Fun with MDF

[petermillard]

This run of bookcases and cabinets kept me quiet for the last week or so. Fitted into a garden office, it runs around an L-shaped corner, then back on itself with a floor-to-ceiling shallow bookcase, carefully avoiding the consumer unit, sockets, heating and alarm controls on the return.

Really flat, grey day when I took these, so the colours are a bit wonky...

Run of cabinets and bookcases:-

And into the return:-

Everything in MR MDF; 22mm for the bookshelves & uprights, 18mm for the carcasses, 25mm for the top and 22mm / 6mm panel for the doors. Fabbed and painted (acrylic primer/undercoat then Dulux diamond water-based eggshell, all with a foam roller) in the workshop, installed in a (long!) day with a helper.

Considering it's a new build, the floor and ceiling were spectacularly out of true, but otherwise no major headaches - and a very happy customer

Cheers, Pete

 

[Charlie Woody]

Nice job Peter, well done.

 

[Nippychippy]

Very nice peter I have been thinking about something like this where did you get the shelf system cheers for the help

 

[petermillard]

Thanks. Bookcase strips and shelf studs came from Isaac Lord - uprights were 1400mm so I needed the longer type. Strips were set into a routed groove in each upright.

Cheers, Pete

 

[Graham Orm]

Lovely job =D>

 

[Nippychippy]

Thanks I'll look that up

 

[Flynnwood]

Very nice job indeed.

Q: Have you any experience with how the Dulux diamond water-based eggshell lasts over time (in a kitchen)?

Tia

 

[trexy]

Looks great Pete. Really nice install and the paintwork look great.

 

[trexy]

Pete if you dont mind me asking what camera did you use to take these? with as they do look very crisp.
Well compared to my Rubbish iPhone 5 whic i use to photograph my own stuff. They always seem a bit dull and slightly
out of focus. Thanks

Tel

 

[mailee]

Very nice job. As has been stated the photos are really crisp too.

 

[petermillard]

Very nice job indeed.

Q: Have you any experience with how the Dulux diamond water-based eggshell lasts over time (in a kitchen)?

Tia

Thanks. The water-based eggshell lasts very well indeed though I actually prefer the Leyland one to the Dulux; customer specified Dulux on this job, but sometimes it's just left to me. Dulux does dry *very* quickly though!

Cheers, Pete.

 

[petermillard]

Pete if you dont mind me asking what camera did you use to take these? with as they do look very crisp.
Well compared to my Rubbish iPhone 5 whic i use to photograph my own stuff. They always seem a bit dull and slightly
out of focus. Thanks

Tel

Ahem, they were taken with my iPhone 5 actually - sorry dude, but it's not the camera Hey, maybe those 20-odd years I spent taking pictures for a living paid off in the end?? http://www.petermillard.com/whatidid for my old photography website

Cheers, Pete.

 

[apreston]

Impressive, and it only took you a week - hope you don't take this the wrong way, but I'm quite surprised how a load of MDF can look so good! I'm planning something similar myself, although my preference is for plenty of real wood grain on show rather than white. Mind you, it'll take me a lot more than a week to do my job. What construction did you use for the doors?

 

[devonwoody]

Lovely painting job as well. =D> =D> =D>

 

[chippy1970]

hope you don't take this the wrong way, but I'm quite surprised how a load of MDF can look so good!

I really don't get how people have such a downer on MDF . It's a material just like any other and if used by someone who knows what they're doing, can look amazing.

Nice clean job Pete , see what you mean about the levels that ceiling does run out a bit. The builder needs a new level.

Chris

 

[petermillard]

hope you don't take this the wrong way, but I'm quite surprised how a load of MDF can look so good!

I really don't get how people have such a downer on MDF . It's a material just like any other and if used by someone who knows what they're doing, can look amazing.

Have to agree - MDF's a great product when used properly, and (as all materials) within it's limitations. Guaranteed splinter-free, too

FYI door construction was with simple loose tenons throughout. Carcasses were with Dominos for alignment, and carcass screws. Carcass screws where I could for the bookcase uprights, and pocket-hole screws elsewhere.

Nice clean job Pete , see what you mean about the levels that ceiling does run out a bit. The builder needs a new level...

Thanks Chris. Yeah, you can see it on the floor as well - the plinth at the LHS was jacked up by about 20mm; just hope the whole building isn't slowly sinking backwards :shock:

 

[chippy1970]

I built some bookcases recently and only put a tiny plinth on it. Started fitting and found the floor was miles out. Had to do a bit of messing about that day :grin:

 

[Tony Spear]

Fun.......MDF....Isn't what they call an Oxymoron? :? :? :?

Seriously though - that's very impressive.

 

[petermillard]

Fun.......MDF....Isn't what they call an Oxymoron? :? :? :?

No! Seriously, I really enjoy working with MDF - which is probably just as well! And just in case it wasn't clear, apreston's comment about 'a load of MDF' is spot on - 'cos that's what it is (albeit nicely re-arranged to represent bookcases and cabinets) - though I do sometimes wonder what MDF has done to attract such ire?? Have people really had worse experiences with it than, say, the Bananawood from e.g. B&Q?

Seriously though - that's very impressive.

Thank you. It's probably one of the bigger jobs that I've built and pre-finished in the workshop to fit on-site, and there's always the fear that you've missed *something* - never mind the headache of being an hour away from the workshop, so if anything was forgotten it would be a two-hour delay, minimum...

There was a bit of wiggle-room with the design (40mm in 3.6m), that in the event was all I needed - the only real headache was the floor running out of true. The cabinets were pre-built, but the bookcases hadn't been screwed together at all until it was time to install - and it all went to plan, thankfully; better to be lucky than good, I always say

Cheers, Pete

 

[apreston]

I wouldn't say I've had bad experiences with MDF. I don't have a downer against it. I've made some very practical furniture from it myself, but never managed to make it look as good as yours - "impressive" is right.