Poplar To Build Kitchen Cabs???

[Mark Blatter]

I have never used poplar for anything always thinking it was just too soft. I am now thinking of adding a 6' section of cabs in my kitchen that will be painted with a sand through. My understanding is that poplar takes paint well due to its closed grain and I have about 200 board feet of poplar that I ended up with at a great price, so I am wondering if using it is a good idea or a bad one. On the Janka scale it is a bit softer than alder, which I have always warned people about using.

What are your thoughts on using poplar in a kitchen where it will take a little bit of abuse? These cabs will be located away from most of the activity that goes on in a kitchen, but still it will be in the kitchen. We have young grandkids and likely will have more over the coming years.

The other option is to just use hard maple which is what I would use without question if I didn't have all this poplar sitting around.

[Mel Fulks]

I'd say very good idea IF it has been KILN dried.

[Richard Shaefer]

I work alot with poplar, cherry, maple, and oak. I'd say the poplar is about the same as cherry in terms of hardness. maybe a little softer, but not so much as you'd notice, and it takes paint very well. Most "cherry finish" furniture you see in stores is actually well stained poplar.

[Judson Green]

Poplar was my choice for doing painted cabinets. If your cabinets have a baseboard I'd suggest doing that in hard maple.

[Brian Williamson]

I have poplar cabinets and wish I had gone with hard maple. The poplar is a little too soft for my liking.

[Lee Schierer]

Yellow Poplar does take paint well, but you will need to sand after the first coat to get rid of fuzzies. After that subsequent coats will get progressively smoother.

[Shawn Siegrist]

I prefer soft maple for painted furniture and cabinets. The grain of poplar trends to show through the paint.