On 11/21/2010 9:07 PM, The Henchman wrote:
Tight budget, and I'm a novice diy'er.

My wife wants my to build a wall to wall bookcase that is floor to ceiling.
There will actually be 3 sections because we want the end sections to have
workstation or desks. These units will be fastened to the wall. My wife
and her
family suggested I make everything out of MDF which is cheep, easy to treat
and easy to buy decorative faces and mouldings for.

However I'd like to seek opinions on how long 5/8" or 3/4" MDF will last if
two adults and two kids use this type of configuration for 20 or 25
years or
hopefully 40 years?. What's the life span of MDF for this type of
application? We are in Ontario Canada so air conditioning 3 months a year
and forced air heating for 7 months a year from a humidity standpoint. Is
there plywood that is affordable and nice to prime and paint and that we
can
nail some mdf moulds to? Melamine is prolly out of the question cause of
looks and it's really tough to paint ( it's a home office library, not a
kitchen)

This room will be used a lot we think.

Back in stone age, we used to make working bookcases out of 2x10s or
2x12s, with the uprights notched to accept the shelves. Using 2x for the
shelf allows a LONG span without sagging. Depending on size of 'desk'
needed, you could either double-width one shelf using cleats on the
bottom, or triple-wide it with addition of an angled stiffleg going back
to the upright members. Think ******* offspring of a picnic table and a
garage workbench.

All this sounds crude, I know. But if you can find decent lumber, and
work carefully, it can actually be quite attractive. Stain or paint to
suit your taste. And the best thing is, you don't need fancy tools-
sawhorses, clamps, straightedge, speed square, and a good skilsaw will
do it. Where fasteners are needed, long cabinet or deck screws (NOT
drywall screws).

As to how to hold to wall- I built a lot of these for people in rental
quarters, and actually just did a jam fit against ceiling (or between 2
walls) using styrofoam sheet and shim wedges. But if kids are in house,
I'd do a backer board along top edge between the uprights, and lag it
into the studs. If it looks like a ladder, kids WILL climb it at some
point. They can't help it.

Other will disagree, but I'm not convinced MDF is a good structural
material. Fine for side and back panels that fit into rails and aren't
being twisted, and it does take paint well, but it is still of the
chipboard family. I'm old-fashioned- any right-angle joint needs to be
actual wood, IMHO.

--
aem sends...