abrasive.
2. Apply filler and let it dry (drying time: 4 hours).
3. Sand the surface with sandpaper P
4. Apply an insulating primer (consumption – 90 g/m², drying – 6 hours).
5. Remove the abrasive with P320-400 sandpaper.
6. Apply polyurethane primer (consumption – 150 g/m², drying – 10 hours).
7. Prepare the surface for painting using P 320-400 sandpaper and Scotch Brite.
8. Apply acrylic enamel (consumption – 200 g/m², drying – 10 hours).
9. Reveal the façade acrylic varnish(consumption – 150 g/m², drying – 6 hours).

Advice! It is best to apply primers and paints using a spray bottle or use special containers with sprayers for this purpose.

The production of painted MDF kitchen facades must be carried out in a clean and dust-free room

Do-it-yourself technology for making curved facades

Sometimes kitchen design involves the manufacture of bent structures, which are made in furniture factories using a molding press. To make curved facade from MDF with your own hands, you need to use the following technology:

1. Take a 9 mm thick MDF sheet and cut two blanks from it - one for the outside of the facade, the other for the inside. Since the radius is larger on the outside, the outer piece needs to be slightly longer.

1. Make a template for forming a semicircular facade. For this purpose, any design with a suitable bend radius can be used.

1. Apply markings with inside blanks for cuts that will allow you to bend the sheet. Cuts must be made only at the bend, the distance between them is 5 mm. Circular saw should be adjusted so that the cutting depth is 7-8 mm.

1. Make a paste of medium consistency from a mixture of sawdust and wood glue to fill the cuts. You need to rub in the paste with a spatula, moving it along the cut from the center to the edge to eliminate air pockets.

1. After filling all the cuts with adhesive paste, install the inner blank on the template.

Curved kitchen facades always look stylish and original

Working with MDF is easier than with chipboard, since this material does not crumble during the cutting and milling process. However, making beautiful furniture yourself is not so easy. Without the appropriate skills and experience, the product can be damaged, causing the expected savings to turn into a loss. Therefore, ordering kitchen fronts from professionals may ultimately turn out to be more profitable not only aesthetically, but also financially.

Furniture items, floor and wall coverings, as well as many other finishing materials, are made from MDF boards. However, not everyone understands what this abbreviation means. In the article we will look at all the available information about MDF panels: what it is, what it is used for, what advantages this material has, thanks to which it is so actively used today.

The abbreviation MDF stands for finely dispersed fraction. Such boards are made from wood fibers, the density of which corresponds to average values, by pressing them under high pressure conditions.

The areas of application of the resulting slabs are diverse. For many manufactured factory products, MDF acts as a base. Let's consider several main areas of using this material in everyday life:

• MDF sheet panels are used for finishing floors and ceilings;
• covering walls with MDF panels is also quite common;
• production of furniture, the facades of which can have either a smooth surface or be decorated with carved elements;
• Due to its properties, MDF is widely used as soundproofing material, allowing you to significantly reduce audibility between rooms;
• A more unusual, but very popular use of this material is the transformation of steel doors. MDF is used as decorative overlay onto an existing surface, thus improving its appearance. At the same time, you can buy MDF linings for entrance doors in the most various variations and flowers.

Interesting to know! Another area using MDF– this is the production of boxes intended both for gift wrapping and simply for transporting various products.

In the bedroom decoration

This material has become so widely used due to the fact that in its production process only materials that are completely safe for human health are used, in particular carbide resins. In addition, such plates have excellent technical characteristics: heat and moisture resistance, and are not susceptible to the formation of various types of fungi and mold on the surface and inside the chips. All this makes MDF boards a worthy competitor to natural wood.

Chipboard or MDF: which is better to choose and why

Lately, MDF has been greatly displaced in the market. Why did this happen and is there a difference between these so similar materials? Let's try to figure out whether this arrangement of positions is justified and what caused it.

First of all, it is worth remembering that this is a chipboard, which, like MDF, is made from wood chips by pressing and adding a special binder. True, the second option has several significant differences and advantages, which became the decisive factor in the popularity of its use in some areas.

The ability to hold parts screwed into it is much worse. If we talk about making furniture, then this is fraught with the falling off of attached parts. Kitchen cabinet doors, door handles and more may simply fall off. Moreover, it is not possible to re-attach the fallen part, since the holes are subject to rapid loosening. Furniture MDF boards They have a much higher density, which allows them to reliably hold the elements fixed in them.

Environmental friendliness is a significant factor when choosing a material. When wondering what is better - chipboard or MDF for the kitchen, you need to take into account that the first option is absolutely not environmentally friendly. Moreover, it is unsafe for health, since the resins used in the manufacturing process are capable of releasing formaldehyde - a specific substance that has a negative effect, primarily on the respiratory tract, as well as on human mucous membranes and skin. At one time, formaldehyde was included in the list of carcinogenic substances that can contribute to the development of diseases such as cancer. It is worth noting that due to its high environmental friendliness, children's furniture made from MDF is highly valued.

Having understood what MDF is in furniture and other products, as well as the advantages that distinguish it from chipboard, it may seem that this material is ideal. And this is practically true, if you do not take into account its high cost, which often becomes the main obstacle to its acquisition.

