Has anyone here ever tried staining MDF?

[Immacomputer 10+ year member]

Yep, the end grain did soak up the stain and polyurethane like crazy but I found if you let about two coats of polyurethane sit on it and dry, you can sand it and it will not absorb it as bad. After sanding once or twice, it takes the polyurethane just fine.

Here are some shitty pictures I have of what I did:

If anybody wants, I'll get some better pictures this weekend.

Oh, giving it an uneven stain job almost makes it look like wood grain. I noticed this on a test piece I had but didn't do it on the enclosure as I didn't want it to look like wood grain.

 

[Dingleberry 10+ year member]

Your results are better than I expected. Always thought mdf will soak the stain/paint like a sponge so coverage will be a chore. But I guess the prime coat will seal it. Although, I wouldn't attempt it! I treat my boxes rough, so it'll be scratched up before it's even in the car.

 

[Immacomputer 10+ year member]

Your results are better than I expected. Always thought mdf will soak the stain/paint like a sponge so coverage will be a chore. But I guess the prime coat will seal it. Although, I wouldn't attempt it! I treat my boxes rough, so it'll be scratched up before it's even in the car.

Mine got roughed up as well and you can see it in the pictures. I usually keep my mountain bike in my car and it sits right up against the enclosure. I really did that enclosure that way because I have had multiple enclosures fail due to water damage and I had not located the leak at that point. The stain and polyurethane worked really well to protect it.

The MDF really did soak up the stain and it was pretty ridiculous at first. I didn't prime the wood at all and just used a bristle brush to apply the stain. The brush gave it a streaked look as well but I prefer my stain sponge for anything with real grain.

 

[Dingleberry 10+ year member]

Mine got roughed up as well and you can see it in the pictures. I usually keep my mountain bike in my car and it sits right up against the enclosure. I really did that enclosure that way because I have had multiple enclosures fail due to water damage and I had not located the leak at that point. The stain and polyurethane worked really well to protect it.
The MDF really did soak up the stain and it was pretty ridiculous at first. I didn't prime the wood at all and just used a bristle brush to apply the stain. The brush gave it a streaked look as well but I prefer my stain sponge for anything with real grain.

Side firing port? The enclosure looks pretty big. I like how well the rounded edges came out. If I were to do it, the edges of the box will probably eat that stain up. Unless, I use wood filler to stop it from seeping into the pores.

 

[Immacomputer 10+ year member]

You could use wood filler but it stains differently than the wood. The best way to keep the grain from looking ridiculous is to lightly sand it and then put a few coats of polyurethane on it and then sand some more after a few coats. After that, you should be fine.

 

[ContourSPL 10+ year member]

primer and paint!

 

[vwrx_freak 10+ year member]

you can buy mdf that is vanered on one side you just got to go to a half decent lumber yard for it

 

[Dingleberry 10+ year member]

you can buy mdf that is vanered on one side you just got to go to a half decent lumber yard for it

I've seen those, but they only have certain colors. Also, I didn't want to chance the veneer falling off when I cut the wood.