# MDF Doors



## Charvet7

My girlfriend recently bought new doors for the house. As I started my installation I noticed they were not real wood but instead pure MDF. They do not chisel well for the hinges and I'm having a rough time with them. 

Any advice for what tools to use on these types of doors? I probably need to get specific screws for the hinges as well. 

Thanks


----------



## MGB

Butt hinges? 

Don't need special screws but you have to pre-drill of course. A Vix bit would help with this.

You have sharp tools? A nice freshly sharpened chisel should help alot.


----------



## Charvet7

Yes, butt hinges with round corners. Chisels probably arent the sharpest but they aren't dull either. 

So the technique with MDF is the same with wood?


----------



## Locodcdude

Take your router (You do have a router I'm assuming?) And instead of chiseling all that out, take away as much as you can with a 1/4" straight bit. Then do any squaring you need to do with the chisels.


----------



## RUSSR

MDF is not meant for a end impact only from back or front. Can we get Pic's on how you are installing the hinges?


----------



## craftsman jay

RUSSR said:


> MDF is not meant for a end impact only from back or front. Can we get Pic's on how you are installing the hinges?


I 2nd that. If they are MDF doors then they will chip easier than wood on the edges. Especially the corners. MDF is harder on the tools than real wood, but same tools apply. 

Confirmat screws are ideal for PB and MDF (but I haven't seen them in smaller than 5 x 40mm). I've used normal hinge screws on MDF doors for doll cabinets. Haven't had anyone tell me they pulled out and my daughter yanks and pulls hers too. (these are the only doors I don't frame). :thumbsup:

www.craftsmanjay.com


----------



## GeorgeC

These are strange doors. I have never seen any house doors that do not have a wood strip all around the edges.

George


----------



## cabinetman

GeorgeC said:


> These are strange doors. I have never seen any house doors that do not have a wood strip all around the edges.
> 
> George


+1. MDF doors are usually faced with MDF, but are framed with solid wood. The ones I've done work like wood doors, A solid MDF door would be way too heavy. Likewise, solid core doors are usually a core of industrial particle board, but still have a wood frame.

Just a tip on prepping the holes for the hinges. I don't use a vix bit or the spring loaded punches, as in both cases their application requires their impact/penetration to be EXACTLY 90 degrees to the edge. The very slightest offset when using will cause an offset hole (even the slightest) which will change the positioning of the screw when finally installed. This offset can make the hinge leaf move out of position. It can also keep the head of the screw from seating in the countersink evenly (or flush) or below the surface.

I prefer to set the hinge leaf where it goes, and then use a scratch awl and eyeball the center, place the point and give it a tap. Piloting the hole is done as straight as possible. One screw (a shorter one) can be inserted to fix the hinge to get the next hole(s). I use this same method for small box hardware using butt (leaf) type hinges.

Most door hardware comes with #9x1" screws that can be replaced with a coarse thread deep gullet screw.












 







.


----------



## RUSSR

These days I sell a lot of MDF doors with Euro hinges. I take a mill a disign in the center and use Sherwin Williams mill primer then paint with a enamal.


----------



## cabinetman

Charvet7 said:


> My girlfriend recently bought *new doors for the house*. Thanks


I take this statement meaning "passage" doors not "kitchen cabinet" doors. 












 







.


----------



## Charvet7

*Thanks*

Thanks for all the help guys. 

George C

http://www.homedepot.com/Steves-Son...catalogId=10053&Nu=P_PARENT_ID&searchNav=true

I wish they had wood strip around the corners. I really do not see how they wouldn't sag over time even if installed perfectly. 

I do not own a router at this point and have given up on chiseling out hinges. They chip way too easily. Luckily this isn't a rush project so I'll let you know what happens. 

Thanks


----------



## mariatudor

*MDF doors info*

About 65 to 70 percent of a tree can be used for solid lumber, but what about the rest? In the past the answer was simple: It was burned or dumped in landfills. Today more than 95 percent of a harvested tree can be put to good use thanks in great part to the increased use of engineered wood products.Among these, medium density fiber board, or MDF, has loved amazing success over the past few years.


