MDF is quickly becoming a commonplace material, especially within the building industry. For skirting boards and architraves, it’s definitely the most used around the world.

When a design is added to MDF, it breaks into the core of the material which is generally not as compact as the outer layers. This can leave you with a ‘furry’ finish.

If you tried to paint over this without first priming the material, you would find that the MDF would soak the paint up (where it has been machined) and would require several coats before it would be presentable.

This is why priming the MDF beforehand is always recommended. It stops the paint being soaked up by the MDF and allows for a nice even coverage.

When it comes to primer, a water based primer is the ideal solution. Before priming, it is best practice to sand the machined MDF to make sure the surface is as smooth as possible.

Another benefit of priming the MDF before painting is because this will help protect the material. Normally, MDF is not moisture resistant so this layer of primer will give it a level of protection. However, it is possible now to also get moisture resistant MDF – but this doesn’t stop the furriness.