Building Materials To Use for Your DIY Home Projects
Have you ever found yourself standing in the building materials aisle, not
knowing which product to use for your next home project?
One question I often get is "How did you make that"? It starts with choosing the right material. You don't want to make a mistake, use a material that isn't strong enough, doesn't paint well or cuts poorly, and end up wasting your money. We've used lots of different woods and composites over the years and knowing which to use is critical to getting a successful result.
One question I often get is "How did you make that"? It starts with choosing the right material. You don't want to make a mistake, use a material that isn't strong enough, doesn't paint well or cuts poorly, and end up wasting your money. We've used lots of different woods and composites over the years and knowing which to use is critical to getting a successful result.
Disclosure: This conversation is sponsored by the Composite Panel Association. Thank you for supporting the brands that make this blog possible!
Building Materials
Let me show you different material options we've used in our own home, where and how we've used them. I've also included some helpful tips to getting the most out of your material.Solid Wood:
Wood is a good choice for building or construction projects. It's a strong material that can support weight so consider it for projects that involve framing or building a support. We've used solid wood for framing a wall in our bedroom, providing the supporting structure for a window seat, and to build our L-shaped bench with storage.
The framing for the bench was made using 2"x4" pieces of lumber which were
then faced in 1/4" plywood. The hinged top was constructed of planks of knotty
pine. See here for the full instructions.
Tip: when possible, size your project to fit dimensional lumber to
minimize wastage and cost. For example, we designed the longest
side of our bench to be 8' so it could be easily built from 8' pieces of
lumber.
The wood construction ensured that our outdoor bench was solid and would not
buckle under the weight of our family of three. Be aware though that wood
can easily absorb water if not treated or maintained properly. We painted
the bench with exterior paint to make it more moisture resistant and
suitable for outdoor weather conditions.
Wood is also the material of choice when you want to stain and show the
natural wood grain. Wood contains knots and imperfections; it is not a
uniform, smooth material.
It's suitable for projects such as our
whitewash plank walls or details like the stained surround we have on our basement fireplace where you want to add the warmth and texture of wood.
MDF (Medium Density Fibreboard):
MDF is an engineered wood product. It falls under the category of "composites" which are materials made
from two or more different materials that combined are stronger than those
individual materials by themselves. Using composites is a sustainable
choice; composite manufacturers make use of recycled wood and sawmill
waste that otherwise would be landfilled or burned,
ensuring the entire tree is put to use and very little is wasted.
MDF is typically made of wood fibres that are combined with a resin binder
and are joined together under heat and pressure to form panels. MDF panels
are smooth, flat, and feature a uniform density which allows for precise
cutting and shaping. MDF is also less expensive than solid wood.
In our home, we've used MDF in budget-friendly projects that require a
crisp, clean look. One example is the MDF shiplap on the fireplace in the
photo above. Another example is the moulding and trimwork featured throughout our home.
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| Traditional moulding in the living room |
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| Wall panel treatment in the bathroom |
MDF is easy to work with and is a great choice for the novice DIYer. It
comes in a variety of sizes and profiles. It allows for clean, straight
cuts and detailed finishing. It sands and paints easily.
This
DIY radiator cover
is one of my favourite MDF projects. We decided on MDF for this
application as the MDF wouldn't warp or expand with the heat from the
radiator. The perforated wood mesh screen is also a hardboard product
while the smaller cove moulding is wood.
Tip: MDF is less expensive than wood. Use a combination of MDF and
other wood products to keep costs down.
Particleboard:
Particleboard
is manufactured similarly to MDF but is made of an inner core of larger,
coarser fibres that provide excellent strength, stability, and screw
holding.
Particleboard's surface layers are fine fibres that provide a smooth
finish that readily accept decorative laminates and wood veneers. It's an
economical and adaptable solution often used in kitchen cabinets,
countertops, shelving, stair treads and flooring underlayment.
Here's a closet organization system that is made of particleboard with a
thermally-fused laminate finish (also known as melamine). We maximized
storage by adding in custom touches such as the hanging rods and shelving
cut to size. To the left of the unit, we added filler panels made from
particleboard and MDF to give the closet a built-in look.
Hardboard:
Hardboard is also a composite made from wood fibres subjected to heat and pressure to form panels. The panels are lightweight but have a higher density and strength as compared to MDF. It's used in furniture components, wall paneling, moulded door skins, underlayment and perforated boards.
Here you can see the hardboard pegboard we used in our garage, along with
the wood frame construction of our workbench. The hardboard provided a
cost-effective and decorative DIY organization solution. It's strong enough
to hold our hand tools, clamps, and power tools. See more garage
organization ideas
here.
Another interesting use of hardboard in our home is for the DIY wainscotting
in
our dining room. The previous owners had installed moulding in this room. When we took
that moulding out, it left the drywall patchy and torn. Rather than spending
our time and money repairing the drywall, we instead installed hardboard
panels on the bottom half of the wall.
The hardboard created a nice, new surface that we could paint and to which
we could apply additional mouldings. The chair rail hides the fact that
the white wainscot and wallpapered walls are not the same depth.
Decorative Surfaces
You can also achieve a whole different look with your building materials by
having
decorative surfaces
applied on top. Overlays or coatings such as laminates, foils or veneers,
are commonly applied to panel products such as particleboard, MDF or
hardboard. Decorative surfaces are a great way to achieve the colour,
texture, and pattern you want at an affordable price.
You'll see decorative surfaces applied to kitchen cabinetry, bathroom
vanities, countertops, and home organization systems. Several examples can
be found in our basement wet bar.
A variety of composite materials have been used here:
- the floating shelf features a particleboard core with a realistic woodgrain look veneer
- the countertop has a particleboard core but is finished with a marble-look laminate
- and the cabinet doors feature an MDF substrate with 3D laminate applied on top
We purchased these items ready-made, but if you're adventurous, you could
certainly
DIY your own laminate countertops
or apply veneer to shelving.
As you can see, there are lots of options for building materials. I hope you
found this information useful and you feel better equipped to select
material for your next DIY project!
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