Hello
I bought a house last fall and am trying to get it in somewhat decent condition. I am going to build a wall that will function as one side of a wardrobe. I was planning to build it by putting up studs and then attaching MDF to the sides.
In the wardrobe, I will have a clothes rod, which means it will weigh a bit.
My question is, is MDF a good idea or should I choose something else? How thick should the MDF or board be?
The reason I thought of MDF is that it looks nice when you paint it and it's easy to work with.
Then I wonder if I would need to reinforce the wall on the other side where the clothes rod will attach? As it is now, it is just a simple plasterboard.
I am grateful for all answers as I am a novice when it comes to houses and everything it entails.
Karin
I bought a house last fall and am trying to get it in somewhat decent condition. I am going to build a wall that will function as one side of a wardrobe. I was planning to build it by putting up studs and then attaching MDF to the sides.
In the wardrobe, I will have a clothes rod, which means it will weigh a bit.
My question is, is MDF a good idea or should I choose something else? How thick should the MDF or board be?
The reason I thought of MDF is that it looks nice when you paint it and it's easy to work with.
Then I wonder if I would need to reinforce the wall on the other side where the clothes rod will attach? As it is now, it is just a simple plasterboard.
I am grateful for all answers as I am a novice when it comes to houses and everything it entails.
Karin
Not so easy to understand what you mean, a drawing always helps with this type of question.
But if I've understood correctly, the clothes rod should run along the entire closet and be securely mounted to 2 walls? In that case, I would have added blocking with a stud at each end for the clothes rod to rest on.
Simply drilling a hole in the drywall and sticking the rod in will certainly NOT hold, and neither will any other fastener in drywall over time. Drywall has its advantages, but bearing loads is not one of them
MDF is a good material, but for walls, I would probably use drywall instead. MDF is usually used for building furniture and interior fittings.
Drywall is intended specifically for walls and also provides a smooth surface that is easy to paint on.
But if I've understood correctly, the clothes rod should run along the entire closet and be securely mounted to 2 walls? In that case, I would have added blocking with a stud at each end for the clothes rod to rest on.
Simply drilling a hole in the drywall and sticking the rod in will certainly NOT hold, and neither will any other fastener in drywall over time. Drywall has its advantages, but bearing loads is not one of them
MDF is a good material, but for walls, I would probably use drywall instead. MDF is usually used for building furniture and interior fittings.
Drywall is intended specifically for walls and also provides a smooth surface that is easy to paint on.
Agree with others, MDF is not optimal when it comes to getting potential seams right - Plus, it's expensive. Go with OSB and plasterboard on top - I built a new closet myself in the past weeks and mounted a simpler ELFA solution - OSB and plasterboard - Cheap, simple, and stable! Bolted directly to the studs.
However, I'll be building the sliding doors out of MDF! =)
(Sorry for the picture quality - the iPhone doesn't make it any better)
However, I'll be building the sliding doors out of MDF! =)
(Sorry for the picture quality - the iPhone doesn't make it any better)
Slacker: Looks great... I'm going to make an almost identical solution here... now I realized that we should probably have some spotlights/lights there too (Thanks to our foresighted and self-thinking electrician for having a junction box available)
But my dear wife wants a "country curtain" instead of sliding doors... please, give me arguments against...
)But my dear wife wants a "country curtain" instead of sliding doors... please, give me arguments against...
Country drapery!?
Oh my God - Give her a compromise - Build sliding doors out of 19mm MDF, use fittings from Theofils so it goes smoothly and looks incredibly stylish!
http://www.theofils.se/product.aspx?prodfamid=60801000
But instead of painting the doors, let her choose a feature wallpaper to apply - She can choose how country-style she wants it! Great compromise! d^_^b Plus, it can be changed whenever you want...
(Just keep in mind that if you glue/paint one side of the MDF, you must do the same with the other side, otherwise your doors will turn into bananas)
Oh my God - Give her a compromise - Build sliding doors out of 19mm MDF, use fittings from Theofils so it goes smoothly and looks incredibly stylish!
http://www.theofils.se/product.aspx?prodfamid=60801000
But instead of painting the doors, let her choose a feature wallpaper to apply - She can choose how country-style she wants it! Great compromise! d^_^b Plus, it can be changed whenever you want...
(Just keep in mind that if you glue/paint one side of the MDF, you must do the same with the other side, otherwise your doors will turn into bananas)
Mmm.. have already suggested that solution.. but she thinks it's "practical" with a fabric curtain... I think the opposite. But I guess we'll start with that, easier to remove the curtain and build sliding doors than the other way around