spraying kitchen drawers

[Robert Reece]

I have a set of maple kitchen drawers in the works. The four sides are together and I'm cutting the bottoms now. I was wondering if I would prefer to spray the bottoms before they go into the drawers. It seems like it would make spraying easier. The downside is that I can't glue the bottoms. The other possible problem is that the poly in the groove and on the drawer will make the fit too tight. It's a nice slip fit right now.

any thoughts?

[Jamie Buxton]

My current best method for kitchen drawers is to slide the bottom in from the rear, like antiques were built. As you say, this makes spraying the drawer much much easier.

For spraying, I run masking tape along the drawer sides and front just below the dado. It overhangs the dado, and so keeps the spray out of the dado.

I put glue in the dado at the front before I slide the bottom home, and no glue in the side dados. It would just get wiped out of there as the bottom slides in.

To secure the rear of the bottom, I screw up through the bottom into the drawer back.

[Chip Lindley]

My way Exactly for building drawers! But, I just spray the drawer boxes, as-is! After the poly dries thoroughly, I run a sanding stick in the grooves to relieve any tight spots. It only takes 10 minutes to sand out a kitchen-full of drawers. Much less time than trying to mask everything off.

[Joe Chritz]

I either pre finish all parts or finish it when it is all together. It depends on the drawer style. My "standard entry level" drawer is baltic birch, flat top, pocket screw construction. Those get pre-finished. Dovetailed drawers get finished after assembly.

Turn the air down a bit and they spray fine.

I generally just spray shellac on the drawers. It makes it easy to repair for the homeowner if they bung one up later down the road.

Joe

[Peter Quinn]

For kitchen cabinet drawers with plywood bottoms I just spray them after assembly. I start with the bottoms to get my gun set up. Then I spray teh inside walls, followed by the inside bottoms, then the outsides. I pay the most attention to the only part you will really be able to see clearly in use, the two outside faces, left and right. In reality you can't see the bottoms, fronts, backs, and most of the inside in use. It requires a decent finish, but this is not your finest piece of furniture, I wouldn't stress over it.

[Jamie Buxton]

I use an HVLP spray. It puts out lots of air, so it doesn't work well into concave spaces -- for instance cabinet interiors, and fully-assembled drawers. All the air makes the finish blow back into your face, and leaves a really rough coating on the surface. That's why I've evolved my approach. From what other people have said about non-HVLP spraying, I suspect it is easier to use in concave spaces.

[Leo Graywacz]

For kitchen cabinet drawers with plywood bottoms I just spray them after assembly. I start with the bottoms to get my gun set up. Then I spray teh inside walls, followed by the inside bottoms, then the outsides. I pay the most attention to the only part you will really be able to see clearly in use, the two outside faces, left and right. In reality you can't see the bottoms, fronts, backs, and most of the inside in use. It requires a decent finish, but this is not your finest piece of furniture, I wouldn't stress over it.

I spray mine totally different.

The bottom gets sprayed last. I do and outside then the opposite inside. Then turn the drawer 90 degrees and do the outside then the opposite inside, do that for the 4 sides and then do the bottom so all the overspray that happened melts into the last spray.

[Joe Chritz]

I spray HVLP and get great results. It depends on your air and fluid setting and making sure all sprayed areas are next to non-dry areas. That roughness is likely from some over spray on areas that are starting to skin over. This is especially bad with shellac and lacquer that is dry to the touch in a few minutes.

You really want to move along and get them sprayed as fast as possible.

Joe

[Leo Graywacz]

Did HVLP for years, now I have a AAA pump, Kremlin 10:14. It is SOOOO nice

[Joe Chritz]

Did HVLP for years, now I have a AAA pump, Kremlin 10:14. It is SOOOO nice

Someday maybe I can too.

It is like moving from a bicycle to a motorcycle.

Joe

[Leo Graywacz]

You still can't get rid of your normal spray equipment. The AAA is great at spraying full coats of whatever it is you are spraying. But you cannot adjust the spray like you can on a HVLP or siphon gun. It is basically an on or off machine and you can change tips to get the desired spray pattern/volume, but it is a change out, not a twist of a knob like on an HVLP.

Still, wouldn't give it up.