I’ve been asked this question about a thousand times so I thought a special post was in order!
Why did I build half the closet out of MDF and the other half out of Plywood?
First, MDF is my first choice of material for painted cabinets. It’s smooth and straight and doesn’t warp (unless you get it wet) and paints beautifully. But, IT IS STINKIN’ HEAVY! I had to lift and carry all the pieces of MDF and then after I built the cabinets, I had to lift the cabinet up to stand it on end. That was too much. So, after building the first half of my closet, my back MADE me make a change. :-)
(The reason I didn’t switch after just a few cabinets is because I cut the pieces for ALL the cabinets on the first side at one time before I started building.)
The plywood I chose, I would not recommend and will never use for any nice cabinets again. Workshop, fine. House, no! It was cheap and smooth on one side so I got it but some of the sheets were warped which I didn’t realize until after I had them home and was cutting them so I just pushed forward but it was a pain!
It’s Sanded Plywood…which is Pine…which is soft. It’s got a smooth knot free veneer on one side and the other side is knotty and rough which didn’t matter in this situation as none of the outsides are visible in the end.
Plywood is MUCH lighter than MDF so it’s a good choice for LARGE cabinets. I usually choose a cabinet grade plywood like Birch which has a nice, hard, smooth veneer on both sides. Birch Plywood is about $45 per sheet so it’s esssspensive! Which is why I went with the Sanded Ply!
So that’s why I switched from MDF to Plywood halfway through the closet. And, if you didn’t see all my status update photos, you would be none the wiser!
you deserve a medal!
Sandra thank you for the run down on wood choices, I have yet to build a piece with MDF because I’m deathly afraid of the weight issue but your smoothness comments are making me think otherwise. And I agree about the birch versus sanded cabinet grade, it’s all in the price.
For smaller pieces, MDF is the BOMB! Is that term even used anymore? LOL Paints BEAUTIFULLY anyway.
I have to say that I “LOVE” tools, but have really never felt confident in using them without guidance. Until I found you!! Now, who needs the husband? I re-did my bedroom while he was in Los Angeles for the bowl game, and used a whole bunch of fun tools!! Thanks Sandra!!
Sweet! So awesome to be so empowered!
Ok girl wow! If it were summer and there were flies around, my mouth would be filled to the brim. I just had it hanging open the whole time I was watching your video. So your husband has to find it either sexy or intimidating that you can do what you do! Wow, you keep going girl and how about you swing on into Iowa and whip me up one of those, please!
Megan
Haha. Well…he thinks it’s cool.
Hmmm, I’ve never been to Iowa!
Ok, so I’m nearing building my first thing. I want to make some open bookshelves like: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40047675/
The sizing is going to be different though, probably closer to 50″w x 90″h with the weight vs ease of use, which would you use for that project?
That’s a really cool bookshelf! 50×90 is going to be huge and depending on the size and quantity of the inside boxes, it could be a LOT of material. If you use MDF it will be very heavy. If you are only building one, it wouldn’t be too hard to use MDF and have someone help you lift it up and move it. But then again, if you are only building one, you may not mind spending the extra money for a nice plywood.
The other thing to consider is that piece doesn’t have a faceframe on the inside shelves. If you use plywood, you’ll have to cover the ends with some kind of veneer before painting. With MDF, you can paint up the ends really nicely after either filling with joint compound or, my personal technique, prime with water primer to raise the “grain” and then sand smooth. Then you can paint and it should be perfectly smooth.
You will probably need 2 sheets, I’m guessing, so an extra $10-15/sheet may not blow your budget. You will not be able to use the cheaper sanded ply because both sides will be visible. (Unless you double up on 1/2″ but that may end up costing more than going with 3/4″.) Good Quality Cabinet Grade Plywood paints up well so I guess it all comes down to how much you want to spend (or save) and whether or not you have someone that can help you lift and move your piece if it weighs a ton. Good luck. I’d love to see your finished project!
Thank you
Stuff for me to think about! I can’t start for a bit because the garage needs to be cleared out some, but I have a friend that will help with that in a few weeks. It sounds like I’m now making 2 because a bookcase just broke in my bedroom. One will be downstairs, but the other upstairs, so it sounds like the upstairs one might be hard to get mdf up there. Hmmm, I like the sounds of the ease of the mdf for painting, but that I probably couldn’t assemble the upstairs one in the garage, but not sure I want to do a spray gun in my 6yos room. Maybe I’ll end up with plywood upstairs and mdf downstairs and learn a lot quickly(ish). Or make it in two pieces -ugh more thinking 
What about the lighting? What lights allow you to see how your cloths and colors will really look at the office and outside in the sunlight?
I’m thinking of doing my own closet, I would like to use the better wood but would go with the plywood smooth on both sides. I have a closet that is 10 feet on both sides with 6 feet between both sides and the ceiling is 8 feet. I want to do it where it’s 7 feet tall and no crown molding at the top but around the top of the shelf as decoration. What would you recommend?
What type of wood did you use for faceframes on the drawer fronts? I like the beadboard for the insert but if I wanted to use a wood insert what type of wood would you suggest? Did you hand paint the drawer fronts or spray them?
Love this site – so much inspiration!