The Best Way To Repair MDF Furniture
Have you spotted a cracked MDF furniture piece from the yard sale or thrift store and you are wondering how you will be able to repair it? Or have you seen a console table of MDF furniture for a good price and you don’t know how you are going to repair it? This is the right place for you!
It has been a common inquiry on the best way to repair MDF furniture. Before we begin with the best way to repair MDF furniture, let’s first know what MDF stands for and the kind of material that you will be dealing with. MDF is an abbreviation for medium density fireboard. It is a combination of residuals of both hardwood and softwood! The wood fibers are usually glued together under pressure with the right glue for the material.
For MDF furniture, cracks seldom develop due to natural movements as in the case of wood, but when they do occur, repairing the cracked MDF is a simple matter!
Here we go, then what is the best way to repair MDF furniture?
First of all, you will have to fill the surface cracks with wood putty. You can use a putty knife to spread the putty in the crack. Later you will let it dry and sand it to flat with the help of 120grit sandpaper.
Later brush the dust and the loose material out with an old toothbrush. Then spread one application of wood putty in the crack and then let it dry out. In case it shrinks forming a concave surface, you will have to spread another application of the putty directly on top of it. It can be necessary to repeat a third time and sand the last application flat.
You will have to use an epoxy wood filler or polyester resin auto body filler to fill the cracks where you will drive a nail or a screw. The two fillers cure to a consistency hard enough to accept new fasteners.
Then apply the epoxy resin or the auto body filler with the hardware. It is available in the right proportion as recommended on the container. The standard ratio is one part hardener to 50 parts filler. You will have to mix with an amount you will be able to use in five to ten minutes since after that period it will be hard to spread, and you may end up throwing the excess away.
Use the putty knife to spread the filler into the crack. Then scrape as much as you can from the surface of the MDF. Allow the filler to cure completely. You can trim off the excess which will remain with the utility knife.
You can now glue the cracked edges back together with glue for MDF. PVA glue is appropriate in this case. However, you will need to widen the cracks by pulling on the edge of the board. You can widen it by prying it open with a chisel and spread the glue in the crack. A bar clamp will be helpful in spanning the width of the MDF sheet. You will have to clamp the crack closed and ensure you leave it clamped for one to two hours. Remember to sand off the excess glue after removing the clamp.
You can paint your repaired MDF furniture. Remember that since you are working with MDF furniture, you have limited paint choices to choose from. I highly recommend white color, but antiquing wax on the MDF furniture would also be exciting!
The things you will need
- Bar clamp
- Epoxy wood filler
- Polyester resin auto body filler
- Putty knife
- Glue for MDF
- Utility knife
- Old toothbrush
- Grit sandpaper
- Wood putty
PRO TIP
MDF is rarely left unpainted! Therefore you won’t require color matching the filler. You will paint over it!
You have to look for the right glue for MDF! The good thing with the MDF furniture is that it can handle moisture. This is the reason you will have to use a proper glue. Otherwise, your building project won’t be sturdy at all! I highly recommend for quality glue for MDF from Amazon such as the Adhesive Tub surround 10 oz., and the Titebond ll Extend glues!
Now that you know you can share with your loved ones as well as your friends who are on a similar mission to improve their homes too!
Author Bio:
Danny L. Montgomery is the founder and owner of the blog zukzik.com. He is experts of woodworking. He loves to share everything about woodworking.
