Kitchen Cabinet Plywood Question

[Rob Holcomb]

When reading another post about plywood at HD and Lowes, one poster mentioned the special order purebond plywood that can be ordered at HD and offered by Columbia Forest Products. The offering says that the following can be ordered. Cherry, Walnut, Red Oak, White Oak, Hickory, Birch, Maple, Alder, Knotty Pine and many more. The offering also says that the following core types are available. Veneer Core Standard, Veneer Core KayCore, Particleboard Core, MDF Core and Combination Core and several Veneer cuts are also available: Rotary Peeling, Plain or Flat Sliced, Half Round Sliced, Quarter Sliced and Rift Sliced. Thicknesses available are: 1/4”, 1/2”, 5/8”, 3/4”, 7/8”, 1”, and 1 1/4” My question is, which would be best for fine cabinetry work to ensure panels stay flat and hinge screws don't blow out. I'm going to be making kitchen cabinets and want to buy the best plywood I can for the job. I would also like the inside of the cabinets to be very nice looking too so I don't want just one face of the plywood to be pristine. I know it's a lot of work and I could likely buy cabinets cheaper but this is what I want to do and time to build them along with kitchen down time isn't an issue. The satisfaction of knowing I made the cabinets from scratch will give me a great deal of satisfaction and that's really what matters most to me. Thanks for your replies.

[frank shic]

go to a decent lumber yard and ask for their cabinet grade 3/4" plywood - they should know what you're talking about. if you're doing face frame cabinets i'd recommend you set the box inside the width of the face frame so that they clamp together nicely when you install them. plywood is not nearly as flat as melamine but it sure is a lot lighter to handle.

[Matt Meiser]

Also, prefinished ply will save a LOT of time. I like prefinished birch or maple because the light color makes for brighter cabinet interiors.

[frank shic]

+1 refinished if you can get it

[Jamie Buxton]

Also, prefinished ply will save a LOT of time. I like prefinished birch or maple because the light color makes for brighter cabinet interiors.

What do you do about banding the exposed front edge of shelves?

[Zach Callum]

Columbia has a wide variety of products. Go to their website and look at what they offer. I don't purchase my ply from the box stores, but I do use Columbia products. You may want to contact a real plywood supplier for a quote.

[Zach Callum]

I apply a prefinished hardwood edge to the shelves.

[Jamie Buxton]

I apply a prefinished hardwood edge to the shelves.

Is that a commercial product, or do you make the edge? How do you apply it?

[Brian Tymchak]

There are (far) more qualified Creekers to answer your question than I, but here's my $.02 worth. I've been buying Veneer Core ply for my better cabinet projects. Made in the US with regional hardwoods. We tend to get Poplar core here. I've had very little to no issues with warp, and it has very few voids. About $75 a sheet (4x8). Holds pocket screws pretty well with the alternating grain directions. I do not know the difference between Standard vs KayCore. I typically use 3/4" ply for the carcase, 1/2" for the back panels, but I've not built kitchen cabinets specifically. For kitchen cabinets, specifically for end panels, I recommend staying away from the rotary sliced veneers. You can get some really weird grain patterns. I ordered a replacement refrigerator box panel for our kitchen when we first moved in and it came in rotary vs flat sliced veneer I wanted. Looked like some Rorschack test on drugs, in wood... Back that went...

[Zach Callum]

You can apply it with a tongue and groove joint, or just glue and clamp.

[Zach Callum]

[QUOTE=Brian Tymchak;1872089]I do not know the difference between Standard vs KayCore.

Kay core has a better core under the veneer to reduce telegraphing. Good for exposed ends. There is also combi-core, which has a layer of mdf under the veneer.

[Don Jarvie]

Don't discount the iron on edge banding that Rockler and Woodcraft sells. Its easy to apply and can be stained, painted etc.

You can also ask your local Woodcraft or Rockler who in the area sells cabinet grade plywood.

[Matt Meiser]

I used Fastcap's PVC hard rock maple which was a perfect match to the prefinished stuff I used. I liked the PVC stuff better than real wood because there's no tearout when trimming. Its such a small area you can't tell its fake. For some visible shelves (through glass doors), I did the edge in Fastcap's real wood unfinished cherry and finished to match the cabinets. The best part about the Fastcap stuff is--NO IRONING! Just peel and stick. And it does stick too.

[Gary Kman]

The appearance of plywood is really subjective. A piece that meets tight specs for quality material may simply have grain pattern that looks UGLY to me. I've walked away and down the street more than once for that reason.

[Rob Sack]

I only use domestically produced plywood. The few times I tried imported sheet goods at the recommendation of my supplier, I regretted it. they all had super thin face veneers and unstable cores. Even the domestically produced sheet goods "ain't what they used to be." I am finishing a project with domestic 3/4" A1 Cherry with a combi core, which should provide a flatter face than veneer core. The faces are far from flat and even if I wanted to take the time to flat sand it, my guess is that the resulting face veneers would be too thin. I would never use particalboard cores except when I am forced to use melamine panels. It would seem that the flatest high quality panels would be MDF core, although the panels wieigh "a ton," especially if you are working alone.

[Bob Cooper]

Another suggestion. find a good quality cabinet shop and see if they will sell you plywood. There's one here that i've been buying plywood and drawer slides from for years and they don't mind selling it to me at all.