MDF board?

Dingo

Songster
9 Years
Apr 29, 2010
715
15
133
Somewhere near Springfield, Ma
I got two 2'x4'x1/2" MDF boards at HD in their cull wood pile, nothing was wrong with them other than a tiny spot where one had gotten wet but not at all warped. I read after buying them that the glue/resin used in manufacturing can give off harmful formaldehyde fumes. Can I still use this for my coop? They were intended for the floor of the coop, will tiling over them make them usable?
 
I would not use that stuff in the coop. It is compressed saw dust and will not last long in the coop. I do not think the fumes will do anything because fresh air will come thru.
That stuff is used for painted interior cabinets. It does not warp as much as it swells and then falls apart. So outside moisture will damage it in no time.
 
I went with real wood with my coop for that reason. The cost difference in the long run for a few sheets to make a 4 x 6 chicken coop was not enough to break the bank. Remember, you are going to be eating the eggs.
 
mdf is not designed for damp areas or for structural. It will not hold up outside, and even if it did not get wet/damp it does not have strength to be used for a floor!
 
MDF won't last in a coop, it will almost immediately begin to swell/distort/buckle/soften/disintegrate. Even if painted. Even if tiled over. Just don't, is all I can say. Use plywood, especially if you want to do a tiled floor (although that is not a low-maintenance option for a coop floor...) but even if you don't.

The glues used in OSB and plywood offgass tiny amounts of formaldehyde TOO, you know
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It's not an issue in a properly designed coop though, because you need enough ventilation for OTHER reasons that it's way plenty to deal with that.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat
 
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thats why i use advantech osb subfloor and sheathing.....urea formaldehyde free. and actually many exterior grade plys are urea free as well. The urea is the really toxic stuff which is present in interior grade plys, osb, mdf, Katrina trailers etc etc
 
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Quite true but I just prefer to avoid it all together. Than you aren't cutting it, breathing it etc.
 
Entirely wrong type of material for any type of building. It will fail in short order and you will need to replace it. The fumes aren't the issue, it is the make-up of the wood. Go with plywood.

Buy once, cry once.
 
Okay, guess I'll have to hunt down an alternative. Like I said it was in the cull wood, I paid a dollar for both sheets I was going to use them ontop of a pallet for support. And I am tiling instead of using sheet linolium because I have 40 sq ft of tiles left over from re-doing 2 rooms.
 

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