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MDF
MDF is the workhorse of CNC wall panels: cheap, perfectly flat, with zero grain direction. It machines crisp edges on any pattern and is the standard base for painted walls and perforated acoustic panels.
Why choose it
- ✓Lowest cost per sheet
- ✓No grain — identical result in every direction
- ✓Perfect for paint and lacquer finishes
CNC machining (Ø6 mm bit, indicative)
- ⚙Feed 1500–2500 mm/min, 18k rpm (Ø6 mm)
- ⚙6–8 mm per pass; compression bit for clean faces
- ⚙Heavy fine dust — extraction and mask mandatory
Indicative speeds: always validate on an offcut.
Finishing and mounting
The cut edge is the whole problem. Raw MDF edge drinks paint like a sponge and stays rough however many coats you add. Seal it first — diluted PVA, shellac or a dedicated edge filler — then sand lightly and prime. On a slat wall every slat has four exposed edges, so plan this step into the schedule, not around it.
Spray or roll with a foam roller; a brush leaves marks that flat MDF shows mercilessly. Two thin primer coats beat one thick one every time.
MDF is heavy and holds screws poorly in its edge. Fix through the face into rails, never into the edge, and use a wall rail system rather than screwing slats individually — an 18 mm MDF wall of 2.4 m weighs enough to pull plasterboard fixings out.
