Chipboard and MDF are frequently used abbreviations. Let's try to figure out what they mean and, most importantly, how they differ from each other. After all, chipboard and MDF are considered the most popular materials used for the production of doors, cabinet furniture and other structures.

Definition

Chipboard– chipboard. It is formed by flat hot pressing of wood particles (sawdust and shavings), impregnated with a binder, mainly formaldehyde resins. The raw material for the production of chipboard is low-value wood, both deciduous and coniferous. Chipboard is characterized by increased strength, water resistance, and excellent heat and sound insulation properties. It is used in the furniture industry, but due to the formaldehyde resins it contains, it is not recommended for the production of children's furniture.

MDF is a wood fiber board medium density, for the production of which very fine sawdust is used. Fiber boards are formed from wood waste or deforestation waste, which is ground into small cubes, then treated with steam supplied under high pressure, and fed to the disks of the grating machine. The rubbed material is sent for drying and subsequent gluing. Wood particles are glued together with paraffin or lignin, so MDF is exclusively environmentally friendly material. MDF is widely used for doors, furniture, laminate flooring and moldings. The surface of MDF boards is smooth, uniform, even, dense, and easy to process.

Comparison

The most important difference between chipboard and MDF is their production technology. MDF, unlike chipboard, is made by dry pressing small wood chips under high pressure and temperature. For the production of chipboards, the hot pressing method is used. To form chipboard, low-value tree species are used, while for the production of MDF, wood offcuts or wood intended for felling are used.

Fine chips are glued together with paraffin or lignin, and when chipboard production Synthetic resins are used for gluing chips. Thus, MDF, unlike particle boards, is considered an environmentally friendly material, which in its environmental characteristics is close to natural wood. During operation, chipboard releases formaldehyde (a rather toxic substance) into the air. Products made from fibreboards can be used in rooms with air humidity up to 80% ( wooden crafts– up to 60%).

Conclusions website

1. MDF is produced by dry pressing of small chips under the influence of high temperature and pressure, chipboard - by hot pressing.
2. For the production of chipboard, low-value tree species are used, for the production of MDF, wood offcuts or wood intended for felling are used.
3. MDF is an environmentally friendly material, and chipboard releases formaldehyde into the air during operation.
4. MDF, unlike particle boards, can be used in rooms with high humidity(up to 80%).

With the development of technology, more and more construction and finishing materials are appearing on the market. At the end of the last century we had MDF. There are MDF boards that are used in construction work, There is finishing panels, which can be used to decorate walls/ceilings or make furniture.

What is MDF and its manufacturing method

MDF appeared on our market in the last years of the last century, and it was invented in the USA in the late 60s of the 20th century. You can understand what MDF is if you translate its English name - MDF - Medium Density Fiberboard. This translates into Russian as “medium density fiberboard.” That is, the Russian-language name was formed using transliteration - instead of Latin letters they put similar Russian ones. A common phenomenon for our language.

MDF - medium density fiberboard

Manufacturing process

MDF is made from wood, ground to the state of very fine chips, almost to the state of fibers. Wood processing waste is mainly used, so the release of this material does not harm forests.

The ground wood is cleaned of sand and other foreign inclusions, washed and dried. The prepared mass is heated, a tape of the required width is formed from it, and then pressed. Under pressure, a natural binder, lignin, is released from heated wood fibers. It is he who is the binder in this material. The final shape of the products is given in a finishing press, which squeezes out the remaining air from the mass, forming a homogeneous MDF structure.

After pressing, the cooled material is submitted for grinding, where the flaws on the surface are removed from the MDF and the material is brought to the required thickness.

Not all types of wood provide a sufficient amount of binder. Then a similar, previously isolated lignin or other natural binder is added. Of all the leafy ones wood materials MDF is considered the safest, since the binder is natural, and formaldehyde emissions are comparable to those of wood (emission class F1, that is, it is allowed to be used for the manufacture of furniture for children's and medical institutions).

During production, fibreboards can be given special properties. Basically, moisture resistance additives increase moisture resistance and reduce flammability.

Appearance and release forms

In its “pure” form, the material has a grayish-brown color; when cut, it is a homogeneous dense mass. The exact shade depends on the type of wood ground and the amount of bark. In this form, the material is used as sheet construction - for the construction of light partitions and leveling walls.

