Veneer Substrate for Bathroom Vanity Doors and Drawers

Searching for a substrate that will hold hinges well and be tolerant of bathroom humidity. July 29, 2012

Question
I'm building a euro-style frameless bathroom vanity with figured anigre veneer for the cabinet doors and drawer fronts. I'll be using Blum concealed euro hinges on the doors. What is the best substrate to use for the doors? I'm trying to balance panel stability vs. fastener-holding ability. For stability I'd go with MR MDF, but I'm concerned that the MDF has poor fastener holding ability. Would lumber-core be a better option, or is the MDF strong enough?

Forum Responses
(Veneer Forum)
From contributor J:
I use the ultra-lite MDF for doors because it is lightweight and less stress on the Blum hinges. I use the Blum with the dowel insert. They're threaded and have never had any problems. The panels stay very flat also.

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From the original questioner:
Thanks. I don't have access to a hinge press, which I think I need for your method. Would the Blum Inserta hinges work as well? I'm always fearful of MDF's structural integrity, especially so close to the edge.

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From contributor M:
I would stay with the Medex you were thinking of using. You won't have to worry about the moisture from the bathroom bothering it, and it holds the hinge screws well. I have hung many a door made of Medex using the standard 6 x 5/8 screws and Blum hinges, and haven't had any problem. You just have to predrill the screw holes - don't try and drive the screws without a predrilled hole.

I have had lumbercore ply warp on me, so I won't use it anymore for slab doors. Others may have different opinions on this.