MFC (Melamine Faced Chipboard)
We are proud stockists of some of the biggest brands when it comes to MFC, including EGGER, Saviola, and Kronospan, with a wide range of colours and effects. All of our MFC is cut to size and available with plenty of customisation including edge banding and cutouts. Being the rigid and versatile material that it is, with so many stunning finishes available, MFC is great for creating that special stand out piece of furniture or for small patch repairs on your modern kitchen.
What Is MFC?
MFC, an acronym for melamine-faced chipboard, is a composite sheet material manufactured by mixing wood shavings and ‘chips’ with a strong resin adhesive, also known as laminated chipboard. This chipboard core is then wrapped in a decorative resin-impregnated paper.
Manufactured from a careful blend of woods, the chipboard is then wrapped in a decorative melamine layer. MFC is a sustainable option as offcuts and less aesthetically appealing woods can be used without degrading the performance or appearance, making it an extremely cost-effective material to build with.
Further to this, unlike MDF sheets, it doesn’t use formaldehyde as a bonding agent making it safer to cut in less well-ventilated areas. As such, MFC has gained in popularity with DIYers and professionals because of its versatility and tool friendliness. MFC is lightweight, and with its customisable melamine face can be applied to a variety of projects.
What is MFC used for?
Melamine-faced chipboard can be used in a multitude of applications, but most frequently MFC is used to create furniture as a result of the sheet being relatively inexpensive and safer to work with than melamine MDF board.
Kitchens: MFC kitchen doors are very popular in kitchen manufacturing. It makes a great sturdy cabinet that can be colour-matched with door frontals, wall colours, splashbacks, and worktops. Worktops are also often made of melamine-faced chipboard as they can be designed to mimic real wood or stone worktops without the cost, and with added durability and cleanability when compared to real wood veneers.
Shelves: With our cut-to-size service, MFC is an ideal material to use for the construction of shelving inexpensively. Once cut to size, the MFC can be edge banded to hide the chip wood core that is often deemed unaesthetic, making a perfect and discrete floating wall shelf.
Desks: Have a peculiarly shaped alcove or after the mother of all workstations with plenty of room for your sprawling paperwork? MFC can be a great material for a desk tabletop without compromising on price or rigidity.
MFC Key Features
Time-Saving
The main advantage of using MFC is that after fitting, the laminated melamine chipboard sheets require no further finishings as opposed to plywood, timber, and some MDF sheets. Additionally, as melamine has a greater stain resistance than varnish, the time saved plus the inexpensive option makes MFC an attractive option.
Durable
Laminated chipboard is waterproof, shatter and scratch-resistant making it more durable than other materials that are otherwise vulnerable to water and scratching. While the melamine exterior finish is waterproof, the chipboard within is still susceptible to water affecting the sheet.
Inexpensive
Relative to other materials for a similar purpose, MFC proves to be an inexpensive option, made from any chipped and offcut materials. While it may not have an aesthetic core, its wide accessibility makes it a common material.