Another Cabinet Doors and Drawer Front Question

[Mark W Pugh]

OK, so I'm going to build some base cabinets for the shop. This is the first attempt, so no need to break the bank.

Simple question. I'm thinking of using poplar for the doors and drawer fronts. I plan on just spraying them with a top coat (General Finish - High Performance). This takes care of two issues; 1. Since I haven't done this before, any errors won't cost an arm and a leg. 2. Just spraying a top coat to get used to a new HVLP system.

I understand the softness of the wood, I think.

Any comments?? Any other wood suggestions?

[Loren Woirhaye]

Poplar paints well. It will sometimes pull a fast one and move more than expected as it is milled, so it's a good practice to mill the door frame components in stages. This is a way to get around the doors potato-chipping.

[Mark W Pugh]

Poplar paints well. It will sometimes pull a fast one and move more than expected as it is milled, so it's a good practice to mill the door frame components in stages. This is a way to get around the doors potato-chipping.

Thanks. I guess I should have added, I don't want to paint the cabinets.

[Loren Woirhaye]

Well, it finishes okay too but it's kind of funny looking if unstained in my opinion. It's easy to sand and has small pores so it's not to much hassle to finish.

[Von Bickley]

What kind of door will you build?
You could use poplar for your stiles and rails, with a 1/4" birch plywood flat panel. A clear finish on that would look good.

[Mark W Pugh]

What kind of door will you build?
You could use poplar for your stiles and rails, with a 1/4" birch plywood flat panel. A clear finish on that would look good.

Raised panel doors. Trying not to use plywood. I may change my mind as the planning continues. Thanks.

[Sam Murdoch]

There is nothing wrong or leading to a less quality job using poplar with the exception that a clear top coat doesn't look all that great.
Can you find some maple in the same price range? Really- just for the look of the finished product. Painted polar is excellent.

[Jesse Busenitz]

You could stain it, as that seems to becoming more popular.... pun intended. When I trimmed houses we would build box beams out of maple, alder, etc. but then somebody got the bright idea of using the cheaper poplar and staining it, which suprisingly didn't look to shabby.

[John A langley]

Mark I used poplar and MDF three coats of lacquer no staying I think they've aged very nicely know if I can get a picture posted

[David Eisenhauer]

Typically, soft maple and poplar are used in paint-grade cabinets for cost saving. As stated above, a clear finish over poplar may not result in the best look, but they are shop cabinets and will allow you to try out the new HVLP eqpt and (I assume) new finish - which is what you wanted to do in the first place. Some poplar has a "green" color or cast to it, so I would lean to using the soft maple rather than the poplar. While you are practicing on shop cabinets, you may want to think about putting on a coat of dye, a coat of shellac, then your topcoats. If you do lots of case or cabinet work, that may end up being a common finish schedule that you will use often.

[Justin Ludwig]

You shouldn't have any problems. We use poplar for paint grade and I used it for stain in my master closet. The proof is in the pudding, just look at John's pictures.

If you don't like the purple that can sometimes be found in poplar, set it in the sun for a day or two, it will brown. Personally, I like the color variations, especially for shop projects. To each their own.

[Frank Drew]

Mark,

Some good advice on finishing. I used a fair amount of poplar as a secondary wood and never found it so soft as to be a problem; I never came across any that was anywhere near as soft as basswood or white pine, to give just a couple of reference points -- those two could dent if you just looked at them harshly!

[Richard Coers]

Poplar looks great with a clear coat in just a few months. All the green goes away with light exposure and gets a really pleasant tan color. You will still have the contrast with the sapwood, but I really like it! You can set them out in the sun to speed up the color change, but just being a little patient works best.