# New User Question on MDF as flooring



## BloodyJack (Sep 23, 2010)

Hello all,

I have a friend who is on a budget and wants to install a durable, cheap, and attractive floor for his front room (don't we all?).

He is considering using 4'x4' "tiles" of dark MDF that he will both glue to the subfloor, and put some attractive screws in at the corners to help hold them down (far enough away from edges not to blow out the MDF).

So here is my question(s): Obviously he will want to seal/protect the face of the MDF somehow and he would like a "wet" looking finish...Is a polyurethane finish something he should go with? How many coats (I would say three, but then again I am open to suggestions) should he put on? How durable do you think it will be? Assuming he uses the poly, and I assume an oil based one as well, well it look "wet"? How should he apply the poly (low nap rollers, etc.)?

Thanks a bunch for your help in advance, and apologies if this has been covered prior...
:smile:


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## mdntrdr (Dec 22, 2009)

MDF is not durable enough for flooring. :no:


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## BloodyJack (Sep 23, 2010)

OK, here I go completely exposing myself even more so as a newbie... :yes:

Can I ask why that is? Wouldn't the poly actually be the flooring surface? I guess I am not seeing why the flat MDF surface would be less durable when poly'd than another surface... Not being argumentative, honstly curious... 

Thanks for your help


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## mdntrdr (Dec 22, 2009)

The poly finish will only be as resistant as the substrate it is applied over.


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## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

Any heavy object moved across the MDF most likely will cause it to separate at some point as well as any flexing of the floor. For the cost difference laminate flooring would be a good alternate.


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## Leo G (Oct 16, 2006)

I have a MDF countertop in my kitchen and it has survived for about a decade now with just a bunch of coats of shellac on them. 

But this is not a floor and it does not need to take the abuse a floor takes.

But, if you are on a limited budget and you view your time as free then the MDF as a floor would work in a pinch for a couple of years. I wouldn't glue it down, a few dabs of construction adhesive maybe. But make sure you can get it up when you want to put down a real floor. If you do use it I would make sure all the edges are broke heavily, maybe with a 1/4" round over bit so you cannot catch the corner and delaminate the MDF. Put a few extra coats of poly on the floor because this is the only thing that is protecting it. MDF has a hard surface, but it isn't meant to be flooring so the poly is the only surface that is going to protect it.


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## woody woodturner (Jul 9, 2010)

mdf dosn,t fair to good with moisture so it would need to be seeled really well i suggest your freind have a look at laminate flooring:thumbsup:


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## BloodyJack (Sep 23, 2010)

Thanks so much for the input everyone... I guess he got the idea from a home improvement channel he saw... I will forward on this thread for him.


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## burkhome (Sep 5, 2010)

The problem with a lot of the TV projects is that the camera is only there on the day the project is finished.


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## Wood4Fun (Aug 29, 2008)

seems an odd substrate for a home improvement show to use, regardless of how long the the camera is around.

moisture resistance is a really good point... and if you sealed the top, the bottom, that is on the concrete(?) would be pretty susceptible to moisture issues (at least in my shop/garage)


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## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

Wood4Fun said:


> seems an odd substrate for a home improvement show to use, regardless of how long the the camera is around.
> 
> moisture resistance is a really good point... and if you sealed the top, the bottom, that is on the concrete(?) would be pretty susceptible to moisture issues (at least in my shop/garage)


I have seen several boo boos the TV shows have made.


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## BloodyJack (Sep 23, 2010)

:icon_smile: He swears they suggested either plywood or MDF. I told him about the replies here and he is suitably worried now :yes: I did a search for him (his internet is hosed), and I see a bunch of stuff about using plywood, but no MDF things I can find... So...

What about using plywood? Same deal: chamfered, and sealed with poly? Less issues with moisture?


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## bofa (Jul 17, 2010)

Plywood is used for subflooring in many houses with a second level and is more forgiving against moisture than mdf. I haven't seen mention of thickness or what the subfloor is made of, so that will affect the decision too. 

Has he looked into buying the self adhesive vinyl flooring squares? You can get them pretty cheap (cheaper than what you probably would pay for materials using mdf or ply), they are very simple to install, and can be found in a lot of neat looks like patterns, tile, brick, stone, wood, etc. If he wants cheap and durable and attractive, he can't go wrong using these tiles.


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## sketel (Sep 15, 2010)

*paint*

If your friend is at all artistically inclined, just paint the subfloor. You can do some kind of mosaic or geometric paint job and it will look decent but he can put actual flooring over it when the money comes along. I've seen it done in a couple of houses and it doesn't look bad if you are looking for a hippie motif kind of style. Paint or seal the edges so they don't swell. Mdf is used as a core for engineered flooring but I only know of it being used with some kind of high pressure laminate foil on top.


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## jack warner (Oct 15, 2010)

no----never-----unless your gonna put something over it.
very bad idea


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## rae (Nov 27, 2011)

:thumbsup:
Hi all! These are interesting ideas. In my opinion, it depends on what the rest of the home looks like ... I mean is this house closer to a shanti or closer to a luxury home? What are your intentions of this flooring? How long do you plan to keep it like this? ...is this just a quick fix? This IS a cheap method to do this, and if it is an older home, well not a shanti, myself I would NOT hesitate to lay mdf as my top covering, but here is how I would go about it .... buy the thinest mdf that you can (thinking like 3/16") Believe home depot has it. the sheets are not 4x8, it's an odd size. I would go ahead and pay to have it cut there. I would go 18" x 18". I like the fellers idea of rounding the surface edges. This is pretty durable stuff for the money. Okay, look, vinyl sheeting or laminate flooring (at the cheaper prices) is soft and will scuff or tear way easier than mdf. Adhere to subfloor in a temporary fashion. No nails, no screws. Trying to fancy those screws like you mentioned could get expensive. When you lay these tiles on the floor use the smaller spacers as is done in real tile. Ohhhh the fun part .... the imagination, the possibilities are endless! Faux finish these babies. First use latex paint as primer as it will soak into the wood (get oops paint), and yes paint the sides/edges as well. Use an oil based paint for the top (low gloss to semi gloss shows less blemishes). Using oil based, no need to put urethane on top. Now use a latex grout between tiles. See spacing is close between tiles, so you will use less. Google faux finishes, you will be overwhelmed with what you find. Have fun with your project.... worse case scenario, just repaint it! BTW, yes, mdf is used as a substrate under laminate flooring. Not in every case of course, but it is used!


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