I’m building a fireplace suround that’s essentially frames and raised panels. Some of the panels will be faily large, so I was worrying about glued up panels splitting from the heat. Should I consider making the panels of MDF? The panel will be painted; can I raise panels of MDF and get it smooth enough to paint without it looking like well…… MDF?
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Replies
Yes.
When painting MDF, I've had trouble using waterborne paint directly on the MDF. It has caused bad grain-raising. I now seal with shellac (Zinsser) first.
In late Victorian, early Edwardian times, fireplaces were commonly made of wood and still survive in good condition. Mine I made from iroko and there are no problems. I think that provided your wood is dry and stable at the time of use then you will be ok. I used reclaimed quarter sawn stock.
Quickstep
I've used MDF on raised panels for fireplace mantles and have had very good luck with it.
Seal the MDF profile with either a watered down yellow or white glue or a good oil base paint and you'll be fine.
Doug
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