The reader goes on to ask if she should buy kitchen cabinetry made of MDF and thermofoil.
MDF is often described as nothing more than sawdust and glue compacted into slabs under high pressure. That's not too far from the truth. Because the surface of MDF does not take paint well, it is often wrapped in thermofoil. Don't let the "foil" part of thermofoil throw you off. Thermofoil has no metallic content.
Kraftmaid describes thermofoil as such:
Flexible, 100 percent solid-colored vinyl. With adhesive on its underside, it is applied to smooth, engineered wood or MDF which has been formed into a door, drawer or
molding design. It has solid, semi-transparent coloration and is easy to clean and maintain. Ideal for durable areas.
Indeed, thermofoil cabinets are like the vinyl siding of kitchen (or bathroom) cabinetry: a cheap, short-term solution, often maligned but with a number of valid good points.
The Good
- Thermofoil is seamless.
- Impervious to most staining.
- MDF/Thermofoil cabinets tend to be among the cheapest on the market.
- Smooth surface, consistent color.
The Bad
- Thermofoil easily chips.
- It has the tendency to peel away all on its own--over time, though.
- Thermofoil-faced MDF cabinets cannot be re-thermofoiled. Difficult to paint, too.
- MDF contains formaldehyde.
- MDF itself can chip away quite easily.
Comments
I agree with the article for the most part. However the one thing that was left out about the cost of the Thermafoil cabinets and shouldn’t be is that for the most part they are cheaper. For instance if its an import cabinet from china then it would be cheaper. But Kraft maid makes several thermafoil doors that aren’t cheaper than some of their solid wood doors. They come with a longer warranty as well. The reason is that the processes for making thremafoil doors have gotten better and the end result is a product that will hold up better than wood.
This is a link to a blog dedicated to the 3D Laminate market, specifically how “3D Laminate Thermofoils are Ideal for High End Kitchens”. Hopefully it’s an eye-opening read.
My info is that MDF is used in very high end cabinets and is superior to plywood in several respects. “Furniture board”, a generic term for a commonly used particle board type in cabinet manufacturing on low/mid level products, is not the same quality as MDF.
I don’t know if I agree completely with the summary of thermofoil cabinets. Firstly saying that MDF is like sawdust with glue is like saying tires are basically just wild gum tree sap. MDF outperforms natural wood in many ways from mill-ability and warping.
Kraftmaid’s discription of thermofoil isn’t accurate as well. Thermofoil is in fact classified as rigid and not “flexible”. Flexible constitutes material which contains more plasticizers whereas most quality thermofoils are rigid.
As for thermofoil chipping this is more indicative of a thin or inferior thermofoil door. It is extremely hard to chip a quality thermofoil. And also for peeling up, a properly made thermofoil door should not peel up. Of course with extreme heat it wreaks havoc on thermofoil.
Also with MDF containing formaldehyde this is an old issue. The American board manufacturers now produce formaldehyde free board.
Products are hard to pigeon hole. Certainly man made products such as fiberglass doesn’t make the Corvette inferior to an all steel Ford Pinto. A quality MDF and thermofoil Kitchen can be extremely high quality or it can be low quality; it depends upon the manufacturer and materials used.
A vinyl coating that is heat-fused to an MDF substrate which may have been milled, shaped, or routed so that it can assume a fairly complex profile. During the heat process the thermafoil conforms to the sub straight material creating a very uniform finish and stylish door. It is very cost effective. Check our cabinets … and we sell to homebuilders and distributors.