Looking for advice on the best approach for a client who wants painted slab cabinet doors with a vertical v-groove. We have always built 5 piece doors so this is new territory for me. We use a CNC in the shop and my initial thought is to cut MDF for the doors on the CNC, but I have never produced 100% MDF doors with no rail/stile. We use MDF for our paint grade 5 piece door panels so working with MDF isn't new, but I am worried about the durability of the edges as well as the finish quality. Any advice?

View higher quality, full size image (928 X 1145)

View higher quality, full size image (1682 X 145)

Thanks for the response James, but I'm more concerned with the performance of an MDF slab door long term. Machining the doors won't be an issue. Have you made doors like these and seen how they hold up?

Skip,
What is your definition of "long term performance"? The use of MDF as it pertains to doors has been discussed on this forum many times and there are some that trash the idea and avoid mdf like the plague. Then then there are those that have been using it for quite a while without issue. We have been carving 1 piece mdf doors regularly for about 5 years now. We also supply mdf carved doors to other shops in our area. In my experience, normal everyday use of opening & closing doors/drawers does not result in any noticeable difference between an mdf door or a 5 piece hardwood door. I will 100% agree that if little Johny rolls his tonka truck across the kitchen floor and it were to strike an mdf door, that door will show more damage than a hardwood door would. However in either case a blow of that magnitude would have damaged the paint/enamel/varnish of either door style resulting in the need for some type of repair.

In my world, in our market place/geographical region, MDF doors and drawer fronts are a very acceptable option to use/offer in today's paint crazy mindset.

I am probably opening a can of worms but I think mdf gets a bad wrap on this forum from a handful of people and it unfairly scares a lot of people . We have been making mdf painted doors for long enough that if were a problem it would have shown up by now. I would put them in my own house if I wanted painted cabinets.

The biggest failure of any cabinet door starts when moisture gets under the finish. The finish will always crack at the stile and rail joint from natural wood movement so this is the most common place failure starts. This invites moisture to get in and under the finish. There are no such joints in a one piece mdf door so the most common cause of finish failure does not exist.

We always give our customers the choice of mdf or a 5 piece door. They almost always go with the mdf. We do not push one over the other because we get paid either way.

Some call mdf garbage, and a lot of other names and that working with it is poor craftsmanship. I couldn't disagree more. My guess is they have never used it or given it a fair chance.

I say make them doors out of mdf and don't look back. Even if a door does fail, which it wont, it is very easy to replace.

If you have any concerns with durability, wrap them in 1/4” hardwood banding, but it’ll work great without if you seal the cut edges with sizing.

Thanks for all the responses. It seems that MDF is the best approach with good care during finishing.

Nate, what did you mean by "sizing"

Hey Skip, diluted pva wood glue 1:1. Here’s an older forum post: https://woodweb.com/knowledge_base/Prepping_MDF_for_Paint.html

Sizing mdf with glue is some old school thing from the 80's. They used that bondo, and drywall compound.

Most people have known that you can simply use high quality mdf. Sand it with 240grit. Spray or brush on two coats of a primer/sealer like BIN shellac or a catalyzed one like Clawlock. Sand the primer with 320 and it looks identical to the mdf face.

we edge band the edges with maple tape.