Which material is better for furniture: laminated chipboard, MDF or fiberboard

With so many options available, selecting the ideal material for your furniture can seem like a difficult choice. MDF, fiberboard, and laminated chipboard are a few of the most widely used options. You can choose wisely if you are aware of the advantages and disadvantages of each of these materials.

Although laminated chipboard, MDF, and fiberboard appear to be similar at first, they have different properties under different conditions. Whether you’re replacing some old shelves, designing a wardrobe, or building new cabinets, the material you choose will have an impact on the project’s cost, durability, and appearance.

The main qualities of each material will be broken down in this article so you can choose the one that best suits your needs. You can choose the best furniture for your home by being aware of these distinctions, regardless of whether strength, affordability, or aesthetics are your top priorities.

Material Pros and Cons
Laminated Chipboard Affordable, available in many designs, but less durable and can swell with moisture.
MDF More durable than chipboard, smooth surface for painting, but heavier and more expensive.
Fiberboard Cheap, lightweight, but very weak and often used for backing rather than main furniture pieces.

It’s important to consider the advantages and disadvantages of laminated chipboard, MDF, and fiberboard when selecting furniture materials. Although laminated chipboard can be less durable, it is inexpensive and simple to clean, making it ideal for projects on a tight budget. Though more expensive, MDF provides a smoother finish and more flexibility for intricate designs. Although fiberboard is environmentally friendly and robust, handling it can be difficult. The ideal material ultimately comes down to your personal preferences, financial situation, and how the furniture will be used.

Characteristics of wood boards

You must take into account a material’s properties in order to select the best one.

Fiberboard

The production of furniture parts uses this product extensively. Understanding the meaning behind the acronym, fiberboard, reveals the product’s makeup. Principal characteristics of the substance:

  1. Moisture resistance. This is a significant advantage. Panels are able to withstand serious changes in humidity, but if the impact is strong or constant, then deformation and warping will occur.
  2. Durability. The service life is calculated in tens of years with proper use.
  3. Safety. The products comply with all standards, so they can be used for any room in the house.
  4. Easy to install. Cutting is done with a regular tool.
  5. Resistance to mechanical impact. This is due to the high density of the boards – from 750 to 1100 kg / m 3 .

Hardboard is a refined type of fiberboard that is hard and is used in the production of interior items. Parts up to 6 mm thick, such as back walls, drawer bottoms, frame facades, and decorative inserts for open areas, can be produced using this option.

MDF

"Medium density fiberboard" is what it stands for. This product, a sort of fiberboard made by the "dry" method, is typically categorized under a different heading. Laminated chipboard is a common comparison for the material. While both choices are highly sought-after and well-liked, MDF has certain advantages:

  • Environmental friendliness. Although the panels contain binders that can have a harmful effect on humans, their amount is minimal. In addition, the boards undergo a full decorative finish, which eliminates any fumes.
  • Processability. Due to the dense structure, the parts can be cut, milled and shaped without fear of damage. This parameter distinguishes MDF from other products.
  • Variety of decorative coatings. The surface of the boards can be finished with PVC film, acrylic, plastic and enamel to give the desired visual effect.
  • Resistance to moisture. In this indicator, the material is inferior to the previous variety, but is superior to chipboard.
  • High price. This is a significant disadvantage of the product. The product is expensive not only due to its good qualities due to the production technology, but also because of the processing.

MDF can catch fire just like any other wood board, but it takes a very high temperature to do so.

Items that range in thickness from 8 to 18 mm are utilized in the furniture manufacturing process. Panels are typically used to create the facades of kitchen cabinets, chests of drawers, and cabinets. However, thanks to sophisticated technology, radius elements are also possible. The product works well for creating shoe cabinet shelves and figured overlays.

Chipboard and laminated chipboard

This is an acronym for "chipboard." The parts’ greater fractional composition is the primary distinction between it and the preceding variants. Despite being widely available in the furniture market, the product is highly controversial. It is an indisputable fact that formaldehyde resins are present in chipboard. However, processed boards with a safety class of E1 or E0.5 are considered when assessing environmental friendliness because they are utilized in the manufacturing of interior items. With a laminated coating is the most common choice. The cladding reduces the amount of harmful fumes to almost nothing.

Moreover, laminated chipboard has the following characteristics:

  1. High strength. The outer decorative layer has good wear resistance, the elements are able to withstand serious loads. The density of the panel has a great influence: low-quality sheets are porous and fragile.
  2. Need for special treatment. Although trimming is not difficult and can be done with improvised tools, a special machine that performs upper cutting and lower trimming is required for a high-quality result. This is necessary to avoid chipping of the lamination.
  3. Availability. The cost of the product depends on the thickness, cladding and strength, but it is significantly less than that of MDF.
  4. Decorativeness. A significant advantage of the material is a wide range of colors and imitation of wood texture. This allows you to create visually attractive interior solutions.
  5. Low moisture resistance. Due to the porosity, the panels quickly absorb water, so for areas that will be constantly exposed to moisture, panels with a special protective impregnation are selected. You can minimize the impact of humidity when using standard boards: for this, their edges are closed, and the front layer should not have damage.

Chipboard is a general-purpose material that can be used to make nearly any type of furniture.

Comparison of materials

In order to ascertain the distinction between the slabs, several considerations must be made:

  • Environmental friendliness. It is believed that for the production of furniture, exclusively wood -fiber products can be used, since they are environmentally friendly. In fact, all varieties produced in large quantities contain a certain percentage of connecting resins with toxicity, but their concentration does not exceed the norm.
  • Wear resistance. Determining the most durable material is not always simple, since all varieties tolerate mechanical loads well, but are deformed with a point effect.
  • Humidity resistance. If we compare the MDF and chipboard in this parameter, the first option will be an unconditional favorite. It is from medium-density boards that furniture for bathrooms and shower rooms is produced. But properly processed laminated chipboard parts are also able to withstand fluctuations in humidity.

The prevalence of low-quality products in large quantities on the furniture market gives rise to negative attitudes towards chipboard products. The majority of their production takes place in private workshops, where fittings are distributed without considering technology and low-density boards are utilized to lower production costs.

The material you choose for furniture will depend on your budget and unique requirements. Laminated chipboard is a popular option for projects on a tight budget because it’s readily available and reasonably priced. It isn’t as strong or resistant to moisture, though, as alternative solutions.

MDF provides an equilibrium between price and quality. In comparison to chipboard, it is more durable and has a smoother, more uniform surface that is easier to paint or veneer. It may still be vulnerable to moisture damage, though.

Of the three, fiberboard is the densest and most resilient. It is a fantastic option for furniture that needs to be sturdy and long-lasting because it resists deterioration well. But it’s usually more costly and difficult to handle.

The ideal material for your furniture ultimately comes down to your priorities. Consider lamination on chipboard if you’re looking for something reasonably priced. MDF is a good option if you’re looking for a better-quality middle-ground option. Fiberboard is the best option if durability is your main concern.

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Veronica Gerasimova

Interior designer, author of books on the design of residential premises. I will help you make your home not only functional, but also beautiful.

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