Replies

1. 
   bill_1010 | Apr 02, 2002 07:20pm | #1

   id say experiment. MDF is cheap. Avoid water based stains, gels, pigments as they will give MDF problems. 

   Youll probably end up having to use glazes and more a "faux" type finish approach then the traditional stain but who knows.  UNless youre milling the MDF yourself or special ordering most of it comes pre primed with paint.

   Good luck

2. 
   RonRosa | Apr 04, 2002 05:07am | #2

   Yuk!!! I cant see MDF looking to good stained. 

3. 
   Qtrmeg | Apr 04, 2002 06:57am | #3

    

   You are talking a faux finish. The base coat should be an alkyd base, and the glaze can be either alkyd or acrylic, depending on the detail and size of the work. While you may want to get to a textured look of the mdf, (whatever that means), you need to sand the basecoat as smooth as you can so that you can grain the topcoat with some sort of success. The basecoat must be sanded and seal any fillers, so two coats would not surprise me.

    

   It can be done, but the quality of the result is dependant on your skill.

4. 
   PhillGiles | Apr 04, 2002 07:01am | #4

   While you can get some interesting effects on particle board and OSB with bright dyes (red, green, blue, yellow, ...), it just doesn't look good on MDF, so probably stain won't be any better. But give it a try - who knows ?

   PS Some people use, and presumably like, vinyl covered MDF (comes in oak and pine I think).

   .

   Phill Giles

   The Unionville Woodwright

   Unionville, Ontario

5. 
   james | Apr 04, 2002 07:33am | #5

   why?, sounds like staining cardboard.

1. 
   Qtrmeg | Apr 04, 2002 07:42am | #6

   "why?, sounds like staining cardboard."

   Ha, you had to ask why, and it is just like staining cardboard. If you ask me, mdf trim always looks like crap, but you can make it look like stained crap as easy as painting it.

1. 
   bill_1010 | Apr 04, 2002 04:39pm | #7

   carboard has different density then MDF.  MDF has a binding agent while cardboard uses it own fibers more or less for the binding action. 

1. 
   acecan | Apr 05, 2002 04:42am | #8

   Mdf holds stain.  Try some pieces first.  Lots of millwork in retail stores is stained or laquerd mdf.  I've even seen laquerd osb.  They use these materials for different looks and they are cheaper.

   Ace