I got some MDF board cut to size yesterday to put up in my cupboards as additional shelves. Do I need to seal the MDF or is it ok to leave it raw? Mostly going to be holding boxes, bedlinen, and canned/boxed food stuffs.
I know you’re meant to seal it if there is a chance of it being exposed to humidity, but I’m expecting them to be pretty dry with the exception of an unexpected leak.
MDF isn’t great for shelves as it creeps under load - make sure you have plenty of support under them and don’t overload.
I wouldn’t worry too much about sealing it. Bit of a pain to do and unlikely to get damp. I used to live in a block of flats where the builders had used plain MDF for everything and the shelves were fine.
Thank you! There are a respectable number of brackets under them, although not as long as I would like.
I was going to use this but my dad was of the opinion that it would bend and MDF was better.
http://www.diy.com/departments/conti-mfc-furniture-panel-white-l2440mm-w381mm-t15mm/66184_BQ.prd
What material would you have recommended?
Yeah mdf is surely better than that stuff!
By the look of it I would say that you are going to be totally fine…
Yes mdf does bow under the weight but that is a cupboard not a machine shop storage 
you’ll be fine!
How thick is the shelf? 18mm?
About the sealing… doable but I don’t think is worth the effort!
If you are going to put heavy stuff on them jus put a 2x1 batton along the front
Yup 18mm.
I’m not sure how to picture that - you mean just to stop it bending?
To be fair, the shelf isn’t very big, so you shouldn’t have any issues. The weight needed to warp the MDF would likely be too heavy for the brackets you’re using, so I really wouldn’t worry. Wouldn’t worry about sealing either.
Consensus! MDF, don’t worry about sealing.
Add a batten if it starts to warp, but it probably won’t.
Yes
