MDF edges?

reible · Post by **reible** » Sun Jan 18, 2009 11:38 pm

Hi,

I have a project to do that will require some MDF to be painted. In the past I have mixed glue and water and painted that on the edges, let it dry then light sanding and primer.

Since I no longer get many new woodworking magazines I wonder what if anything is the current thinking on doing the edges. I've done shellac but it seems to take more coats...

The pieces are going in a house with zero wood trim and will be near a mantel and flat screen TV so they will have to "blend" into the situation... I was however thinking of just a bit darker color for the edge to give it some depth (shadow effect) but very lightly so. Any thoughts on that?

Ed

a1gutterman · Post by **a1gutterman** » Mon Jan 19, 2009 12:49 am

reible wrote:Hi,

I have a project to do that will require some MDF to be painted. In the past I have mixed glue and water and painted that on the edges, let it dry then light sanding and primer.

Since I no longer get many new woodworking magazines I wonder what if anything is the current thinking on doing the edges. I've done shellac but it seems to take more coats...

The pieces are going in a house with zero wood trim and will be near a mantel and flat screen TV so they will have to "blend" into the situation... I was however thinking of just a bit darker color for the edge to give it some depth (shadow effect) but very lightly so. Any thoughts on that?

Ed

I know that my wife thinks that the "shadow" on the edges of our wood trim make her think they are dirty. Just a thought. Maybe the edges could be lighter instead of darker. Maybe they wood knot look dirty to her then. Hmm.

As for mixing water with the glue, just remember that the MDF will suck up that water, and although there is no grain, the surface will become rough.

reible · Post by **reible** » Mon Jan 19, 2009 1:10 am

a1gutterman wrote:I know that my wife thinks that the "shadow" on the edges of our wood trim make her think they are dirty. Just a thought. Maybe the edges could be lighter instead of darker. Maybe they wood knot look dirty to her then. Hmm.

As for mixing water with the glue, just remember that the MDF will suck up that water, and although there is no grain, the surface will become rough.

Thanks Tim

I guess I should mention it is 3 parts wood glue to 1 part water. I don't recall where I found/heard that some years back and tried it, and yes you do need to give it a light sanding after as I mentioned.

The shadow idea was shown on one of Norm's new shows on the kitchen rebuild. The homeowners mentioned it but they have it no where else in the house so I will relay the thoughts of your wife... and yours??. To me it is easier to make it all one color.

Ed

tdubnik · Post by **tdubnik** » Mon Jan 19, 2009 6:07 am

I am using sheetrock joint compound to fill the edges of MDF before snding and painting and it works pretty well but somewhat messy to apply.

Gene Howe · Post by **Gene Howe** » Mon Jan 19, 2009 10:10 am

Hi Ed,
Both methods, dry wall mud, or glue, work. Of the two, I like the glue. I don't mix it, though. In one of Sommerfeld's videos, he suggests applying a thin coat to end grain of rails for doors so that they wouldn't soak up the assembly glue and starve the joint. That's when I started using it on MDF edges to be glued, also. For sanded and painted edges, I give it a light coat then, a second coat. That being said, on MDF raised panels, I just use oil based primer.

Ed in Tampa · Post by **Ed in Tampa** » Mon Jan 19, 2009 10:20 am

My MDF must be different than your MDF. On mine I can sand it to as smooth finish as the top surface is. If I rout it the the edges look almost burnished.

I have never had to do anything special with my MDF edges if I was going to paint, tung oil them or coat them with Poly. The finish was thick enough so the result was basically the same top, edge, bottom.

flyslinger · Post by **flyslinger** » Mon Jan 19, 2009 7:42 pm

Just another comment, you could do it a couple ways...if its not to big an area you could use spackle and if its alot of area I've use an mdf tape or maple tape and painted that.

Gene Howe · Post by **Gene Howe** » Mon Jan 19, 2009 8:43 pm

Ed in Tampa wrote:My MDF must be different than your MDF. On mine I can sand it to as smooth finish as the top surface is.

Many times, my experience has been the same. However, I have bought some from the BORG which did not perform as well. Especially 1/2", for some reason.
Recently, I learned that there are several different grades of MDF. Each one designed for certain applications. And different companies have different grading standards. i.e Asian vs US mfg. I've seen some whose faces were absolutely blemish free and others on/in which small specks of some matter (hopefully, wood) could be easily seen.
The MDF manufacturer's web sites I've visited, suggest priming with an oil based primer prior to applying a top coat. None has suggested treating edges any differently. That's just one of my many quirks.

reible · Post by **reible** » Mon Jan 19, 2009 9:38 pm

Thanks for the comments!

I guess I should have added that from my experiences that raw cut edges suck up paint requiring more paint. The glue mix is intended to fix that problem.

These pieces are only ornamental in nature and will be painted with the same paint as the wall (pending the shadow idea) which is with a latex. One piece will have a notch routed in it for hiding the center channel speaker wire and a thin power cord for one of those lcd picture frames. The theme is to blend in and look like they were always there...

I had not thought about applying a tape... that I will have to think on.

I was also thinking about the undercoat called Kills or some such name, I've use that on some other applications where I was putting some "special" spray paint down (think $16 a spray can) and couldn't afford to put down many layers...

Got any more ideas post them... I'm interested.

Ed

a1gutterman · Post by **a1gutterman** » Mon Jan 19, 2009 11:03 pm

reible wrote:...I was also thinking about the undercoat called Kills or some such name, I've use that on some other applications where I was putting some "special" spray paint down (think $16 a spray can) and couldn't afford to put down many layers...

Got any more ideas post them... I'm interested.

Ed

Hi Ed,

Kilz is a very good sealer. It even seals in the smoke smell in fire damaged homes. I like the old oil base best, but the water base is a lot easier on your brain cells. A very large company called Masco owns Kilz, and a few years ago they started selling Kilz brand paints too. Bear paints are also owned by Masco. In some areas of the country, there is a company called Gale. Gale is also owned by Masco. Gale does insulation, gutters, fireplaces and who knows what else. Since they are a direct competitor of mine, I avoid buying product that is made by Masco. But I really like Kilz.