MDF Or Wood Skirting Board
How timber and MDF skirting compare on cost and finish so you can pick the right one for each room.
Written by David White
Updated
The short answer
MDF skirting board is the better choice for most painted rooms, because it's cheaper, comes pre-primed and has no knots to seal, so it's ready for paint far sooner. Wood skirting board is the one to choose if you want a stained or varnished finish that shows the grain, or skirting in a hallway that takes heavy knocks, as solid timber is tougher and easier to repair.
Skirting boards come in plenty of profiles, from Ogee and Torus to Bullnose and Ovolo, and most of them are sold in both MDF and solid wood. The profile decides the look, but the material decides how much prep the boards need, how they cope with knocks and what you'll pay for a house full of them.
We had to make this call on one of our own renovations, where every room needed new skirting, so it was a big decision. Below we go through the case for each material, with the pros and cons of both.
Choosing Wood For Your Skirting Board
Solid timber skirting costs more than MDF, but it's tougher and stands up better to the knocks a skirting board takes from hoovers, feet and furniture. The grain is the other big reason to choose it. If you want natural-looking woodwork with a lacquer, stain or varnish finish, timber gives a room character that a painted board can't match.
The catch comes when you want to paint it. Knots in softwood have to be sealed with a knotting solution to stop resin bleeding through, then the boards need priming and undercoating before the top coat.
Pros Of Wood Skirting Board
- Strength: very durable against everyday knocks
- Repairs: dents and chips are easy to fix with a good wood filler and a light sand
- Finish options: it can be stained, varnished or lacquered as well as painted
- Refinishing: easy to sand back and refinish years down the line
- Character: the grain and knots add warmth to a room
Cons Of Wood Skirting Board
- Imperfections: natural timber can have flaws, splits or loose knots
- Preparation: knotting, priming and undercoating add time before painting
- Price: dearer to buy than MDF, as it takes longer to produce
- Movement: timber can twist or shrink as it dries out in a heated home
Choosing MDF For Your Skirting Board
MDF stands for medium density fibreboard. It's made from softwood and hardwood fibres bonded together with resin under heat and pressure, which gives a smooth, even board with no grain, knots or splits.
That smooth surface is why MDF goes up so quickly on a big job. Most MDF skirting comes pre-primed, so a light sand and a coat of primer on any cut ends is all it needs before you paint the skirting boards. Once it's painted, it looks almost identical to painted timber.
The weak spot is water. Raw MDF soaks up moisture through any unsealed edge and swells, and our guide on replacing a window sill shows an MDF sill that water ruined. Seal every cut end with primer or paint, and think twice about MDF in bathrooms or on floors that get mopped a lot.
Pros Of MDF Skirting Board
- Handling: light, straight and easy to cut and fit
- Stability: it doesn't twist, bow or shrink the way timber can
- Prep: far less work to get ready for paint
- Cost: cheaper than timber, which adds up over a whole house
- Choice: sold pre-primed or fully pre-finished
Cons Of MDF Skirting Board
- Strength: weaker than solid wood and dents more easily
- Looks: no visible grain, so it can't be stained or varnished for a natural finish
- Repairs: harder to repair once chipped
- Fixings: nails and screws don't always hold well, especially near the ends
- Cracking: it can crack or split under heavy pressure
- Moisture: unsealed edges swell if they get wet
MDF And Wood Skirting Side By Side
| Point | MDF skirting | Wood skirting |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Cheaper | Dearer |
| Prep for paint | Light sand if bought pre-primed | Knotting, primer and undercoat |
| Stain or varnish | No | Yes |
| Knock resistance | Lower | Higher |
| Repairs | Harder | Easy to fill and sand |
| Stability | Stays straight | Can twist or shrink |
| Wet areas | Swells if edges aren't sealed | Copes better once painted |
Which Skirting Board We Recommend
Unless you want the character of real timber or plan to stain or varnish the boards, we'd fit MDF. It's easier to handle, cheaper across a full renovation and much quicker to prepare, and under a couple of coats of satinwood or gloss, nobody will tell it apart from painted wood.
Timber still earns its place in a busy hallway, in rooms with natural wood floors and doors, and anywhere you want the grain on show. Whichever you choose, our step-by-step guide to painting skirting boards covers the prep and the finish, and our pick of the best satinwood paints lists the ones we'd use on top.
Watch Us Do It
Skirting Board Paint: Satin, Gloss, Eggshell or Stained? We've Tested Them All To Find The Best!
Other Questions We Get Asked
Is MDF skirting board better than wood?
MDF skirting board is better than wood for most painted rooms, as it's cheaper, straighter and needs far less preparation before painting. Wood is better where you want a stained or varnished finish, or where skirting takes heavy knocks, because solid timber is tougher and easier to repair. Once painted, the two look almost the same.
Does MDF skirting need priming before painting?
Pre-primed MDF skirting only needs a light sand, a wipe down and primer on any cut ends before the undercoat or top coat. Bare MDF needs a full coat of primer, as the fibres soak up paint and the cut edges can swell. Always seal the ends, since that's where moisture gets in.
Can you use MDF skirting in a bathroom?
You can use MDF skirting in a bathroom, but only if every face and cut edge is sealed with primer and paint, as raw MDF swells when it gets wet. Moisture-resistant MDF is the safer choice in bathrooms and kitchens. If the floor gets splashed or mopped a lot, painted timber or a PVC skirting copes better.
Can you stain MDF skirting board?
No, MDF skirting board can't be stained to look like real wood, as it has no grain and soaks up stain unevenly. MDF is designed to be painted. If you want a stained or varnished finish with visible grain, choose solid timber skirting such as pine or oak instead.
Which would you choose for a busy hallway?
Solid timber is the better choice for a busy hallway. It's tougher against the knocks skirting takes from hoovers, feet and furniture, and dents and chips are easy to fix with wood filler and a light sand. MDF is weaker, dents more easily and is harder to repair once chipped, so keep it for quieter rooms.
Does painted MDF skirting look cheaper than painted wood?
No. With no grain, knots or splits in the way, MDF takes paint smoothly and evenly, and after a couple of coats of satinwood or gloss it looks almost identical to painted timber. The difference only shows if you're after a stained or varnished finish, because MDF can't take one.
What do I need to do to the cut ends of MDF skirting?
Give each cut end a light sand and a coat of primer before you paint. The factory primer stops at the saw cut, and raw MDF soaks up moisture through any unsealed edge and swells. On pre-primed boards the ends are the only part that needs this, which is a big part of why MDF is so quick to get ready.
How do I stop knots bleeding through painted wood skirting?
Seal each knot with a knotting solution before priming, so the resin can't bleed through the paint. Then prime and undercoat the boards before the top coat. That prep is the main reason painted softwood skirting takes more work than MDF. If you want the knots on show, stain or varnish the timber instead.
Dave, or Demolition Dave as the team calls him, worked as a builder for over 10 years before joining DIY Works. He now concentrates on his own properties and writes most of our construction content, along with tools, carpentry and plenty more.