The surface of MDF can be “refined”. It can be painted, laminated with PVC film, covered with veneer or plastic. This gives a fairly large number of design options, which is used in the furniture industry and in the production of finishing materials.

The production technology allows us to create products of various shapes, thicknesses, and sizes. During finishing pressing, a certain relief can be formed, which is used in the production of furniture and doors. Finishing materials such as slabs and panels are also made from MDF. They make skirting boards, platbands, and other moldings from it. All these materials can be used for interior decoration premises.

The structure of MDF is fine-fiber; dust is generated during milling, which makes it possible to produce carved products. This is used in making carved decorative elements— panels, decorative grilles, figured furniture facades.

MDF or chipboard - which is better?

Having appeared on the market, MDF created competition. This was facilitated by its properties:

All this led to the growing popularity of the material. Even though MDF is more expensive than chipboard. To some extent, MDF even competed with wood. For example, skirting boards, MDF trim, and finishing panels are increasingly used. This is due, firstly, to lower cost, and secondly, to greater practicality. Wood requires regular maintenance - painting, varnishing. MDF special care does not require. It is simply wiped with a damp cloth, using liquid detergent if necessary.

MDF boards

The manufacturing technology of MDF boards allows you to vary the density within a wide range: the minimum value is 760-780 kg/m3, the maximum is 1100 kg/m3 and even higher. Material with a lower density is used where the abrasion load is low: in the furniture industry, for finishing walls and ceilings.

High density MDF boards are used for floor finishing. The material in this category has high abrasion resistance: one and a half times higher than that of oak (oak - 6.9, MDF - 10-11). If we add that the coefficient of warping along the diagonal is only 1.2 mm for every meter of diagonal (for plywood it is 15 mm), the love of furniture makers and finishers for this material becomes clear.

Dimensions and tolerances

One of the most popular forms of release is slabs of different thicknesses and formats. They can be found with the following parameters:

It is convenient to work with MDF boards, since this material has very small tolerances for deviations from dimensions:

• the difference in thickness cannot exceed 0.2 mm (for plywood 0.5-2.5 mm);
• length may differ by no more than 5 mm;
• The width difference cannot be more than 2 mm.

When joining two sheets, the difference in thickness or size is very small or non-existent. Therefore, finishing MDF with sheets or panels is progressing quickly.

Types of surface finishing of sheet material

MDF boards are produced with different types surface treatment:

If we talk about construction and repairs, they use polished MDF boards. When leveling walls or installing light partitions, when leveling floors and ceilings. Here is their approximate scope.

Frame mounting

If the surface of the walls or ceiling is uneven (deviations more than 1 cm), the method of installing sheet MDF is the same as for plasterboard - on a frame. The frame is usually assembled from wooden blocks, but no one forbids installing profiles under drywall. The cross-section of the bars is selected based on the unevenness of the wall - they must compensate for the entire height difference. Most likely, you will need 20*30 mm bars or something like that. They are stuffed horizontally in increments of 40 cm. With this step, the joints of the sheets (they exist if the ceiling height is higher than 280 cm) fall on the bar.

Vertical jumpers are installed for the installation of sheet panels from the same timber. They are placed in increments:

• 54. 3 cm - for sheets with a width of 2170 mm;
• 42.3 cm or 63.5 cm for a width of 1270 mm.

The installation step of the vertical jumpers depends on the thickness of the selected material. For thin sheets (3-4 mm) it should be smaller, for thick sheets (5-6 mm) you can make more.

MDF sheets/plates are attached to the assembled frame. The peculiarity (compared to drywall) is that for hidden fastening you need to drill holes for the fasteners. Otherwise, the fasteners will not fit into a dense slab. To prevent the caps from sticking out above the surface, the hole under them is widened using a drill of a larger diameter.

After installing the screws, holes remain on the surface. They are sealed with putty. If you are planning to putty the walls next, proceed as before - first fill the holes with putty, immediately removing the excess with a spatula. After drying, the putty areas are sanded with fine-grain sandpaper to finally get rid of possible unevenness. Then, having cleared the surface of dust, they begin to putty the walls.

