Understanding materials.

Every material is an answer to a question — here is how we choose

Catalogs show you ten thousand options. This page shows you how to think — core, skin, movement, water, abuse. Scroll: every concept animates.

01 · The core — what's inside

MDF sample

MDF

Dead flat, machines like butter

Choose for: Paint grade, veneer substrate

Watch out: Hates water; heavy

Particleboard sample

Particleboard

The laminate workhorse

Choose for: Commercial casework at scale

Watch out: Edges need banding; no wet zones

Baltic birch sample

Baltic birch

Void-free plies, screw-holding power

Choose for: Exposed edges, drawers, structure

Watch out: Costs more; can telegraph

Marine ply sample

Marine ply

Waterproof glue lines, no voids

Choose for: Wet bars, outdoor-adjacent, Miami humidity

Watch out: Premium price

Phenolic ply sample

Phenolic ply

Resin-armored faces

Choose for: Carts, labs, abuse zones

Watch out: Dark edge, limited looks

02 · The skin — what you see & touch

High-pressure laminate

A 0.7 mm armored decor sheet, bonded under pressure to a balanced core. Any look — wood, stone, super-matte, metal — with commercial-grade skin.

Egger · Formica · Wilsonart · Fenix · Abet — any decor, by code.

Thermofoil

One vinyl skin, vacuum-pressed over a routed MDF profile — shaker doors and radius parts with zero seams, wrapped edges included.

Veneer — the bookmatch

Real wood, sliced into sequential leaves and opened like a book — mirrored figure across a whole elevation. Leaves numbered, sequence reserved. Dyed ranges (the Tabu treatment) on request.

Browse the full decor universes — we source any code: Egger decors ↗ Formica ↗ Wilsonart ↗ Fenix ↗ Tabu veneers ↗

03 · Solid wood — alive, and it moves

Walnut
Walnut
White oak
White oak
Rift oak
Rift oak
Red oak
Red oak
Maple
Maple
Cherry
Cherry
Mahogany
Mahogany
Teak
Teak
Ash
Ash
Hickory
Hickory
Wenge
Wenge
Sapele
Sapele

04 · Stone & glass — the honest guests

Stone rides, never bonds

Wood moves; stone doesn't negotiate. Slip joints let the wood breathe underneath — the inlay floats, the joint survives every season.

The green you don't notice — until you do

Standard glass carries iron: green edges, green cast beside pale woods. Low-iron reads crystal-true. Beside white oak, it's the only glass we'll install.

Emerald quartzite

Quartzite, marble, travertine

Every slab is bought bookmatched and tagged for its exact position — like veneer, but heavier consequences. We template after walls exist, never from plans.

05 · The hardware hall

Motion is a material too. The world's finest mechanisms, specified per opening and machined in our shop.

Concealed hinges
Concealed hingesBlum · Salice · Grass
Undermount slides
Undermount slidesBlum LEGRABOX · Hettich · Accuride
Pivot systems
Pivot systemsFritsJurgens · Rixson
Lift systems
Lift systemsBlum AVENTOS
Blum·Häfele·Hettich·Salice·Grass·Accuride·Sugatsune·FritsJurgens·Rixson·Emtek·Richelieu
Ask the drawing room — consulting at $250/hr → Request samples →

Next

Let's build.
Emailhello@mdbmia.com
Phone(305) 300-7996
Shop
2040 Dewey St, Hollywood, FL 33020