Thread: Material choice for walk in wardrobe

Hi Ben

are you sure that price ($54 per sheet) is for 18mm AA grade ply and not CD grade?

In my opinion, you should be basing your decision on the finish you wish to use.
To me "painted white" and carcass implies Melamine board -- get it professionally cut and edged to avoid chipping.

In my experience the hardest part when using MDF is getting a good paint finish once the panels are in place.

Thanks for the reply. The $54 sheets i think are a bit of a clearance sale. Its called marine ply which it probably isnt. But it feels nice and the veneer is decent with almost no voids. Much nicer than bunnings CD.

Painting is an interesting one. Ive read that painting mdf is a dream and gives a better finish than ply but despite having cut offs of both i havent tried it yet! Cut edges of the mdf wont be seen or will have a face frame.

I did consider melamine but just find that it has a cheap look once installed. Ive gone for face frames and thicker materials to give the project a sturdier feel and figure the hardwood edging will be more forgiving when it comes to chips and dents than melamine or mdf.

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Hey Ben, there is a lot of prep work involved in painting MDF and you have 55m2 of it . I can't help but think you will be sorry once you start.

My advice would be to use the 16mm White HMR for all the internals. Just give your local cabinetmaker?? a list to be cut and edged and you can clad the exterior in a timber veneered ply or board and finish it the same as your face frames.

Originally Posted by double.d

Hey Ben, there is a lot of prep work involved in painting MDF and you have 55m2 of it . I can't help but think you will be sorry once you start.

My advice would be to use the 16mm White HMR for all the internals. Just give your local cabinetmaker?? a list to be cut and edged and you can clad the exterior in a timber veneered ply or board and finish it the same as your face frames.

my thoughts also, especially if painting is left till after the panels are in place.

If it were me I'd stump up for white laminated kitchen cabinet panels cut, drilled and edged by a local kitchen maker

I would also go the custom melamine flatpack route suggested by others. They can get the melamine in a smooth finish as well as the normal textured finish, and they can get sheets to 2400 x 1800 or 3600 x 1800, depending on the machinery they use. With the larger sheet sizes, there is generally less waste and offcuts.
If it is done as a custom CNC job, it can have all of the screw holes and shelf pin holes drilled while the board is on the table being cut, which saves a huge amount of high accuracy work later on. Because they generally buy whiteboard in pack lots, they can generally get 1st class HMR melamine 2400 x 1800 sheets at about the price you were quoting, i.e 50% more board for a similar price per board so less material cost overall. You would of course end up paying for them to program the sheet layouts and do the actual work, but this would be economical in the long run once you offset the time involved in doing the cutting yourself, then all of the drilling for assembly, shelf pins etc, plus the initial paint job and at least one future repaint.

Originally Posted by double.d

My advice would be to use the 16mm White HMR for all the internals.

Don't even bother with HMR, it's not in a wet area so the extra cost of moisture resistant board is a waste. Regular 16mm white melamine will be fine.

Thanks for the advice guys. You do have me rethinking melamine but i had been trying to avoid using it as I feel it looks a little cheap. I am making shaker style doors, using some mouldings etc to match in with a more classic styled bedroom. I thought painted ply or mdf might feel a little more classic than melamine but appreciate a little more that painting it will be alot of work.

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cost issues aside, you could use the pre-sanded pine panels Bunnings carries https://www.bunnings.com.au/porta-pi...820mm_p0097148

and yes I know they are expensive, but if you want a "classic" solid timber look ...

Thanks Ian although I think id need to take out a second mortgage to get those. The room im fitting out is 3.5m x 2.5m and the following link shows the look we were going for.

I still tend to feel that painted Mdf or ply even with a few brush strokes may fit a bit better but will take a close look at the melamine tomorrow.

Made redundant from next friday so i have a bit of time on my hands and have been promising the missus id get this done and it justifies my tools!

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Originally Posted by DIYBenInPerth

The room im fitting out is 3.5m x 2.5m and the following link shows the look we were going for.

I still tend to feel that painted Mdf or ply even with a few brush strokes may fit a bit better but will take a close look at the melamine tomorrow.

I think you'll find that that high gloss finish is either laminate or spray applied 2 pack (or similar).

be warned, achieving a high gloss or even a satin finish by hand is a lot of work, most of which is best done before the unit is assembled. I'll wait to be corrected, but spraying 2 pack at home is not a straight forward proposition.

And unless its a high gloss or 2pack finish every time you touch it or run something across it there will be a mark left.

With regard to the melamine board, the HMR variety is a better quality denser substrate, well it used to be when i worked for a major manufacturer.

I agree alot with what everyone is saying. Painting after install will be painful and difficult to get a good finish without spraying paint on.

From the looks of the picture you have there, there are alot of open carcasses. Have you considered using a colour board for those parts?

I know you probably think that they all look terrible, which i would have agreed with before a yeay ago. I worked on yachts for a few years and hated all the "timber look" melamine board. But i have been working with a high end cabinet shop for the last year and there are some nice boards out there!

The difference between buying color board and painting mdf is the time and money. Lots of prep work and time spent on painting. Color board is install and walk away. And there are so many colors and looks. Different gloss levels and textures, the choices are endless!

It might not be your cup of tea but thought i would put my two bob in and make the suggestion.

Good luck with the project!

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Thanks everyone for your thoughts and guidance. Ill certainly take on board what you have said.
On the weekend i did some test painting on mdf with a white enamel. I was quite happy with the finish and ease of application but after 2 coats and a day to cure I tried the scratch test and did notice that it was quite easy to scratch. As such im really considering the advice of using melamine to reduce prep and painting time giving me more time to focus on face frames and quality door and drawer construction.

Again thanks all for the advice.
Ben

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Enamel will take for ever to dry, smell bad for months too! Also with enamel paint even after 12 months from painting items on the shelves will get stuck to it if left for a while. Shoes, shoe boxes, magazines, perfume bottles etc.... I would use melamine.