I used the D-C fix vinyl on a utility worktop I didn’t like years ago. It says it sticks to any surface. No issues with it at all. It does look as if you have a few cut outs though? I did it on my own and found parts somewhat tricky!

i’ve never used it, as like you would not want to paint MDF again, but they also do an MDF sealer which may be worth looking into?

I put Fablon on under counter fridges years ago. They were covered in dog claw marks—I had a Cavalier at the time who was addicted to bouncing along the wall in an attempt to spot food on the worktop! It worked extremely well. I should think it would stick even better to MDF, but you’ll need to be very careful around areas needing cut outs for a good finish. Painting mdf really isn’t that bad—a decent primer followed by Johnstone’s in whatever colour you like goes on a treat. Another option could be oilcloth, but you’d need to glue that on and there’s the same issue with cut outs. The advantage over fablon would be that you could control the adhesiveness or even use a staple gun and tighten the cloth over the boards. upholstery style.

The trouble with mdf is it's porous. For best results you need to prime/seal/paint it first before sticking on the fablon. Won't need to be as neat but only you can assess the faff factor.

If you look online there are loads of videos on how to fit fablon or dc fix to all sorts of shapes and surfaces. (I had no idea how to use a hairdryer to help around curved or difficult shapes until I saw the helpful vids other people had made.) Definitely worth getting those shelves done - future you will thank you for years!