----------



## california

i had the same problem with my doors


----------



## Trimguy

I had never installed MDF doors during my entire career, until recently. Within the past two years I have installed more of these crap ass doors than I care to think about. Whoever the chinsy jerkwad that thought up using this material in this application needs to be dragged into the street and beaten repeatedly! They are trash! Glorified cardboard. I am sorry buddy, but over time you will regret your decision to use these instead of trying to return them or sell them to someone else. Structurally, they are just not up to the task of performing this function. MDF has many great applications. But as you have just discovered, setting them can be a living nightmare. I found my real issue in the installation came from trying to adjust the reveal when the door is closed. I found the MDF jam was unpredictable and warped easily. Maybe its just me. As for the hinges, having worked with MDF as much as I have I will tell you, I believe using a chisel is overkill. Trace out your hinges and score with a razor blade. THEN remove the excess with a chisel. you won't need a hammer either because the stuff just literally peels away. My experience taught me that any screws relying upon the structural integrity of MDF (especially with gravity as a factor) will fail rather quickly. What I did was used 2 1/2 inch screw to get back to the 2x4 of the door frame. I also pre drilled my holes and shimmed with compression of the cardboard, er ... I mean MDF... in mind. Pure junk if you ask me. NEVER use them of my own volition! :no::thumbdown::furious:


----------



## jlord

If you do not want to chisel them out then I would buy or borrow a router. Buy an inexpensive hinge jig. Porter cable makes a cheap plastic one you can get at Home Dept or Lowes. Or buy one made by Templico (preffered over the plastic PC jig). Use a 1/2" hinge bit or straight bit with a 5/8" template guide installed in the base. This is the usual combination for hinge jigs. The 1/2" bit will machine the 1/4" radius your hinges have with no further work. If they were square then you just square off the corners with a chisel. If you are using a 5/8" radius hinges then you will need a larger radius bit & template guide for these jigs or a hinge template to match the 5/8" radius hinges. I like to use a vix or hinge bit to pre drill to mount the hinges. Much easier to find screw centers. Don't use one that will over drill for your screws.

http://www.amazon.com/Porter-http://www.milescraft.com/product/1214.html

Cable-59370-Door-Hinge-Template/dp/B00004TI3O


----------



## vicky

I have a big problem I need help with!! My husband and I are fixing up our house to sell. we bought a swing patio door from an individual. it is a wooden very heavy and nice door!! we got a deal on it but!!!! we did not notice that the door opens the wrong way! it is a left hand center, we need it to be a right hand center!! is there any way we can switch the doors. one door is stationary. so the problem is how do we take the stationary door off? can someone help?


----------



## cabinetman

vicky said:


> I have a big problem I need help with!! My husband and I are fixing up our house to sell. we bought a swing patio door from an individual. it is a wooden very heavy and nice door!! we got a deal on it but!!!! we did not notice that the door opens the wrong way! it is a left hand center, we need it to be a right hand center!! is there any way we can switch the doors. one door is stationary. so the problem is how do we take the stationary door off? can someone help?









 
If you start your own thread, your topic can be addressed directly, and separately from this thread.












 







.


----------



## Charvet7

So I finally got the doors up. I told you it wasn't a rush project. haha. I succeeded by using a new 60 tooth wood blade on the saw for making the cuts and rips. Then for the hinges I purchased a dremel trio and routed the grooves in the door. Definitely more time consuming than hanging a wood door, and a lot of beginning frustration, but once you get in the groove its worth it considering the price and knowing your using recycled wood. I'm very happy the feel of the door and privacy it brings in the home (Sound). 

My last problem is when drilling the holes for the door handles. My 18v makita screw gun stood no chance. I went to the Home depot and was going to buy a Milwalkee 3/8" 2500rpm drill for $69. Then a general contractor who was browsing next to me reccomended the step up, the 1/2" Milwalkee drill for $119. I went with it because of his raves and now regret it. The 1/2" drill I bought only has 850rpms opposed to the 2500rpms on the 3/8". I believe the higher rpm is better for cutting mdf. I got through the work, but it wasn't easy, and took time. I'm thinking of returning the heavy duty drill, and going with the higher rpm one for future work, in less anybody can tell me some pros of keeping it? Would it have still been hard to drill though with higher rpm drill? What are the pros of the lower rpm?

Thanks everyone for your help


----------



## cabinetman

If both drills were VSR (variable speed reverse) I would opt for the 3/8" for a few reasons. There are less DIY projects where you would need a 1/2" chuck. The 1/2" is likely heavier and bulkier. The 3/8" offers the speed needed for many applications. IMO it's a better all around drill.

A convenient 1/2" drill would be a drill/hammerdrill, for those times you would need that ability.












 







.


----------

