Expert: Jamie Yocono - 5/1/2008

Question
Hi Jamie,

We are currently renovating all the bathrooms (3 + powder room) in the house ... after 19 years.  We have picked out / designed the vanities in each of the bathrooms.  Our next question is the material from which these vanities should be made.  We've heard some differing opinions.  Laminate vs MDF.  I've tried to search the internet for an answer but it's still not clear.  Your opinion would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks
Shirley

Answer
Shirey,

I'll try to help out, your question is one that I receive frequently.

MDF stands for medium density fiberboard. Basically, it's particleboard that has some additives that make it a little better than the particle board that most people are familiar with. It's harder, less apt to absorb water, and more durable. Stiffer, too. You will find it in many places that sell building materials, as it's used for countertops in kitchen and bathrooms, and for building cabinets.

Laminate is a whole other thing - it's a thin sheet of (usually) plastic, impregnated with colors, textures, patterns, wood grains, and a variety of other things. It's glued onto the MDF, thus making a countertop, or a cabinet. Some people use the word "Formica" interchangeably with laminate, but Formica is a brand name. Sort of like how people call bathroom tissues "Kleenex" when they're really tissues. It's a brand name that has become synonymous with the product itself.

Anyway, a bathroom vanity could be a laminated MDF cabinet, or the doors could be that - it all depends on how the piece it built. But remember - the MDF is the substructure material, and the laminate is what's on top.

Can I offer an opinion? I build bathroom and kitchen cabinets, and I don't find anything wrong with MDF cabinets.  They're basically strong, if they're put together properly with good joints.  Some people get snobby and want to use solid wood for these cabinets, but in a bathroom, solid wood is inappropriate. See, wood shrinks and swells with moisture, and a bathroom is a perfect situation for moisture occurring. So using solid wood in a bathroom is a recipe for disaster.

My best suggestion - look for cabinets that use thicker MDF cabinetry, at least 5/8" thick.  I like Melamine covered MDF for cabinets, it's clean and easy to build with; many cabinetmakers like me use it. Melamine is sort of similar to laminate, but a little thinner, almost like a plastic contact paper over the MDF. Anyway, look for vanities made of MDF, covered in some material to make them easy to keep clean inside. Ouside can be whatever - I commonly use a wood veneer on the outside, as I like "wooden" cabinets.

Then - put your remodeling dollars into the doors/drawer fronts and the countertop, where it really shows. Those are the places that people notice, not what the cabinet is made of, like MDF.

Good luck, write back if you have more questions. I hope this helps!

Jamie Yocono
Wood It Is! Custom Cabinetry
Las Vegas, NV
www.wooditis.com
My woodworking blog: www.wooditis.blogspot.com