Glue installation

If the walls are smooth, you can mount MDF boards without a frame - using glue. You can use liquid nails or a composition like SM-11. The operating procedure is as follows:

To ensure that the sheet does not move anywhere during installation, you can make holes in the corners and, after leveling, fix the sheet. Even if the self-tapping screw only sticks to the plaster, this will help, since it is required only at the initial stage - until the glue begins to harden.

This method seems simpler and costs less (due to the absence of a frame), but leveling bulky MDF boards is not at all easy. It's better to try on a small section of the wall. The thing is that it is impossible to disassemble what is installed. Only if you destroy the casing completely. So it’s worth thinking about which method is better.

Installation of sheet MDF on the floor

For laying on the floor, choose high-density moisture-resistant MDF boards (from 900 kg/m 3 and above). Sheet thickness - from 5 mm when laid on a subfloor and from 10 mm when installed on joists. IN in this case the installation method is similar to leveling the floor using plywood, only the gaps are smaller, as it changes its parameters wood board much less plywood. Otherwise the rules are similar:

After sanding the putty, the surface of the MDF floor is ready for painting. If you do everything carefully, you get a perfectly flat floor. This base can also be used as a base for flexible finishing materials or laminate.

MDF finishing panels

Finely dispersed pressed boards serve as the basis for the production of decorative finishing panels. The front surface is covered with paper. This is the most cheap option. Slightly more expensive ones are laminated with PVC film. There are also panels covered with veneer. This is a more expensive material. There are also options with plastic, but very rarely.

MDF panel with three-dimensional image - 3D

Decorative MDF panels are most often used to cover walls and sometimes ceilings. This finishing method saves time: the surface is leveled and immediately takes on its final form, since no additional finishing is required.

Types of decorative MDF panels

We will not talk about colors and shades, but about the shape of the inlet and the type of decorative surface. The shapes of finishing panels made of pressed wood fibers are:

When choosing MDF panels, pay attention to the type of finish. Most cheap material covered with paper over which a thin layer is applied protective coating. It is clear that such a surface gets scratched quickly; it can only be wiped with an exceptionally soft, slightly damp cloth. You cannot even use a rough sponge, otherwise light spots will form. Such MDF panels are good for finishing the ceiling - there is no mechanical load at all. If you install them on walls, it is better to immediately cover them with two layers of varnish. You choose the type of surface yourself - gloss, semi-gloss, matte, semi-matte... It is important that the film is durable.

More expensive ones - with PVC and veneer - do not require additional finishing, but the price is 2-3 times more expensive. If your budget is limited, the option described above is not bad.

Installation methods

MDF panels are mounted either on the frame or directly on the wall using glue. The technology is described in the previous paragraph and differs only in that clamps are used for installation - special fastening plates for hidden mounting. The first panel on the wall is installed in the corner. Here it is attached through and through using self-tapping screws. All others are fixed with clamps. After installation is completed, the corners are closed with a special corner profile. It is mounted with glue - applied in a thin layer and pressed at the installation site.

There is also a system of profiles - starting, finishing, connecting and corner (outer and inner corners). But this fastening system is more expensive; it is used with veneered MDF panels, square or rectangular.

There is another subtlety of installing decorative MDF panels on the ceiling. If you use thin sheets/planks - 3-4 mm thick - you need to install hangers often, otherwise the material will bend under its own weight. When using slabs 6-8 mm thick, hangers can be installed less often. They are more rigid and do not bend. But the weight of the finish will be greater, so you will have to use more powerful guides and the hangers themselves.

Ask a specialist to name the two most popular materials for making furniture, and he will confidently name chipboard and MDF. They have long been successfully used as wood substitutes. Although their production technology has similar features, the properties of the materials are different. Once you know these differences, answering the question of which one is better will be easy.

LDSP - laminated chipboard. Its basis is wood shavings, firmly pressed and impregnated with formaldehyde resin. The additive resin is not safe, and there are two environmental standards - E1 and E2. The second allows more harmful substances, so laminated chipboards of the E2 standard are not used for children's rooms and medical premises. The surface of the boards is covered with laminated paper film with the addition of melamine resin, thereby increasing the strength of the material.

