3mm Moisture Resistant MDF

[custard]

Anyone know where I can buy some?

There's plenty of 3mm regular MDF (and 2mm), and plenty of 6mm Moisture Resistant MDF, but I can't find any 3mm Moisture Resistant MDF.

My usual stockist (Timbmet) is out, and when I contacted Medite directly they say they only produce intermittently and it's not currently scheduled.

Thanks

 

[Steve Jones]

I asked at BGN Boards in Oldbury West Midlands recently for 4mm MR and was told it's not available.
Haven't been able to find anymore.

Steve

 

[Peter Sefton]

I have also been told that 6mm MR is now the thinest being produced.

Cheers Peter

 

[custard]

Ouch! I thought it was widely used under engineered wooden floors and would therefore always be available, seems not.

For structural furniture components I take a core of baltic birch which is passed through a drum sander to get it as flat as possible, then skinned with 3mm moisture resistant MDF, and lipped as required. It's the best substrate I've found for saw cut veneers. The ply core takes loose tenons and fastenings securely, the MDF provides a great veneering ground, and the whole is ultra stable.

Options are veneer direct onto a solid wood substrate (not stable enough, plus differential shrinkage problems). Veneer direct onto ply (problems with flatness and ply flaws telegraphing through). Veneer onto thick moisture resistant MDF (how strong would that be for tenoning?). Replace 3mm moisture resistant MDF with 2 or 3mm normal MDF (but you just know that one day a cup of coffee or a water filled vase will get spilt on it).

I know a number of American designer/makers are moving to veneering directly onto blockboard, but maybe they can get better quality blockboard in the US, I've always thought of it as something cheap for loft hatches that you paint over! Anyone any experience with UK blockboard?

Any other possibilities?

 

[MartinCox]

Custard, I'm about to embark upon a project. Current plan is to use birch ply substrate with MR MDF then veneered with home saw cut apple ( from a rare old fashioned orchard being grubbed out). Really so that I can look at the table and think the wood (okay the veneer) came from 100 yards away.

From your experience:

Do I need to apply the MR MDF top and bottom?
And/or
Apply veneer (apple one side, plain the other) to both sides

My inclination was to do both but more out of insecurity if I didn't. Your thoughts based upon experience would invaluable

 

[custard]

Martin, it needs to be symmetrical about the core, so ply and then on both sides MDF, then saw cut veneer on both sides. However, you can have a show saw cut veneer on one side and a backing grade saw cut veneer on the other.

Apple is a lovely and under used timber, probably my favourite of all the fruitwoods. Let me know if I can assist with your project.

Good luck!

 

[Peter Sefton]

Ouch! I thought it was widely used under engineered wooden floors and would therefore always be available, seems not.

For structural furniture components I take a core of baltic birch which is passed through a drum sander to get it as flat as possible, then skinned with 3mm moisture resistant MDF, and lipped as required. It's the best substrate I've found for saw cut veneers. The ply core takes loose tenons and fastenings securely, the MDF provides a great veneering ground, and the whole is ultra stable.

Options are veneer direct onto a solid wood substrate (not stable enough, plus differential shrinkage problems). Veneer direct onto ply (problems with flatness and ply flaws telegraphing through). Veneer onto thick moisture resistant MDF (how strong would that be for tenoning?). Replace 3mm moisture resistant MDF with 2 or 3mm normal MDF (but you just know that one day a cup of coffee or a water filled vase will get spilt on it).

I know a number of American designer/makers are moving to veneering directly onto blockboard, but maybe they can get better quality blockboard in the US, I've always thought of it as something cheap for loft hatches that you paint over! Anyone any experience with UK blockboard?

Any other possibilities?

I am not that keen on veneering over the green MR MDF particularly when using light veneers like Sycamore, so I prefer to use a 1.5mm Birch ply as a skin between the core and finish veneer. The general quality of Birch ply does seem to have dropped and as you say telegraphing of ply production issues is a problem. Other wise I am relatively happy with veneering over a good quality MDF and would expect a good layer of UF glue below the veneer and a good finish above to keep and hot coffee cup problems isolated from the substrate MDF.

I do also think that block board is fairly poor, we did use it a couple of years ago for a floating wall unit as it's so light weight but we did have to cover this with 3mm MDF prior to veneering to improve the surface finish.

With the quality

 

[custard]

Thanks Peter, good comments, but if you do hear of any 3mm MR MDF please let us know.

 

[Peter Sefton]

Thanks Peter, good comments, but if you do hear of any 3mm MR MDF please let us know.

Will do

Cheers Peter

 

[Droogs]

Custard,
since we last spoke about this I've found a supplier of fenolic faced harwood core blockwood and wondered if this would maybe suite you by missing out the MR MDF substrate

http://noyekplywood.co.uk/plywood-osb-s ... 40-1220-mm

rgds
droogs