In most cases, panels are sold without final coating, which also requires additional expenses. You can, of course, buy MDF sheets already coated, or you can tackle this issue yourself. In any case, for those who care about the health of their loved ones, this is a low price to pay.

Which is better: laminated chipboard or MDF, and what is the difference between these materials

Speaking about chipboard, one way or another it is implied that everyone has heard about such material at least once. However, the abbreviation often confuses ordinary users. In fact it's the same particle board, only with additional laminated coating. At one time, this technology made it possible to improve the original chipboard characteristics and expand the scope of use of this material.

Thus, it is much less susceptible to mechanical damage, thanks to the additional protective layer. In addition, it will be much cheaper to buy a ready-made slab of almost any color. However, with regard to moisture resistance, in this matter laminated chipboard is inferior to MDF and makes it impossible to use it in bathrooms. For the same reason, the question does not arise about what is better for the kitchen: MDF or laminated chipboard.

The problem of environmental friendliness of laminated chipboards also remains relevant. Despite all attempts to reduce the amount of formaldehyde contained, some probability of encountering a fake still remains. That is why it is worth paying attention Special attention studying the certificates that are attached to each batch of the product. Thus, we again come to the conclusion that in the question of which is better (MDF or laminated chipboard) for furniture and home decoration, the answer is clearly in favor of the first option, especially since you can always buy laminated MDF boards.

How to choose and buy MDF panels for walls, floors, ceilings or furniture

Depending on how you plan to use the purchased MDF panel, you need to take into account its various characteristics and, in specific cases, focus on the most important indicators.

Thus, painted MDF panels are better suited than others for making kitchen furniture. They have increased resistance to moisture and therefore do not deteriorate as a result of constant contact with water.

However, this will not be enough to decorate the bathroom. In this case, it is better to give preference to a material with increased moisture resistance, to achieve which double-sided lamination is used. This will protect the panel not only from the outside, but also from the inside.

If you are planning any finishing work on the facade of furniture, then veneered material is suitable for this purpose. But if we are talking about the need to finish a large area, then it is quite possible to use a regular tiled one.

As for manufacturers, the desired quality can be obtained if the European country of origin is indicated on the packaging. Sweden, Germany, Poland - all these countries have their representative offices in many cities of Russia. But Chinese products, although they will be cheaper, are unlikely to satisfy you with the proper strength and moisture resistance.

Helpful advice! If you want to find one or another original product on the Internet, try to avoid intermediaries who resell products purchased directly from the manufacturer. To do this, it is enough to correctly formulate the Internet request, for example, as “the official website of MDF furniture Kaliningrad.”

But no matter which manufacturer you prefer, be sure to conduct an external inspection of the product before purchasing it. The same rules will apply if you need to purchase an MDF frame profile. The inspection procedure is carried out according to the following points:

• make sure the surface is smooth and free of chips;
• check the panel by touch: the surface should be smooth, depressions or bumps are unacceptable, as they can cause a decrease in the strength of the panel;
• MDF board should not have any odor;
• all panels must have the same color;
• also pay attention to the indicator that characterizes the degree of swelling of the material as a result of contact with moisture. Normal value the generally accepted figure is 17%.

Also, before you buy MDF wall panels, please note that they can have different thicknesses. Thin ones greatly simplify work, as they are lighter and do not take up much space during storage. However, they are quite fragile, so they can break due to careless handling during operation. Thick ones are much stronger and more reliable, but it is not recommended to use them for decorating very small rooms, because they will take up already valuable space.

How to attach MDF panels to the wall and ceiling with your own hands

Even if you have not worked with such material before, it is quite possible to figure out on your own how to attach MDF panels to a wall or ceiling. And first of all, you need to prepare tools and materials. This list includes a simple pencil, a corner for marking right angle, building level, hacksaw, hammer drill, screwdriver or hammer, dowels and screws.

The work begins with cleaning the surface on which the fastening will be made. It must be thoroughly cleaned of dust and dirt. In addition, it is necessary to conduct a thorough inspection for the presence of fungi and mold.

If you need to make a ceiling from MDF panels with your own hands, then you will need both guide profiles and hangers, plus wooden blocks, which will act as transverse parts of the frame. If we are talking about MDF fastening panels to the wall, then simple blocks of wood or a special plastic sheathing will be sufficient.

Helpful advice! To make the fastening process easier, it is recommended to use clamps. This will allow you to fix parts of the covering on the sheathing and, in general, will make the task much easier.

The most important thing is to make the correct markings for the sheathing, which in the future will allow you to accurately secure all the elements. How to do this correctly can be seen in the photo of ceilings made of MDF panels. At this stage, it is important to take into account that the distance between the fixed panels and the real ceiling should be sufficient to accommodate lamps, as well as other communications.

Installation of MDF wall panels also begins with marking the place where the first lathing strip will be attached (vertical or horizontal does not matter). Maintaining the required distance, all elements of the sheathing are attached, and after that installation begins wall MDF panels. They are fixed quite simply using clamps or self-tapping screws.

Helpful advice! High-quality and certified products can be found on the official Soyuz website. MDF wall panels made from them are highly valued due to their compliance with all requirements and standards.

This is not to say that installing MDF panels on a wall with your own hands is a difficult process. Rather, it is monotonous and requires high accuracy of calculations and constant attention.

Return