MDF - wood fiber board. It is made from sawdust, the binder for which is lignin or paraffin. This stove is safe to use. The board is stronger and more resistant to high temperatures and the presence of water than laminated chipboard, thanks to smaller and more uniform particles.

Properties of MDF boards

· safe;

· resistant to water and high temperatures, mechanical damage;

· soft, fine processing and finishing possible;

· the price is higher than laminated chipboard;

· perfectly hold hinges and other accessories;

· more varied types of finishing - in addition to smooth colored coatings with enamel and plastic, panels, carvings, cornices, and pilasters are widely used;

· practically have advantages natural wood(and they are cheaper).

Looking at the elegant products made in different styles, it can be hard to believe that they are made from MDF. In appearance, they are completely indistinguishable from furniture made of natural wood.

Properties of laminated chipboards

· limitedly safe;

· resistant to temperature changes, moisture, mechanical stress;

· hard, which excludes fine finishing;

· cheaper;

· limited in finishing - covering with laminated film, although with a wide range of colors and textures.

It should be noted that kitchen and bathroom furniture is in the most difficult operating conditions, so it requires special attention. In addition to temperature and humidity, accidental impacts, frequent opening of doors, it is exposed to household chemicals, boiling water and oils. Therefore, experts recommend choosing MDF for such furniture.

Comparing the properties of laminated chipboard and MDF, we see that the main thing advantage of laminated chipboard - attractive price. Do you need economy class furniture at a minimal cost? Then laminated chipboard is what you need. Needed beautiful facades threaded? Fine finish? Beautiful, durable and safe furniture? Then the choice is MDF.

Chipboard and MDF are made from wood, so they are similar in many ways. But besides the cost, there are a number of significant differences. Only after understanding them can we conclude that in a particular situation during the construction process (repair, restoration) it is better to use chipboard or MDF. By the way, this also applies to the choice of furniture. Its strength and durability are the main evaluation criteria, since it is purchased for many years.

• Chipboard. The first two letters indicate the specificity of the raw material (wood chips). That is, the production does not use dust, as in the manufacture of some types of building materials, but rather large fractions. The last letter indicates the type of product (slab).

• MDF. The confusion in decoding is due to the fact that when displaying markings, English phraseology is written in Russian letters. In fact, this is also a board, but slightly different in structure - wood fiber. That is, the source material is subjected to more thorough grinding at the preparation stage.

To understand which of the two varieties of the same type of product is better (chipboard or MDF), you need to understand what their differences are in operational characteristics. This is what determines the specific application of each sample.

Features of materials

All the advantages of the slabs indicated below, as well as a number of disadvantages, are the result of an analysis of reviews and an exchange of opinions on thematic forums. From the author’s point of view, they deserve more trust than information posted on the websites of dealers and manufacturers. At least, you definitely can’t call them custom-made.

Chipboard

The prepared mixture based on wood fractions (shavings, sawdust) and an adhesive composition is subjected to “hot” pressing, that is, simultaneously exposed to high pressure and temperature. And here there is one of the main differences from MDF. Wood particles vary in size and shape. In addition, there is a difference in the proportion of components and the type of glue used. Based on this, all chipboard slabs are divided into groups according to their structure density - low, medium and high. That is, the buyer has a choice according to this criterion.

Samples can consist of one or several layers (up to 5), which also diversifies their assortment.

Depending on the amount of toxic formaldehyde (one of the components of the adhesive) in the initial mixture for chipboard, the boards are divided into categories E0 (minimum percentage, which in practice is not taken into account), E1 (low content) and E2 (increased).

Pros:

• Large range of products, which allows you to make optimal choice Chipboard.
• Attractive price. Compared to MDF, with all the same parameters of the boards (dimensions, thickness), it is lower by about 30 - 35%. This is partly due to the fact that there is significant competition in this market segment, and in order to increase sales, manufacturers are forced to reduce the price of chipboard sheets.

