MDF panels on the wall: how to use in the interior
In the age of plastic and artificial materials, we are increasingly eager to get closer to nature, and if living in the lap of nature in modern realities is difficult, then bringing it to your home is quite real. Of course, natural finishing materials are incredibly expensive, and not every family budget can afford them, and the quality characteristics often leave much to be desired.
But what if you combine nature and modern technology? Yes, it is possible, and in this article we will prove it, since its theme is MDF panels on the wall, and everything that is connected with them.
The content of the article
What is mdf
MDF appeared on the construction market relatively recently, but quickly managed to acquire both supporters and opponents. Some argue that this is the lowest quality material, and it only has a place in office interiors (seeModern design and office decoration), others contradict them, and decorate the entire house with MDF panels, including the kitchen and even the bathroom.
So what is MDF, and why is it causing so much controversy? To begin with, this material is made from natural wood chips, to which natural glue is added, and the resulting mass falls under the press at a very high temperature, where sintering and gluing take place.
As a result of such treatments, a universal product is obtained, not inferior in strength to natural wood, but ahead of it in many technical parameters. An imitation of a wood drawing is applied on top of the finished canvas, and now manufacturers add imitations to their collections ceramic tiles and genuine leather.
Interesting! No harmful epoxy resins are used in the production of MDF panels, therefore they are allowed to be used even in children's and medical institutions with traditionally high requirements for sanitary standards.
Of course, each manufacturer will praise their products, and attribute to her all conceivable and unimaginable qualities, even to the extent that MDF panels contribute to improved digestion. For our part, we remain impartial, and try to thoroughly analyze this material in order to identify all the advantages and disadvantages.
Advantages of MDF over other materials
So:
- Relatively low price. One of the most important arguments in modern realities. MDF slabs on the walls are slightly more expensive than wallpaper, so even people with the most limited repair budget can afford them. Solid plates cost a little more, and we will talk more about this a little lower.
- Easy installation. Even a person without many years of experience will be able to glue MDF to the wall with his own hands. The fastening system is specially designed in such a way as to simplify the installation process, and reduce the time to work to a minimum. You can verify this by watching the video in this article, which shows detailed instructions.
- Environmental friendliness and safety. We have already mentioned that mdf panels on the wall are not able to harm the health of households, but it is important to choose the right manufacturer, since some unscrupulous factories intend to cheapen the production by adding obviously harmful components to the material.
- Aesthetic appeal. Modern panels imitate natural materials so reliably that only a professional can distinguish them from the original, and then only upon closer examination.
- Huge variety. The panels are not limited to any one color scheme, and can be made in a variety of designs. One of the photos in this article shows a far from complete variety of mdf panels, but even proceeding from this, you can understand that it is possible to choose them for any style.
- Durability. With proper operation and proper care, the walls finished with MDF can serve faithfully for more than a dozen years, while you do not have to renovate or restore them, and this, as you know, is very expensive.
- Possibility of quick replacement. In case of damage to the wall finished with MDF panels, you do not have to completely redo the repair, just replace one or more panels, and the finish is again like new. This is very convenient, especially if the house has small children or pets.
Advice! When buying panels in a store or in the market, always take them with a small margin. Manufacturers' collections change so quickly that in a couple of years you may not find your panels on sale and you will have to change the entire finish in case of any damage.
After such a list of positive qualities, it may seem that mdf panels on the walls are an ideal finishing material, but, unfortunately, this is far from being the case, and they have a number of shortcomings, which many consumers know about, choose other materials, and consider mdf unacceptable for your home.
disadvantages
So:
- Low resistance to mechanical stress. The panels themselves are very durable and reliable material, but the decorative layer applied to their surface is very easy to damage with any sharp object. It will be impossible to repair the resulting scratch, and you will have to change the segment to a new one.
- Low moisture resistance. Today in stores you can find panels marked with a drop symbol. This material can be used in rooms with high humidity, but in any case, MDF, like any material based on glue and wood chips, is afraid of prolonged contact with water. When choosing a finish, for example for a bathroom, pvc or MDF wall, it is better to give preference to the first option.
- Low resistance to temperature extremes. For home decoration, this factor is irrelevant, but many are wondering if it is possible decorate the walls on the loggia mdf. We can answer, it is possible, but only on condition that it is fully insulated and has its own heating system.
Cunning! If a small scratch appears on your panel, and there is no way to replace it at the moment, you can go for a little trick. To do this, you need a permanent marker or felt-tip pen that matches the color of the panel design. Just slide a marker over the scratch and it will no longer be evident. Of course, this method cannot be called a full restoration, but for the first time it is quite suitable for masking damage.
