Laminate countertop base layer: MDF or ?
geoffhazel
| Posted in Construction Techniques on
I’ve got a laminate (e.g. Formica or equiv) countertop install coming up soon (tomorrow!!) and haven’t done one in a while. I was about to pick up a couple sheets of 3/4 high density MDF but was wondering if I’d be better off with anything else instead, like perhaps some cabinet grade plywood?
I had one install using MDF get wet when the faucet started “dribbling” when it was used — the dribble wasn’t noticed for quite a while, and the water got under the backsplash and swelled the mdf base layer. So that’s one strike against it….
Replies
MDF is fine. I like NovaPly, a good quality particle board.
Don't use plywood. It's actually TOO stable for the laminate. Particle boards, like mdf and Novaply, expand and contract at roughly the same rate as laminate.
somebody on here talked about using advantech 3/4 subfloor material. i have used mdf quite abit and never had a problem,but next time around i'm going to try the advantech and see how it goes.
mdf,particle board, plywood, or advantech, if the faucet is leaking and nobody notice's for a while ,they are all going to fail. larry
hand me the chainsaw, i need to trim the casing just a hair.
So now I'm starting to wonder if there are any non-obvious differences between MDF and particleboard? Us there more to it besides the particle size?
I have seen applications where the mdf is delaminating terribly...
It only happens if the stuff gets wet.
Advantech is my preference (thanks Mike Smith)
Troy Sprout
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