Minuses:

• Toxicity. Perhaps this is an overly harsh definition, but it is clear that formaldehyde is present in almost all adhesives for this type of slab. Consequently, when the resin is heated, harmful fumes are released. The only difference is in their concentration (depending on the category of chipboard and local conditions).
• "Looseness" of the structure. Even if the chipboard density is maximum (820 kg/m3), repeated installation/dismantling of these boards is not recommended. After several reinstallations, the fasteners in the mounting socket gradually begin to loosen, which sharply reduces the reliability of the assembly. Therefore, it is not advisable to use chipboard for the manufacture of mobile (portable) structures. As a last resort, for the back walls of various cabinets, racks and the like, where you can drill new holes as much as you like - they will still be hidden from visual view.
• Difficulty of processing. During the cutting process, especially if the tool is chosen incorrectly, the result is not just a wide cut, but also one with fringe on the edges. Milling and cutting grooves on chipboard is not recommended at all. On your own, without practical skills, achieve High Quality it won't work. This should be taken into account by those who decide to make any piece of furniture from these slabs with their own hands.
• Low bending strength. Here it is short - even high-density chipboards break quite easily (under certain conditions). Therefore, it should not be used in places exposed to dynamic influences. Only for “stationary” structural elements.

MDF

Manufacturing conditions are largely similar to chipboard ( hot steam, pressing), but the technology is somewhat different. Wood processing waste is crushed, after which it is also wiped using special equipment. In fact, these are already microscopic fractions, a dusty mass. After drying, it is mixed with an adhesive and pressed. Therefore, there is no need to talk about any layers - MDF boards are homogeneous in their structure and have a high density (790 ± 50).

"Environmentally friendly". At MDF manufacturing resins containing toxic components are not used. Everything is only natural (wood fractions + adhesives based on lingin, paraffin or something similar), without “chemistry”.

Accuracy of all linear parameters. Pressing the “dust” makes it possible to almost completely eliminate deviations from the declared size. In addition, the edges and ends of the slabs are smooth, so there is no need to additionally sand the base before further finishing. The result is a partial reduction in installation (assembly) costs and time savings.

Pros:

• Ease of processing. MDF, unlike chipboard, can be milled, make various cuts, and drill. During the cutting process, there is an even cut, high accuracy and a minimum of waste.
• High strength. The result is the possibility of constructing prefabricated structures. As a material for furniture (taking into account the low cost of production), especially when making it yourself, MDF is one of the best options.
• Relative plasticity. In this parameter, these boards are superior to chipboard. With slight deformation of the structure, as well as excessive loading of the sample, the MDF will not break, but will only bend slightly (if the thickness is initially selected correctly).
• Good moisture resistance. If it will not last long in damp rooms, then MDF can be used. Especially if the plate is laminated.

Minuses:

• Flammability. Both chipboard and MDF, as wood-based materials, are susceptible to combustion. There is no escape from this. But with wood fiber boards you need to be more careful in this regard. They react more strongly to open fire. Therefore, when installing and finishing MDF, it cannot be used (in the form gas burners or something similar). For example, when fixing self-adhesive sheets of rolled materials on such a basis.
• Low impact strength. Despite the certain plasticity of the board, a fallen heavy object leaves a dent on the MDF. It is quite difficult to eliminate such a defect. Therefore, it is better not to use these products for finishing floors.
• The cost is higher than chipboard. This limits the use of MDF in various utility rooms and so on. That is, where appearance does not play a special role, it is better to focus on chipboard of the corresponding category.

Conclusion

Strength

In terms of the upper limit of this parameter, when it comes to loaded structures, there is no significant difference between chipboard and MDF. However, for other purposes (less critical elements) choice of chipboard much wider, since the numerical expressions of this characteristic lie in a fairly large range (density value from 350 to 820 kg/m³). And since this directly affects the cost of products, competent calculation and selection of a sample of the required group allows us to talk about the possibility of optimizing costs.

Degree of edge processing

On the one hand, the finer the fractions, the smoother the surface. If we look at it from this point of view, then MDF is better. Although there are modifications of chipboard that are distinguished by their excellent appearance. They have a designation in the abbreviation (through a dash) from the letters P-A. These slabs are sanded, so they do not need to be further processed before applying varnish or gluing.