Well, here, in principle, and all the disadvantages of mdf panels. As you can see, they are quite significant, but given that there are much more advantages, this material can be called an excellent solution for repairs in a house or apartment.
And here most likely the question has ripened for many - is it possible to apply such decoration in all rooms? In principle, in all, but there are a number of nuances and tricks that need to be applied to extend the life of the repair, given the characteristic features of the room. But first things first.
MDF in “aggressive” rooms
Premises with an aggressive environment are those places where various factors, such as humidity or temperature, constantly influence the finish.Such places in the house include the kitchen, bathroom, hallway and loggia. There is no sustainable climate, and the temperature is constantly changing, and, as you know, for any materials, if it's not plastic, such an effect is fatal.
Panels can lose their shape: swell, warp, and sag. Fighting this is very difficult, and sometimes simply impossible. In any case, choosing the options for decorating the walls of the MDF kitchen, pay attention to the marking. If there is a drop sign on the package, this means that the panels are moisture resistant and tolerate high humidity.
Kitchen
The walls of the kitchen, finished with MDF, will always be subjected to aggressive influence. Here, and constant temperature fluctuations, and increased humidity, and more frequent cleanings, and sometimes with the use of detergents.
For more reliable protection of the panels, after installation it is possible to apply a layer of varnish on them, which will create a durable transparent film, but here, in addition to the additional costs, there is a problem of vapor permeability. It is necessary to deal with this before the start of installation.
The surface of the walls must be carefully treated with a special antiseptic primer, and the more abundant it is applied, the better. Otherwise, condensation will accumulate under the finish, which, due to the varnish layer, simply has nowhere to evaporate.
In any case, the kitchen walls made of MDF panels look very elegant, so it makes sense to put extra effort into this process and spend an extra few thousand rubles.
Bathroom
One of the most difficult in terms of the choice of finishing materials room in the house. High humidity is constantly present here, and the temperature can fluctuate over a very wide range. The same can be said about the bathroom, so in these rooms, the decoration should be treated more meticulously so as not to redo the entire repair after a few months of operation.
The walls in the toilet of the MDF panel look no less attractive than in the kitchen, and in addition, such a finish can significantly save space. Bathrooms, especially in old houses, are very small rooms, and here every centimeter is worth its weight in gold, so if you wish, you can do without a crate, just ground the surface and glue the MDF on the walls.
Hallway
Despite the fact that the hallway does not have such strong changes in temperature and humidity, it is also considered an aggressive room. This is primarily due to frequent touching the walls. Street things are hung here, and there is much more dust than in the residential area.
Hallway walls made of MDFare quite acceptable, especially if they are covered with a layer of protective varnish. But do not forget that with regular and frequent touch, even the most resistant varnish is erased, so be prepared for the fact that the surface will have to be renewed about once every three years.
Important! Before lining the walls with MDF panels in any “aggressive” room, be sure to treat them with impregnations or deep penetration primers. They reliably protect the surface from the formation of mold, and the finish will last much longer than if not done.
Living area in the house
Given that the panels of the mdf wall design are very diverse, they can be used in any living room, whether it be a bedroom or a nursery. Moreover, unlike rooms with a high aggressive environment, it is unnecessary to create protective varnish coatings here.
The panels themselves are quite stable, and problems can only occur in the nursery, especially if your kids have shown interest in graffiti and painting on the walls since childhood, but nothing will be saved from this, and any decoration material may be subjected to the act of vandalism .
At the beginning of the article, we mentioned that the types of mdf on the walls can be very different. In addition to standard panels assembled using groove-comb technology, you can choose tiles or entire panels.
Such materials are more suitable for the parent bedroom, they give greater freedom of design imagination, but at the same time they are somewhat more expensive. The decoration in the bedroom is least likely to be affected, so we safely take a drill in our hands and make mdf walls.
Living room
In the living room, the walls of the MDF panel can rightly be considered the most optimal, and moreover, a profitable option for decoration. The cost of this will take a minimum, and provided that the repair is done independently, that is, without the involvement of specialists, it will be possible to significantly save on this.
There can be two ways to install panels in the living room:
- Directly on the wall, but for this the surface must be cleaned of the old finish, primed and leveled.
- To the crate. Everything is simpler here, only the old finish will have to be removed from the wall, while you can save on plastering and putty.
As guides for the manufacture of crates, it is best to use a galvanized metal profile. Drywall is attached to this. It is not susceptible to corrosion, and does not deform over time, as happens with a tree that accumulates moisture, and begins to swell and crack.
Well, that’s basically all that can be said about mdf panels. No, this is certainly not exhaustive information, but you can’t tell everything in the framework of one article. In short, MDF is an excellent budget option that not only looks attractive, but also lasts for many years.
