Veneers on ply, mdf or particleboard.

Stephen B

Stephen B

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'Senior management' and I are planning a kitchen island bench with marble top for rolling pastry. Part of the design will include veneer on the sides in MountainAsh/Tasmanian Oak.

I can get this veneer backed on ply, mdf or particle board. It will not be structurally significant.

Your thoughts regarding the merits of ply, mdf and particle board as a veneer base are appreciated.

Thanks.
 
All 3 will work, typically I find MDF and Particle core overall give the flatess panels after cutting. Had too many problems with plywood panels warping after being cut out of a full sheet. If the project budget is there we have a product that has a ply core with MDF on the outer layers called Classic or FX core. It works well  but might not be available in OZ.

John
 
I've veneered all three before, and solid wood too. They can all work well in the right application.

Personally, I don't like using MDF in the kitchen or bathroom. One spill on a seam can ruin the whole thing. If you use plywood, make sure it's good quality, and if it is less than 3/4" thick, veneer the opposite face to balance the veneers.
 
Particle board will give you the most stable substrata.  My first job in the 70's was at a custom kitchen factory where all panels were particle board with thick wood veneering.  Back then the average kitchen cost $15,000, these were high end.  My current kitchen is from the same place and is 26 years old and is still perfect.  ;D
 
Like others have said, water-resistant/proof MDF is great. Medex is one brand.  It is the outer ply of sign board. I have some outside that has been rained on, puddles on, etc and everything is fine with it.  Sign board is crappy outdoor ply with Medex outer skins so while that sound okay to veneer, the crappy ply core will give you lots of grief.  I know first hand!  Quality ply with Medex skins, though, are the absolute best as John suggested.
 
[size=14pt]Thank you all for your responses and the sharing of your knowlege and experiences.

As the MDF appears not to be of the water resistant type, I am incorporating particleboard based veneer with edge banding into the design.
 
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