Using MDF as a wrap for a tank stand and canopy?

[Tristan]

Is it safe for MDF to be used around our tanks? I was planning on building a tank stand and canopy out of wood, but then wrap it in MDF. If I did do this, the MDF would be coated in waterproof paint btw

 

[cjd]

I wouldn't use mdf in any structural potion of a build. Cosmetically would be alright short term as any nicks , scratches in the water proof covering will eventually get exposed to water causing it to expand and deform . Amazing how many pre made stands are made from MDF with some kind of coating to protect it from water . I had a Deep Blue cube aquarium with matching stand that was made out of MDF , lasted about a year before I needed a new stand . I even coated the inside with truck bed liner.

 

[dbl]

I have to agree, I would avoid using MDF on the stand. It's just too easily damaged by moisture.

 

[Goslugsgo]

Over time that waterproof paint will wear or crack and you'll have water in the MDF. It will only take a drop to expand the MDF creating fissures for water to soak and destroy the rest rapidly.

 

[Sleepydoc]

The only place I used MDF for my stand was for the top - 2 ¾" pieces laminated together, then sealed and covered on all 6 sides by Formica. Even that I thought twice about. As for the rest of the stand, follow the advice given above.

 

[Ryengoth]

MDF absorbs water, blows up like a sponge and falls apart. Do not use it around water. Use a quality exterior ply like plytanium and seal it well.

 

[cromag27 Verified Sponsor]

Mdf is completely fine.......as long as you powder coat it first.

 

[waybad41willys]

There is an exterior grade MDF available i was building custom stands and used it a lot you can leave it in a bucket of water and does not effect it .
i have found it to hold up even better than real wood what makes it work is the resin it is made with the stuff i used had a red tint to it .

 

[waybad41willys]

I also made a the canopies from it just found out that one i built 22 years ago still looks great . I did the out sides in formica and painted the insides .
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when i tell you i know about MDF i know a lot i owed a custom audio shop and built 1000s of speaker boxes and know if you want to use MDF you must use the exterior grade I have seen pieces of ¾ MDF swell to 2 inches or more when wet

 

[waybad41willys]

One last thing some places sell it as marine grade it is much tougher doesn't chip or scratch like standard grade

 

[Sleepydoc]

There is an exterior grade MDF available i was building custom stands and used it a lot you can leave it in a bucket of water and does not effect it .
i have found it to hold up even better than real wood what makes it work is the resin it is made with the stuff i used had a red tint to it .

The contractor that built our deck used a product called Miratec that sounds similar. It looks somewhat like MDF, but in 5 years has not broken down, swollen or otherwise deteriorated. (Except for getting kind of ratty & scuffed up because I keep bumping it with the lawn mower.) I don't know if it's available in sheet stock or just the pseudo-boards, but it wold be a possibility.

There's another product called Extira that's apparently made at the same factory as Miratec that does come in sheet stock. I don't know if they are chemically the same or not, but they sound close.

One caveat with these products - I saw some posts online that water-based paints and glues don't work terribly well. (Likely because the resins used are hydrophobic) Either way, it may not paint/glue like MDF, so I'd try out some scrap pieces first.

As a disclaimer, other than seeing the trim on my deck, I have no experience with either of these products and cannot definitively say whether they are suitable for our applications or not; I'm simply passing along potentially useful information.

 

[waybad41willys]

The stuff I use look just like the standard mdf but has a red color resins