MDF for Cabinets and Exterior Wood Repair

Exterior Wood trim repair with MDF

There is a lot written about sustainable products and non-wood products being applied to homes.  The benefits are real.  The product does not rot and it looks fabulous. However, most of our customers are in homes that were built 20 years ago.  All of these homes were built with wood trim and this wood will rot if it is not properly cared for. 

Most customers don’t realize that there are two main things to extend the life of a good paint job: First is to wash your house, and second is to keep your gutters clean and clear. Overflowing water on trim boards will cause rot. 

The issue with replacing wood with MDF boards on the exterior home are 2 things:

1. The texture and look of the MDF will usually not match the wood it is butted up next too.  If you are going to replace a window trim we highly suggest replacing the entire wood trim.  Not just one board.
2. The MDF boards will tend to warp if they are not installed and cared for properly.  The boards cannot take a darker paint or really anything with a drop of B (Black) in it.  See my previous post on Vinyl windows. 

Interior MDF - Cabinets and trim boards

On interior paint jobs we typically paint wood trim and wood cabinets.  We have a very professional procedure that our painters follow detailing the necessary steps to make cabinets bright, shiny and clean.  The most common trend is to paint the lighter oak cabinets to white or gray. 

At times we get asked to paint MDF kitchen cabinets in the Cumming, Alpharetta and Buford areas.  These cabinets are made of a MDF or a composite type of wood.  They are covered with a white laminate.  Similar to what Home Depot offers as a solution to repainting cabinets.  We have had success pulling the white laminate off of the MDF cabinets and then painting the MDF directly.  However, we ask customers to try and pull one of the laminates off prior to painting.  Sometimes the MDF is loose underneath the doors.  If it is tight and packed it might be possible to paint. 

We do work with several handymen that can order new custom cabinet door fronts for your kitchen and we then apply our professional painting on those new cabinets.  We can then paint the bases the same color.  We believe several of the suppliers can order the door front to be a certain color.  Five Star Painting can then paint the boxes the same color. 

Since many customers have wood on their trim it is rare we see MDF on the interior of homes.  We have seen it on new front doors.  We recommend you read and then share with your painting company the manufacturer specs that detail the painting of the door.  It can take several coats of quality paint to get the finish you are looking for on your front door.