Which material to choose

Kitchen cabinets are mostly made from wood and wood-based materials. The most popular of these materials include: hardwood, plywood, medium-density fiberboard, particleboard, and wood veneer.

Many architects, interior designers and homeowners aim for solid wood as one of the main materials in a residence. But we already know that solid wood expands and contracts, so it is not always the best solution for kitchen cabinetry, flooring applications or countertops. In most cases, engineered wood products are used instead because they’re just as reliable and a lot cheaper. The most widely used kinds for cabinet boxes are constructed from medium density fiberboard (MDF) and particleboard with melamine.

Setting aside the aesthetic qualities of the cabinet door, it also pays to give close attention to the interior construction of your cabinetry. Here’s what you need to know about each material option:

MDF

MDF

Medium Density Fiberboard

Medium-density fiberboard, or MDF, is a manufactured (engineered) wood product composed of wood fibers that are mixed with resin and wax and pressed into flat panels under high temperature and pressure. It is used much like plywood as a building material in residential and commercial construction.

Unlike particleboard, with which it is sometimes confused, MDF cuts well and has a smooth surface that is ideal for painting. (Particleboard, by contrast, makes use of ordinary sawdust rather than fibrous wood, and as a result, is less water-resistant and offers less structural strength than MDF).

Due to its unique composition with smaller fibers, MDF is strong, and highly durable.
MDF is resistant to warping and expansion from temperature changes and moisture.
Since the surface of medium-density fiberboard is smooth in finish, it lends itself well to being painted or stained.
MDF offers superior screw-holding power, and is fairly easy to manipulate, as far as cabinet materials go

Particleboard

Particleboard is less expensive than MDF and made by hot-pressing sawdust (vs fiber) with resin adhesives. It’s a fairly easy material to work with in terms of cutting and milling, can be used with all power tools, and is primarily used in cheaper furniture pieces, cabinets, doors, flooring substrates and underlays, countertop substrates and temporary partitioning. Particleboard tends to be used on lower-end projects that don’t require a sophisticated finish. A veneer with a thin laminate will make it appear more higher end.

While not as strong as MDF, particleboard is denser and stronger than wood, and is best used flat, as bending or molding will cause it to snap or tear.

Particleboard is inexpensive – one of the most affordable cabinet material types available for purchase.
High quality particleboard can be very sturdy and durable. You just have to make sure you use a high-quality option.
Particleboard is one of the best choices for cabinet and drawer interiors. It’s lightweight, cost effective, and easy to fit into the necessary spaces.

Particle Board

Plywood

Thin layers of wood veneer just 3 millimeters thick form plywood. The pros then glue and bind together the thin layers and compress them with heat making one solid piece of wood. With each new layer, the grain rotates 90 degrees. As a result, it makes for a stronger material with a variety of uses and comes in many different sizes and finishes. Many people think of plywood first when thinking of engineered wood.

Plywood is not considered suitable for applications that require longer pieces of wood such as our front doors, benches, wardrobe doors or any other place where long panels are required. This is because plywood has a tendency to sag or bend from the middle in such cases.

Because it consists of layers of wood veneer with the grain on each layer running a different direction, it’s a very strong building material.
It’s more expensive than MDF. And obviously, the higher the grade, and the more special the species of wood, the more expensive it gets.
Face veneers are often very thin and easy to sand through if you are not careful.