Sometimes our clients ask if we could produce a piece of furniture, but keep the price down by using MDF, (Medium Density Fibreboard), This is of course a perfectly reasonable request, MDF is very widely used in the furniture industry, even by some really ‘top end’ companies. It’s easy to cut, easy to shape, and in comparison with solid wood, cheap to buy. Alas however, whenever a client raises this request with us, the answer is an apologetic no. It’s not of course that we couldn’t use MDF and produce a perfectly satisfactory looking piece of painted furniture; it’s just not a product that we choose to use.
So why don’t we choose to use MDF? Are we just too set in our ways or completely stubborn for no reason?
We love what we do, and to love what you do, you need to enjoy using the materials you work with. With our roots in traditional cabinet making, we prefer to work with quality hardwoods, or if we are making painted furniture, we use Birch or Tulipwood. When we need a product that is more stable than natural wood, for instance if we are making an interior or carcussing, we opt for Birch Plywood, with its pleasing striped edges, exterior of natural wood and its resilience to water damage.
We want to produce furniture that will enhance homes and last for generations, so we are simply going with our heart and in the same way as we try to only use quality hardware, water based paints and generally avoid the use of toxins wherever possible, we will continue to say no thanks to the use of MDF and use Birch, Tulipwood, or Birch Plywood as our go-to alternative products.