"Ecological cleanliness"

Buyers often pay attention to the toxicity of certain building materials, and they do the right thing. This largely determines whether the product is worth using in a residential area or not. In this regard, MDF has an advantage. Such stoves, even at high temperatures (for example, in the kitchen), practically do not emit harmful components. But with chipboard you should be more careful. They are mainly used in the arrangement of various utility rooms or outbuildings (racks in garages, sheds, surface cladding, etc.). For residential - in some cases, and then, products whose labeling contains the designation of category E0 or 1.

In this case, it is recommended to organize additional protection against the release of toxins by a surface coating (film, paint and varnish compositions or something else). Moreover, all edges of the chipboard slab are processed, including its end parts (especially after cutting the sample).

It remains to add that to reduce the cost of work, it is advisable to resort to a combination of materials. That is, the visible part of the structure is made of MDF, and the part that is hidden (the back wall, internal partitions compartments and the like) - from chipboard. This is exactly what thrifty “home craftsmen” generally do.

Well, what exactly to choose – chipboard or MDF – should be decided based on the specifics of the application. If you take into account the costs of the slabs, all the nuances of their preparation, installation and the duration of further operation in specific conditions, then determining what is better in this case is not at all difficult.

The construction industry today uses many of the most different materials, intended for interior work. Among them are MDF and chipboard, which are largely similar materials, but also have significant differences. In order to properly use this or that material, you need to know the main characteristics and features of each type.

What is chipboard?

The abbreviation chipboard is chipboard. This material is made by pressing wood sawdust and shavings at high temperatures. Formaldehyde or synthetic resins are used to bind the natural component of the boards.

The raw material for the manufacture of chipboard can be wood waste from softwood and hardwood. The basic properties of the material are determined by the size, density and shape of the particles, as well as the quality and quantity of resins. Based on this, chipboards come in high, medium and low density. The chipboard structure can be one-, three- or five-layer.

According to the degree of safety for human health, chipboard is divided into two types: E1 (has low level formaldehyde content) and E2 (with a significant level of formaldehyde content).

Advantages and disadvantages

The main advantages of chipboard include its mechanical strength, moisture resistance and accessibility for mechanical processing. This material is easy to saw, drill, it can be milled, planed, painted and glued. In addition, the cost of chipboard is relatively low.

In some respects, chipboards are superior to ordinary wood. They are more fire-resistant, less susceptible to changes in humidity and temperature, less susceptible to mold, and have more pronounced heat and sound insulation properties.

Negative qualities include the presence of formaldehyde resins in the chipboard composition. As a result, a certain amount of this substance is constantly released into environment, which when using the material indoors can cause allergies in humans.

Application area

Chipboard in construction is used as finishing (for example, laminated boards). This material is also suitable for the construction interior partitions, flooring. In rooms with high level It is not recommended to use it in humidity.

What is MDF?

This material is a medium-density fiberboard made from fine sawdust. The basis of raw materials is waste from the wood processing industry and logging. When making MDF, wood raw materials are specially ground, then treated with steam under high pressure, after which they are fed to the rotating discs of the defibrator. After rubbing, the material is brought to a state resembling felt, and is thoroughly dried and glued together.

Advantages and disadvantages

This is a very dense and homogeneous material, which makes it mechanically strong, resistant to moisture and hot steam. The cost of MDF is also relatively low. It is especially worth noting its environmental safety and harmlessness to human health: the particles that make up MDF are bonded together using paraffin and lingin. The advantages of MDF include the ability to maintain geometric parameters for a long time.

A distinctive feature of MDF is its exceptional surface quality: it is smooth, even, uniform and at the same time very dense. Mechanical processing of the material does not cause difficulties.

The disadvantages of MDF boards include their easy flammability when in contact with an open flame. It is also worth noting that the resistance to mechanical damage is not very high: an accidental fall of a heavy object onto the MDF surface can leave a dent.

Application area

MDF is used for blocks together with boxes and platbands made of the same material. Laminated platbands and linings for entrance doors are made from MDF.

MDF boards can also be used to construct interior partitions, but they are not suitable for flooring due to their mechanical vulnerability. At the same time, their use in rooms with high levels of humidity is quite acceptable.

Conclusion

Comparing these two materials, we come to the conclusion that for use as a construction and finishing material, used for interior design, MDF is more preferable. The reason is safety for human health. The exception is flooring work, which is best done using chipboards, as they are more durable.

Video of making an economical facade.