staining mdf

[UCF52 10+ year member]

i searched the forum but didnt really come up with a lot of info. has anybody stained mdf red oak. or has anybody even stained mdf?? i build an enclosure for home theater and planned on painting it black, but am fooling around with the idea of staining. if anybody has any pictures or links, that would be awesome.

on a seperate note - can i remove all of the screws from my box and fill the wholes with wood filler? after sanding the enclosure down a few of the screws are no longer coutersunk. thanks!

Click to read more...

 

[CRAZYCORNUTS18 10+ year member]

you need the screws to keep it together even if it is caulked or used woodglue

 

[tEh koRnDog 5,000+ posts]

what about wood veneer

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

MDF, in its raw form, looks like shit.

Staining MDF would make it look like darker shit.

There's really no way to make MDF look pretty other than painting it, veneering it or covering it in something textured like fleckstone.

 

[bjfish11 5,000+ posts]

MDF, in its raw form, looks like shit.
Staining MDF would make it look like darker shit.

There's really no way to make MDF look pretty other than painting it, veneering it or covering it in something textured like fleckstone.

From what I read Jim, he is using MDF Oak. It is a MDF with an already applied veneer. In this case, yes you can stain it, and yes, it will look very nice. It will look just like any other stained oak.

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

you need the screws to keep it together even if it is caulked or used woodglue

The wood itself will fail before the wood glue will...

 

[IamDeMan 5,000+ posts]

MDF, in its raw form, looks like shit.
Staining MDF would make it look like darker shit.

There's really no way to make MDF look pretty other than painting it, veneering it or covering it in something textured like fleckstone.

Well, shit.

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

From what I read Jim, he is using MDF Oak. It is a MDF with an already applied veneer. In this case, yes you can stain it, and yes, it will look very nice. It will look just like any other stained oak.

Yeah, if he's using pre-veneered material it'll come out nice.

I just read his sentence as saying he would stain MDF using a red oak stain.

 

[Flipx99 5,000+ posts]

The wood itself will fail before the wood glue will...

I can also vouch for this. Trying to disassemble a box after I glued one of the pieces down wrong.

 

[Flipx99 5,000+ posts]

i searched the forum but didnt really come up with a lot of info. has anybody stained mdf red oak. or has anybody even stained mdf?? i build an enclosure for home theater and planned on painting it black, but am fooling around with the idea of staining. if anybody has any pictures or links, that would be awesome.
on a seperate note - can i remove all of the screws from my box and fill the wholes with wood filler? after sanding the enclosure down a few of the screws are no longer coutersunk. thanks!

It looks to me like he is wanting to stain mdf to achieve a red oak color. The second sentence backs this up.

 

[iamamp3pimp 5,000+ posts]

to the OP.

id recommend staining birch. heres my examples

etc

etc

 

[bjfish11 5,000+ posts]

Yeah, if he's using pre-veneered material it'll come out nice.
I just read his sentence as saying he would stain MDF using a red oak stain.

You could be right, I dont know. The reason I said what I did was because our MDF oak we sell is a MDF RO (which means red oak).

 

[UCF52 10+ year member]

wow, i didnt expect this many responses this quickly! thanks so far guys!

to clear up the removing of screws - its seems the consensus is that removing them and and fillign with wood filler will be ok, right??

iamamp3pimp - the box is already constructed and awaiting a finish, but i appreciate the help and the pics (that is good to know for future reference, thanks)

JimJ - you were correct as i am using raw (regular) MDF and made it clear that using a stain on it will look like shit. thanks for the quick replys.

I guess i will try and decide between painting it black or going with a more rugged look and use Line-X. If i do decide to use line-x do i have to prime the box or just spray it directly on? Any more insight to finishing this box would be greatly appreciated! And thanks again to those of you have have already replied!

 

[iamamp3pimp 5,000+ posts]

i searched the forum but didnt really come up with a lot of info. has anybody stained mdf red oak. or has anybody even stained mdf?? i build an enclosure for home theater and planned on painting it black, but am fooling around with the idea of staining. if anybody has any pictures or links, that would be awesome.
on a seperate note - can i remove all of the screws from my box and fill the wholes with wood filler? after sanding the enclosure down a few of the screws are no longer coutersunk. thanks!

if you used woodglue and you did it right, then yes, youc an remove them.

 

[Flipx99 5,000+ posts]

Don't use the aresol type sold at wal-mart. The liner sits on top of the wood instead of aborbing in my experiences. Maybe if you rough it up with some 30 grit or something, your results may be better.

Painting mdf is very difficult. Not difficult in action, but difficult to make it look good.