Medium-density fiberboard (MDF) is a cost saving alternative over plywood and similar engineered wood products. In some cases, MDF outperforms other products as it’s so also easier to to work with. Unlike real wood, MDF has no knots, grain, or warping, and its smooth surface is a preferred material for painted kitchen cabinet doors.hem a silky smooth finish before cutting them to fixed dimensions. MDF is much more pliant than traditional lumber or plywood.
The best way to measure for both wood and MDF doors for a cabinet with a face frame is to measure the opening and add 1 inch to the width and height. (For example if the opening is 16” wide and 28” high, the door size should be 17” X 29”). This will leave a ½” overlay around the opening. If the cabinets are frameless, measure the exact size of the old doors. If you have 1 opening and need 2 doors, simply measure the opening of the width, add 1 inch and divide by 2, the height will not be affected. (For example if the opening is 24″ wide and 29″ high, the 2 doors should be 12 1/2″ X 30″ each).
Measure the drawer front opening. Determine how much overlay (the amount by which the drawer front overlaps the face frame of the cabinet) is needed. Next, add the overlay to the dimensions of your drawer opening (for 1/2″ overlay all the way around the perimeter of the drawer, add 1″ to both the height and width of the drawer opening).
Amount of overlay may vary, as long as the overlay does not interfere with adjoining drawer fronts or cabinet doors.
For inset kitchen cabinet doors, measure the opening and subtract 3/16″ from the width and height of the measurement to get the corret size of the door.
For double inset kitchen cabinet doors, subtract 3/16″ from width of each of the doors, and 3/16″ from the height.