· Joinery Guide
MDF vs Particle Board vs Plywood for Kenyan
A practical comparison for carpenters, kitchen designers, and DIY homeowners in Nairobi choosing boards for cabinets, wardrobes, and built-in joinery — written from the workshop floor on Magadi Road.
1. Quick pick — which board for which job?
| Job | Best board | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Kitchen cabinet carcasses (boxes) | 18 mm Melamine Particle Board | Stable, affordable, pre-finished. Don't get it wet. |
| Painted / sprayed shaker doors | 18 mm MDF | Smooth, no grain, holds paint beautifully. Routs cleanly. |
| Under-sink units, vanities, wet areas | 18 mm Marine Plywood | Survives splashes, screws hold even after wetting. |
| Wardrobes & closets | Melamine Particle Board | Dry environment, edge-banding hides the core. |
| Drawers (sides & base) | 12–15 mm Plywood or Particle Board | Plywood when you want longevity; chipboard for budget builds. |
2. MDF — Medium Density Fibreboard
MDF is wood fibres pressed with resin into a uniform, grain-free panel. It's the standard substrate for painted doors and any job that needs a flawless flat finish.
Strengths
- • Perfectly smooth — ideal for spray paint
- • Cuts and routs without splintering
- • Dimensionally stable, no grain to fight
- • Great for shaker doors, mouldings, decorative panels
Watch out
- • Heavy — a full 18 mm sheet is ~40 kg
- • Swells badly if it gets wet (unless MR-MDF)
- • Screws don't bite well into edges — pre-drill
- • Dust is fine; wear a mask when cutting
3. Particle Board (Chipboard / Melamine Board)
Particle board is wood chips bonded with resin. In Kenya, almost every kitchen carcass and wardrobe is built from melamine-faced particle board — the same board with a coloured or wood-look melamine paper pressed onto both faces. It arrives pre-finished; you just edge-band the cuts.
Strengths
- • Cheapest of the three boards
- • Pre-finished in dozens of colours and wood looks
- • Stable and flat across a sheet
- • Edge-banding gives a clean cabinet edge
Watch out
- • Swells permanently if water reaches the core
- • Weaker screw-hold than plywood — use confirmat screws
- • Chips on the cut edge without scoring
- • Not suitable for outdoor or wet rooms
4. Plywood — Marine & Commercial
Plywood is thin veneers cross-bonded into a stiff, strong panel. Marine plywood uses waterproof glue and is the only board to trust under a kitchen sink, in a bathroom vanity, or for an outdoor kitchen.
Strengths
- • Strongest per kilogram — best for shelving spans
- • Holds screws and hinges for decades
- • Marine grade survives water and steam
- • Can be left exposed or veneered
Watch out
- • 2–3× the cost of melamine particle board
- • Quality varies wildly between local mills
- • Voids inside cheap plywood ruin screw-hold
- • Faces need painting, veneering, or laminating
5. Brands available in Kenya
Two names cover most of the serious joinery work in Nairobi:
Comply
Locally produced melamine-faced particle board — the default for kitchen carcasses and budget-to-mid wardrobes. Wide colour range, consistent thickness, and reliably available across Nairobi suppliers. Sheet sizes are typically 2440 × 1830 mm at 18 mm and 16 mm.
PG Bison
South African import, premium tier. Dense particle-board cores, tighter colour matching, and durable melamine surfaces that hold up to daily kitchen use. Pick PG Bison when the client wants a finish closer to European fitted kitchens.
For plywood, look for locally available marine ply from reputable timber yards — and always check that the edges are void-free before buying a stack.
6. Nairobi humidity, water, and termites
- Coastal jobs (Mombasa, Diani): prefer marine plywood and seal every cut edge. Particle board fails fast in salt air.
- Nairobi & Central: melamine particle board is fine for cabinets if you edge-band all six edges of every panel and silicone around the sink.
- Termites: particle board and MDF resist termite damage better than untreated solid timber because the resin deters them. Still elevate cabinets off the floor.
7. Indicative cost in Kenya (per 18 mm sheet)
Prices vary by supplier, colour, and import batch. Use this as a rough order of magnitude — your quote will use current workshop rates.
| Board | Typical price band |
|---|---|
| Melamine Particle Board (Comply) | KES 3,800 – 5,500 |
| Melamine Particle Board (PG Bison) | KES 5,500 – 8,500 |
| Plain MDF | KES 3,500 – 5,000 |
| Marine Plywood | KES 6,500 – 11,000 |
8. From decision to cut list
Once you've chosen the board, the next step is turning your cabinet sizes into a sheet-optimised cut list — the layout that tells the saw operator how to get every panel out of the fewest sheets, with the least waste.
That's exactly what PanelCut Optimizer does. Enter your panels, pick Comply or PG Bison, choose your edge banding, and get an instant itemised quote — cut, edged, and delivered from our Magadi Road workshop.