The surface of MDF is very smooth which makes it a great surface for painting. MDF is very consistent throughout, so cut edges appear smooth and won't have voids or splinters. Because of the smooth edges, you can use a router to create decorative edges.
One of the easiest ways to tell the difference between real vs. manufactured wood furniture is the presence of grain. Real solid wood furniture will always have a distinct grain that varies in pattern across the piece. If the markings lack texture, appear smooth or repeat themselves, the piece is most likely veneer.
MDF wood is essentially sawdust and glue that have been fused together with pressure and heat. The color of MDF can range from tan to dark brown. The process of working with MDF is fairly similar to working with other types of wood or plywood.
While MDF mimics real wood, there are ways to tell the difference if you examine it closely. For instance, although MDF might have what looks like a natural grain, it might feel unusually smooth; or if you spot a repeating grain pattern, that's a dead giveaway it's fake.
Like MDF, plywood is also engineered wood, made by binding veneer wood sheets together into one solid piece. Plywood sheets come in different grades, so you can choose the right one that suits your needs. Unlike MDF, plywood has visible wood grains, but is free of other imperfections.
Vinyl Plank (aka LVP or LVT): Tough, Low-Maintenance, & Waterproof. As with any material, there are advantages and disadvantages of vinyl flooring . But if you're looking for a fake wood flooring choice that'll suit just about every need, vinyl plank (aka LVP) is the way to go!
While isn't easy to see the difference between real or fake wood furniture online, it's pretty easy to determine if a piece of furniture is fake wood in person. If a laminate is made to look like wood, the printed grains will lack a certain complexity. A touch of your hand will reveal its synthetic nature.
The grain pattern is a sure way of identifying the wood type. In practice, hardwoods such as European oak lumber or mahogany have an open poor structure while softwoods are almost smooth with zero grain indentations. Another pattern worth observing is if the wood was plain sawn or quarter sawn at the time of cutting.
MDF vs particle board
MDF, or Medium Density Fiberboard, is stronger and denser than particle board. It is also a waste-wood material, and it's comprised of wood fibers rather than sawdust. While more elegant and heavier, it depends on the project to determine whether or not you need the quality that comes with MDF.
So, should you be worried about the potential health risks of MDF boards and furniture? Yes and no. MDF is considered toxic if it's been bonded using glue containing formaldehyde. However, formaldehyde is everywhere, and low level exposure is not considered harmful by the World Health Organisation.
MDF is a high grade, composite material. It is made from recycled wood fibers and resin. It is dried and pressed to produce dense, stable sheets. Because of this process, MDF does not warp or crack like wood.
Much of the IKEA furniture is made from particleboard with a smooth, white finish. This densely compressed wood provides a lighter weight piece of furniture than solid wood. There aer two types of particle boards, one is extruded, and the other is platen pressed.
Test #2: Weight
Most of the time, solid wood is heavier than engineered wood - but only most of the time. Cheap substitutes like particle board can be easily detected by their lack of heft and substance, but other types like good quality plywood and fiberboard can feel just as heavy and dense as solid wood.
Plastic is sometimes molded to resemble wood, especially for things like buttons. Press a hot needle into the piece. If it's wood, it will smell like burned wood. Plastic will not.
Laminate furniture is made of synthetic materials to make a thin layer that looks like wood. Since it's not actually made from wood, laminate pieces often look a little fake. That laminate layer actually gets its wood look through a printed process.
Observers of IKEA kitchen cabinets like to point out that they are not real wood but rather are made from medium-density fiberboard (MDF).
Laminate Flooring That Looks Like Wood
There are laminates today that you could easily mistake for wood. Easy to install via the click method, they are a great alternative to hardwood. They're priced really well, look great, and are super durable. They don't scratch or dent and are very easy to clean.
Certain kinds of plastic lumber, in particular PVC decking (also known as synthetic decking), can be "capped," or covered with a protective shell to reinforce its durability and make it look a bit more like real wood.
Wood composite materials are sometimes called manufactured wood and they always include wood fibers like sawdust or lumber particles. They're typically blended with plastics into a wood-plastic composite, though they can also be wood-cement composites or created out of adhesives like particleboard.
MDF is traditionally made of wood fibers that have been broken down into residuals, then mixed with wax and resins and heat pressed into dense, durable sheets. A sheet of MDF will be heavy, smooth and even, with a flat surface that can be painted or sealed.
The Different Types? Most MDF can be broken down into three categories: lightweight MDF, standard grade MDF & high density MDF. Standard grade MDF is made up of wood fibres with a synthetic resin adhesive to form the board.