Help with building an Office... Covering steel file cabinets with plywood??

[joseph j shields]

I'm starting to build an office for the LOML...

She wants lots of file cabinets. I considered building the file cabinets, but I'm thinking about buying some nice steel file cabinets and then cladding the cabinets, face frame and drawer fronts with cherry plywood. (See attached photo...)

I can buy some really nice Hon (made in the USA:)) file cabinets for ~$140 each...

Has anyone done this before???

Any links, tips or suggestions???

Thanks for your help!!!


-jj

[Charlie Plesums]

For years my primary desk has been two drawer file cabinets with a top. Unforturnately I made the top from two layers of particle board, with an extra half inch frame, giving the illusion of a 2 inch thick top. Did a nice fake oak formica top and edge. The unfortunate part is that the top is so heavy that even grown moving men complain.

I bought a couple more "files" with a folder drawer on the bottom and multiple drawers on the upper half, with the intention of making another similar desk, but it hasn't happened yet.

I wouldn't bother trying to clad the files... if you are going that far, then just buy good slides and good drawers boxes, etc., and don't try to hide the file cabinet.

[Jim Kountz]

I would just build them myself. At $140 each that should be enough if not really close to buy the materials and do them yourself. Better end product and more satisfaction to me.

[Bob Rufener]

I have a 2 drawer file cabinet recessed into a wall storage unit. I faced it with oak veneer 1/4 inch plywood. It looks and works well. I used contact cement and it has held up well.

[Bill Houghton]

Better end product...

I don't know what today's Hon file cabinets are like, but back when I worked for a living, we had Hon and other professional cabinets that were old when I started there, and still worked fine; and the moving crew, when we moved offices, would move them full, not something I'd attempt with a wooden file cabinet.

You might explore the Internet for information on covering fridge doors with wood, something that's become quite the fashion. I would think you could do it. The most difficult problem would be any latching mechanism on the drawer fronts and the lock.

Only slightly relevant comment: early in my career, the office I worked in had file cabinets scrounged within the organization from various sources, which were dark brown, light brown (really ugly - parents of small children would recognize the color immediately as something that made them glad when the kids got potty-trained), green, and some other color I forget. Someone who was only in the office for about six months, thank goodness, earnestly suggested that we color-match the file cabinets by covering them with contact paper. It became an inside joke for years after she left.

No insult intended by this story, though. Cherry plywood, though - that makes sense.

[Bob Johnson2]

Many, many, years ago I did one using paneling when panaling was the thing to do. Used contact cement like Bob did above. Used 1 ince coner moulding on all the corners and either 1 or 1 1/2" pine for door frames. Countersunk screws held the mitered door frames on covered with button head plugs. Remounted the pulls thru the paneling. I'd guess the paneling was 1/4". For so simple a project they came out very nice and lasted 20+ years when the slides finally gave out. Nothing used on the bottom or back.