What Are MDF and Particleboard, How Are They Different?
Particleboard and MDF are widely preferred wood products in furniture production and interior decoration. These products, which have a wide range of uses due to their hard surfaces, technical properties and structural forms, are made from wood or other industrial wood waste. While the raw material is wood, the quality of materials varies as the manufacturing methods are different. The difference between particleboard and MDF is an object of curiosity for those interested in interior decoration and furniture production. What Is MDF? What Is Particleboard? What are the differences between the products? Let's look into the things you wonder about in this respect.
What Is MDF?
MDF can be defined as a medium-weight board manufactured by gluing wood fiber raw material. The term MDF stands for “Medium Density Fiberboard”. The material is an outstanding product in interior and furniture decoration due to its being lightweight, easy to shape in desired sizes and fitted with hard surface properties.
The production technique used for MDF is the gluing of wood fibers with resin under pressure and at a high temperature. It has no grain structure like traditional wood products. This is mainly due to its production from wood fibers. So, it is not as strong as solid wood in terms of durability. In fact, it is preferred as a coating material in interior decoration regardless of being unsuitable for use in the structural systems of buildings.
Since MDF is a wood-based material, it has low resistance to moisture and water. However, it is made into a product that is resistant to degradation, water and moisture against biological pests with the help of different resins and production techniques used in production. Being a medium-density board makes MDF stronger than materials such as plywood in terms of machining. This feature makes it a very functional product for home decoration. In this respect, it provides users with versatile use. Additionally, MDF is produced to have a smooth surface. It is very easy to shape and size the product thanks to this feature. The material can be said to be an environmentally friendly product as it is based on natural raw materials such as wood and undergoes easy processes in production.
What Is Particleboard?
Particleboard is a wood product produced by grinding small particles of wood that turn into waste, such as sawdust, and bonding the resulting mixture with resin. Particles that turn into waste, such as sawdust, are predominantly used in particleboard production rather than wood fibers. For this reason, it is less strong than solid wood. Particleboard, also popularly known as chipboard, is a product used as a coating material in furniture production.
A more economical product than solid wood, particleboard has smooth surface properties. Thanks to its smooth surface texture, particleboard can be easily sized and shaped quickly with fasteners such as screws. In addition, its homogeneous texture allows particleboard to be lightweight. It can be easily preferred as an interior wall covering, replacing heavy and difficult-to-install materials. While it is not resistant to water, moisture and humidity due to its wood-based composition, it can be made durable with the processes carried out during its manufacturing. One of the most key features of particleboard is that it makes possible to utilize wood waste. With this feature, the product is an environmentally friendly material and can be easily recycled when it turns into waste. It is easy to machine since it is produced by gluing small wood particles, allowing labor costs to be saved.
Advantages of Particleboard and MDF
MDF or particleboard from machined wood products is widely preferred in interior design and furniture production. Users prefer one of the machined wood products, depending on the intended use, design choice, cost, durability and advantages. The advantages of MDFs and particleboards can be listed as follows:
They are economical products that make it possible to utilize wood waste.
They are functional materials in terms of intended uses such as home decoration, which do not require bearing.
They are cost-effective because they are more economical than solid wood.
They can be produced in different designs since they are easy to machine.
They can be easily fitted together with fasteners such as screws and nails.
They are environmentally friendly products that can be easily recycled when they turn into waste.
Differences Between Particleboard and MDF
Although MDF and particleboard are wood-based machined products, they have some fundamental differences. The technical specifications of the products differ from each other due to the processes applied to the material during production. The differences between particleboard and MDF can be listed as follows:
Structurally, MDF is a material with a smooth and more homogeneous surface than particleboard because it is produced from wood fibers.
The surface properties of MDF are more suitable than particleboard for patterning, painting and drawing processes.
Particleboard is a lighter material than MDF.
MDF is a material that relatively lasts longer than particleboard.
Particleboard has a structure that can crack more quickly. So, the installation of furniture made of chipboard can be one-off. However, furniture made of MDF can be disassembled and reassembled several times.
MDF has a wide range of colors for furniture design. MDF can be produced in different color options, using acrylic paint. However, ready-mixed paint is preferred for painting when it comes to particleboard since it does not absorb acrylic paint well. The product offers limited color options.
Particleboard has a lower resistance to water than MDF.
In terms of machining properties, particleboard has better screw retention than MDF. However, MDF is preferable for durable furniture such as sideboards due to its higher strength.
You can get the particleboard and MDF products you need for home decoration or furniture production from Kastamonu Entegre. From different alternative products, you can choose the wood materials machined with the color and technical specifications you are looking for.
