Sustainable Alternative to MDF

Two years on. One pool. Three kids. A lot of real-world testing.

Some of you might remember my pool project from last summer (12 months ago) I shared my DIY project.

Instead of playing it safe, I deliberately cladded my pool frame in betterJOINERY Exposed product made by saveBOARD, which is fully exposed to the elements.

Why? Because the best way to test a product is to actually live with it.

After 2+ years of weather, water, UV and relentless kid bomb testing, here’s what I’ve learned:

🚰 Highly moisture resistant🪵 Natural exposed finish (White Noise or Black)☠️ Zero formaldehyde & zero VOC emissions🗑️ 100% recyclable through saveBOARD when its time to refresh.

This an internal joinery material performing in a humid, tropical environment (not designed for this). It will need replacing by the end of 2026 as the UV is started to breakdown the surface, but apart from that it still looks good as you can see in the latest version of my video with footage from last week.

The big question for 2026 is… Why are we still defaulting to MDF?

MDF is moisture-sensitive, paper-covered, often toxic, structurally weaker, and almost always ends up in landfill.

Fun fact: Australia & New Zealand complete 240,000+ kitchen renovations every year, yet ~95% of those materials are wasted.

We can do better. Products like this prove that durability, performance, and circular design don’t have to be trade-off.

If you’re thinking about building, renovating, or specifying joinery differently, we are always keen to connect.

Real projects. Real testing. Real outcomes.