Best Plywood and Hardwood for Painted Cabinet

[Rich Aldrich]

I have a friend that wants a cabinet for her utility room. She wants the cabinet painted. What plywood would be best for this application?

I have some white maple that will be good for the doors, face frame, etc.

[johnny means]

I use either baltic birch or Maple ply. The birch tends to require a bit more prep work for finishing. My main reason for using the birch is the larger panel sizes I use. Other wise I would stick with maple.

[Jeff Monson]

I'd use baltic birch also. For painted cabinets, I like bb ply and paint grade soft maple for faces and doors.

[keith micinski]

I just use regular birch cabinet grade plywood and poplar for white painted stuff. Any hard wood like maple or even cherry will do ok though.

[Mark Wooden]

I use maple ply and soft maple hardwood for paint grade. costs a little more but it finishes very smooth under paint

[Rich Engelhardt]

Birch ply/poplar is what I've been using.

[Dan Chouinard]

Birch ply/ poplar also used in my shop. Would like to try soft maple on my next paint grade project.

[Jeff Duncan]

I also like the maple over the birch when I can get it as the birch tends to be just a bit more difficult to finish. I ask for paint grade maple as often times suppliers will have stuff that's good quality but suffers from bad appearance or small defects that can be cut around. I'm also in the soft maple for parts camp. Again I'll ask my supplier if they have anything paint grade as you can sometimes get a bargain. I once bought 500 bd. ft. of hard maple for $1 a bd. ft. as it was full of dark grain that nobody wanted for stain grade work!

good luck,
JeffD

[Harry Hagan]

What about MDO?

http://lumberjocks.com/reviews/965

[scott vroom]

All of my painted cabinet boxes are constructed with C-2 domestic maple plywood. Painted faceframes/rails/stiles are maple; painted door panels are either maple hardwood or MDF.

[Jim Finn]

I just made a cabinet that is to be painted and I used a plywood from Lowes called "Blondwood Ply" Worked well for me. A bit cheaper than baltic birch and in a 4x8 sheet. (7 ply)

[Sean Solan]

Just found this thread. Here's a great option for paint grade cabinets. The exterior ply is MDF so the imperfections in the inner plus don't transmit through.

https://www.columbiaforestproducts.com/product/classic-core/

[Peter Quinn]

Just found this thread. Here's a great option for paint grade cabinets. The exterior ply is MDF so the imperfections in the inner plus don't transmit through.

https://www.columbiaforestproducts.com/product/classic-core/

interesting product, the last one on the page, "classic lam" with the MDF faces might make a very smooth painted face but retain the working properties of plywood. I have used the combo core version with the MDF cross band and an A face veneer, really excellent stuff for stain grade work.

I prefer to actually see a bit of wood grain behind the paint, otherwise things look cheap and commercial to my eye. Not like painted oak, there is a significant but subtle difference between painted MDF and painted maple veneered plywood. I like birch faced MDF for door panels, soft maple for frames and doors, and C-2 maple for open painted interiors. I prefer prefinished maple for closed interiors unless they are specified painted. Baltic birch and the standard birch plywood I see here has a more ruddy grain than maple which makes it slightly more challenging to paint, and often the face veneer is rotary sawn which gives it that sheathing look, I don't care for it on large visible open areas such as the back of an open book case where you can really read those imperfections. Not sure why but the birch faced MDF I've seen usually has an excellent veneer on at least one side that I find preferable to the face on most birch faded veneer core plywood.

[Thomas S Stockton]

I believe classic lam is more expensive than shop grade or c-3 maple ply. It can also be hard to find.
I use maple ply with a whole piece face (WPF) which is nice since there are no seams to telegraph through and either poplar or alder for the wood parts. I also use 1/4" mdf for the door panels if it calls for a flat panel.
Tom

[Tom M King]

What about MDO?

http://lumberjocks.com/reviews/965
MDO is good stuff, and saves a lot of prep work. You can get it plain faced, or primed. The primed stuff you can shoot and be done with it. I've used it for the flat panels in a coffered ceiling, and it saved a lot of time.