What is RTF?
RTF is "Rigid Thermofoil". It is applied to an MDF substrate with heat and heat activated glue under immense pressure in a mercury vacuum press. The resulting product is very durable. With the new RTF veneers available today, cabinet doors look very much like natural wood. In fact, many of these veneers have natural looking wood grain texture built right into them. RTF has become the most popular choice for homeowners who want a beautiful product without all the care and upkeep of natural woods. Better Homes and Gardens has touted RTF cabinetry as "the 40 year kitchen"!
What is MDF?
MDF is medium-density fiberboard. It has become the most popular composite material in recent years. Because MDF is uniform, very dense, smooth and free of knots and grain patterns, it makes an excellent substitute for solid wood in many applications. It is an excellent base for solid color and wood grain RTF veneers and laminates. It is also the perfect choice for painting because there is no wood grain showing through. Kitchen doors of MDF, as opposed to natural wood, have no joints to crack after they have been painted.
MDF is made up of wood particles and resin. The particles are separated uniformly to make a fine, consistent material that is cooked and pressure steamed. The material is then bound with an adhesive and heat pressed to produce a solid board with many of the same qualities of natural wood, but without many of natural wood's limitations.
Because of MDF's consistent makeup, machining this material with the right tools results in clean, sharp edges without chip-out or fuzzing. Because MDF is denser than most woods, manufacturers use only the highest quality tools of carbide and diamond for cutting. MDF can be glued and holds screws as well as natural wood.
What are "RTF" DOORS?
Rigid Thermo Foil (RTF) is pressed using computer controlled heat and pressure over a one-piece high-quality MDF panel with a low pressure Thermofused Melamine back, resulting in a high
quality K.C.M.A. (Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association) approved product. Scratch resistant White, Almond, Antique White, and selected Woodgrain patterns look elegant without the expense and problems associated with real wood doors.
700 series RTF Doors...can vary considerably in appearance and price, primarily due to the number of PASSES (machine routing procedures) each door requires during production. The quality of the product is the same on all the styles, however the labor required to produce each door can vary considerably, depending on how many passes it takes to produce the style door you may want. A '2 PASS' door such as a door with the "C-2" panel profile, uses only two machining procedures to complete it's look (one symmetrical cut for the routed panel profile, and one for the edge profile), whereas a '3 PASS' door generally will have an asymmetrical, or non-symmetrical routed panel profile, requiring two passes to produce the panel profile effect, plus one additional pass for the edge profile. '2 PASS' and '3 PASS' doors generally have radiused, or rounded, corners on the center panel, since cutting the corners square requires one or two additional passes, depending on the door style. Again, a 2 PASS or 3 PASS door will generally have radiused corners on the center panel, where 4, 5, and 6 PASS doors ( i.e. V-5, Q-6, K-5, I-5 ) will have squared corners on the center panel. The only exception to this rule so far is the 'V-3' door, which HAS square corners, even though it needs only 3 passes to produce the door.
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Many outside edges to choose from. Most edges can be bored for concealed hinges if requested @ $1.00 per hole.
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