Raw vs Sanded vs Primed MDF Cabinet Doors: What Should You Choose?

As cabinet shops and refinishers across Canada continue shifting toward one-piece MDF cabinet doors, one question comes up just as often as door style or profile: should you order raw, sanded, or primed MDF doors? The right choice isn’t universal. It depends on your shop’s labour availability, finishing setup, timelines, margins, and how much control you want over the process. Choosing the wrong stage can quietly eat into profits through extra labour, bottlenecks, or rework. Understanding the real differences between raw MDF cabinet doors, sanded MDF doors, and primed MDF cabinet doors helps you make a decision that supports your workflow instead of working against it.

Raw MDF cabinet doors are CNC-cut and inspected but leave all surface preparation to your shop. Sanded MDF doors are CNC-cut and professionally sanded to a consistent finish, allowing you to move directly into priming. Primed MDF cabinet doors are cut, sanded, and factory-primed, arriving ready for light scuff sanding and topcoat. Each option shifts time, labour, and responsibility between the manufacturer and your shop.

Raw MDF cabinet doors usually offer the lowest upfront cost per square foot, making them attractive for smaller shops or startups focused on minimizing expenses. They also give full control over the sanding process, allowing you to follow your own grit schedules, edge prep techniques, and inspection standards. For shops with idle labour or dedicated sanding staff, raw MDF doors can help keep employees productive.

Raw MDF doors are the most labour-intensive option. They require sanding on edges, faces, and profiles, along with dust removal and careful quality control. This added work can significantly increase production time per kitchen, especially on detailed door styles. Without strict sanding procedures, consistency can suffer, leading to rounded edges, missed tooling marks, or uneven profiles. During busy periods, sanding raw doors often becomes the primary bottleneck in the shop.

Sanded MDF cabinet doors strike a balance between cost and efficiency and are increasingly popular with professional cabinet shops and refinishers. These doors arrive professionally sanded, eliminating heavy prep work and allowing you to move straight into priming. Because sanding is done in a controlled environment using repeatable schedules, surface quality remains consistent from job to job. Flat surfaces stay flat, profiles remain crisp, and inside corners stay sharp, which is especially important for slim shaker and modern door styles.

Sanded MDF doors cost more than raw doors, but the labour savings often outweigh the price difference. They still require finishing skill, spray equipment, and proper shop conditions. While sanding time is greatly reduced, finishing quality still depends on your processes and experience.

Primed MDF cabinet doors offer the greatest time savings by shifting most preparation work to the manufacturer. These doors arrive sanded and sealed with primer, allowing your shop to focus on light scuff sanding and topcoating. Factory priming reduces common issues such as edge soak, fuzzy profiles, and inconsistent coverage. This makes primed MDF doors ideal for high-volume refacing companies or shops that prioritize speed and predictable turnaround times.

Primed MDF doors typically have the highest upfront cost and offer less flexibility for shops that prefer specific primers or custom finishing systems. They require trust in the manufacturer’s priming process, but for many shops, the reduction in labour and increased predictability more than compensate for the added cost.

Looking only at price per square foot can be misleading. Raw MDF doors may appear cheapest but often become the most expensive once labour is factored in. Sanded MDF doors usually provide the best balance of cost and efficiency. Primed MDF doors tend to have the highest purchase price but the lowest labour requirement, making them ideal for shops focused on speed, scalability, and consistent output. In most Canadian shops, labour is expensive and time is limited, which is why sanded and primed MDF doors continue to gain popularity.

Small custom shops often start with raw or sanded MDF doors and gradually move toward sanded options as volume increases. Mid-size cabinet shops typically benefit most from sanded MDF doors due to their balance of efficiency and control. High-volume refacing companies gain the most from primed MDF doors because of faster cycle times and simplified workflows. Shops scaling quickly often choose sanded or primed doors to reduce training demands and eliminate production bottlenecks.

At TrueCore, raw, sanded, and primed MDF cabinet doors all begin with precision CNC machining. Every door is cut on industrial 5x10 CNC equipment using clean, sharp tooling to ensure accurate dimensions and crisp profiles. Clean machining minimizes edge fuzz and tooling marks, even on raw doors. Sanded doors follow consistent sanding schedules that preserve flatness and sharp detail. Primed doors are finished with professional coatings designed to sand easily and accept modern waterborne polyurethane topcoats. Regardless of the stage you choose, profiles, tolerances, and overall quality remain consistent. Only the level of preparation changes.

There is no single best option for every shop. Raw MDF doors offer maximum control but demand more labour. Sanded MDF doors provide the best balance of cost and efficiency for most professional shops. Primed MDF doors offer speed, predictability, and scalability for high-volume operations. The most profitable shops choose the option that reduces bottlenecks and aligns with their workflow.

If you’re unsure which option fits your business, TrueCore makes it easy to compare raw, sanded, and primed MDF cabinet doors through the online quote form. Choose the level of preparation that matches your shop, your timeline, and your growth goals, and get consistent quality delivered Canada-wide.