Green Head Posted April 19, 2011 Report Share Posted April 19, 2011 I'm building a desk and a dresser. They will both be painted and I'm wondering if I should build them out of 3/4" birch plywood $50 sheet or 3/4" MDF at $30 a sheet. There are going to be a bunch of exposed edges that I'm going to route round-overs and other profiles on. So if I do the plywood I'll have to edge band all the material with poplar or hard maple. If I use the MDF I'll be able to route the edge without the edge banding. This is a piece for a client and they want it painted so that's what got me thinking about using MDF. They are on a limited budget, but it's a piece I really want to build, mostly to add to my "portfolio." Another advantage to using MDF is it can be purchased locally at one of the borg stores, whereas the birch ply would be purchased at a hardwood dealer 100 miles away. One other question, if I go the mdf route, whats the best way to get a glassy smooth finish with the paint? I have a sprayer. Thanks for any help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdoering Posted April 19, 2011 Report Share Posted April 19, 2011 I would go with the plywood with the solid wood edge banding... It may be a bit more inconvenient to get, but it will produce a superior and far lighter project. MDF is very heavy, doesn't do well with moisture, tends to sag over time across long spans (like a desktop) especially with weight on it (like a computer and peripherals), and creates dust that is better left to industrial manufacturing facilities than the dust collection we are able to cobble together in our own shops. Having the solid wood edge banding will keep the inner plies from being exposed and will also add much better wear resistance to the most abused parts of a piece of furniture than having exposed MDF with a decorative profile that will be easily dented and/or chipped, maybe even getting knocked off completely if on a corner. That's just my 2¢... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green Head Posted April 19, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 19, 2011 Thanks for the info Mark D. What about painting the plywood? What's the best way to get a smooth glassy look on plywood? The client wants a smooth looking painted project like the way painted Pottery Barn furniture looks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdoering Posted April 19, 2011 Report Share Posted April 19, 2011 If I'm not mistaken they use some form of filler or coating (maybe gesso?) prior to the painting process to ensure a smooth consistent surface, but a quick google search turned up this tutorial... I didn't read it very thoroughly but glancing at the photos it appears to be almost identical to the black painted finish on the Pottery Barn desk that my wife uses... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green Head Posted April 20, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2011 Thanks for the link. That looks exactly like the finish they have requested. Now I just have to find out if I can get the paint in other colors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.