Cabinet Grade Ply?

[Robert foster]

I was at the local lumberyard the other day looking for some ply. I noticed some cabinet grade ply. How does this compare to other ply?

Bob

[Prashun Patel]

It usually refers to the veneer, which is typically birch or maple, and might contain some filled voids in the veneer on one side. IMHO, this stuff is decent for shopgrade furniture usually. It can contain some voids between plys.

'Cabinet grade' is not to be confused with Baltic Birch...

[Todd Burch]

In my experience, more consistent thickness, better quality outer veneers and fewer voids.

[Todd Burch]

'Cabinet grade' is not to be confused with Baltic Birch...

And, there is still a distinction between paint grade and stain grade as well. Cabinet grade, if you found it at the lumberyard, most likely means a step up from construction grade. (warped, twisted, still wet, etc.)

[Josh Gerber]

So which grade of plywood would be suggested for a kitchen cabinet or a bathroom vanity?

[Nate Carey]

Josh, are you painting the cabinet or finishing it "bright"?

[Stan Urbas]

I use cabinet grade plywood for the "structure" of my cabinets that I sell. And by that I mean the basic box. So, for example, if you have a shelf unit (not glass doors) the inside would be made of this stuff. The exteriors would be solid wood front and hardwood veneer sides.

With most grades of plywood, the problem is blows (voids) in the interior plys. This is true even with hardwood veneer plywood. And then you run into the Asian imports that sometimes aren't even totally glued. I've had some where the individual plys came apart and migrated to the bottom when I've stood the sheets on end.

If you are going to use plywood for the fronts of your cabinets yo will have a problem with voids, rough edges, visible plys, and warping. I personally wouldn't do it.

[Jamie Buxton]

In my experience, "cabinet grade" is a marketing term, not an industry-standard term. The lumber yard is probably trying to tell you that this plywood is different from, say, plywood used to sheath houses.

[Josh Gerber]

Josh, are you painting the cabinet or finishing it "bright"?

I would like to finish in cherry.


I use cabinet grade plywood for the "structure" of my cabinets that I sell. And by that I mean the basic box. So, for example, if you have a shelf unit (not glass doors) the inside would be made of this stuff. The exteriors would be solid wood front and hardwood veneer sides.


So you would built the shell or "strucure" with the cabinet grade and then finish the visible sides with hardwood ply. In my situation 1 side of a bathroom vanity would show. Would you laminate 1/4" hardwood ply on the visible side or just use 3/4" hw ply for that side?

[Nate Carey]

A quality "bright" (clear top coat with or without stain under) finish will require an "A" grade veneer face on the visible surfaces of the cabinet. The plywood should be stamped on at least one edge with the face veneer grades; i.e. A-A, A-B, A-1, B-2, C-3, etc. Then there's the "cut" of the face veneers; i.e. rotary cut, plain sliced, quarter-sawn, matched, etc. It all boils down to - if you like the look of the piece of plywood, and if you're satisfied with the quality, then that's the plywood for this project.

[Ben Davis]

So you would built the shell or "strucure" with the cabinet grade and then finish the visible sides with hardwood ply. In my situation 1 side of a bathroom vanity would show. Would you laminate 1/4" hardwood ply on the visible side or just use 3/4" hw ply for that side?

No. What he's saying is this: Build the box out of cabinet-grade ply. The exposed front edges where you see the actual layers of the ploywood all get covered with a hardwood face frame or thin strips of hardwood so that the individual plys are hidden. He then covers the outside visible faces with hardwood veneer. Good/High quality construction that allows him to utilize exotic hardwood veneers and still keep some of the cost down.

You could just as easily use A-grade cherry or walnut ply and not worry about veneering the outside faces. You will still need to address the front visible edges.

[Howard Acheson]

"Cabinet Grade" is mostly a marketing term with no real definition. "Furniture Grade" is another non-defined term.

IN general, cabinet grade refers to the appearence of the face veneers. In most cases they are birch or maple and considered as a "paint grade" surface. That said, with some pickin and choosin, you might finish some items suitable for staining or clear coating. It will also be generally less well made and the cheapest may actually delaminate. At that having been said, I have a number of cabinets in my garage made with high ply "cabinet grade" imported plywood. So far, they are working fine.

[Jason White]

Isn't there a difference between "cabinet grade" and "shop grade?"



It usually refers to the veneer, which is typically birch or maple, and might contain some filled voids in the veneer on one side. IMHO, this stuff is decent for shopgrade furniture usually. It can contain some voids between plys.

'Cabinet grade' is not to be confused with Baltic Birch...