A short while ago Total Retail Magazine published an article titled ‘The High Risk of Low Grade MDF’ by Melanie Lester from Jazolo on the dangers of buying low-grade E2 MDF for slatwalls and panels. The brilliant article highlighted the differences between cheap MDF and the higher quality, but more expensive E1 MDF slatwall panels.
In these austere times when businesses are struggling to get customers through the door, it can be tempting to cut corners where you can and go for price over quality. However is this a false economy? And what is the price you are prepared to pay for cheap, poor quality shop fittings?
The main difference between E1 MDF and the cheaper E2 MDF, as Melanie Lester pointed out, is in the way they are produced. MDF is formed by fusing together timber fibre using formaldehyde as a bind. Formaldehyde is classified as a “known human carcinogen” by the WHO International Agency for Research on Cancer and there are strict controls governing its use here in the UK.
MDF manufactured in Britain is of an E1 quality, so the amount of formaldehyde released into the atmosphere is negligible as the UK uses alternative gluing systems, however there are less stringent rules over the manufacture of MDF in China where the bulk of inferior E2 MDF is made. There, workers are exposed to potentially dangerous levels of formaldehyde during the manufacturing process. Once the E2 MDF is shipped to the UK, it usually requires cutting to size, releasing yet more formaldehyde and putting the workers at risk.
But the risks don’t stop there. Once this MDF is fitted in your shop it will still be releasing small amounts of formaldehyde. For shop workers who are exposed to this every day it can cause headaches, cold-like symptoms and a shortness of breath. For workers who are prone to asthma it could even lead to an asthmatic attack. Not a great working environment then and not something that any shop worker should be exposed to. What you may save in buying cheap MDF you could end up paying out in sick pay.
Many UK companies are now investing only in E1 graded MDF which conforms to BS EN 622 Class A and is of a high quality. Low quality MDF can result in cracking, peeling and bowing – not a good look for any shop interior.
So that cheap option suddenly starts to look unattractive. As an owner of a shop business you need to consider the health of your staff, your customers and yourself. Yes it may save you money in the short run to import cheap E2 MDF, but when you take into account replacement costs and staff sickness, will it cost more in the long run? It is always wiser to go for high quality over cheapness every time.
Stick to this rule of thumb: never have anything in your shop that you wouldn’t be happy to have in your own home. If you care for your shop and your staff then that attitude will spread to your customers and you will reap the benefits in the long term.
