Thoughts on finishing inside drawers

[Jim C Martin]

Hello All:
I'm finally making the drawers for a dresser that has been a looooonnnngggg term project. Most of the dressers I have looked at don't seem to have a finish applied to the inside surfaces of drawers. Only the drawer fronts seem to be finished from what I can tell.
Is there some reason other than saving work? Seems like a funny place to scrimp on effort. Is it better to leave them bare?
Cheers,
Jim

[Jamie Buxton]

One explanation I've heard is that finishes give some odor to the clothes. But I'm a little skeptical. I've been building dressers for decades, and finishing the drawers. The finish odor does go away -- maybe in a couple of weeks -- but it does go away.
Some folks use shellac, arguing that its finish odor goes away most quickly.

If you're going to finish the drawer insides, it is better to do old-style construction where the drawer bottom slides in from the back after the sides front and back are glued up. You get to finish the insides without having to work finish into the inside corners. I also do my finish sanding of the inside faces before glue-up.

[Jim C Martin]

Thanks Jamie!
Interesting thought on the drawer construction. I had cut my parts to fully capture the bottom. Seems like I should be okay if I'm careful about finish?
Cheers,
Jim


One explanation I've heard is that finishes give some odor to the clothes. But I'm a little skeptical. I've been building dressers for decades, and finishing the drawers. The finish odor does go away -- maybe in a couple of weeks -- but it does go away.
Some folks use shellac, arguing that its finish odor goes away most quickly.

If you're going to finish the drawer insides, it is better to do old-style construction where the drawer bottom slides in from the back after the sides front and back are glued up. You get to finish the insides without having to work finish into the inside corners. I also do my finish sanding of the inside faces before glue-up.

[Fred Heenie]

Inside drawers or cabinets finished with a water based clear coat, will not yellow and will not stink. FWIW I like acrylic or pre-cat conversion

[John TenEyck]

All you are putting in a dresser is dry clothes, so the wood doesn't really need any protection. Sometimes, people finished the insides with shellac, however. But almost no one would have finished them with oil based varnish because the odor hangs around for months/years and permeates into the clothes stored there. NC lacquer is used on drawer internals w/o too much remnant odor, and now with the advent of water borne clear coats those are sometimes used as well.

Personally, I usually wipe on a single coat of SealCoat shellac and then buff it with a super fine sanding pad after it's dry. The wood feels silky smooth w/o any obvious coating.

John

[David Eisenhauer]

Shellac (couple of spray coats) for no stink later on and a general sealing in case of some type of spill accident.

[Mark W Pugh]

I was thinking of prefinishing one side of dresser drawer stock material so that the inside was already done. Any thoughts?

[Mel Fulks]

There are many old case pieces that have traces of of old wall paper or marbleized paper linings. Marbleizing paper is
great project to let children watch and help .

[glenn bradley]

I am one of those shellac guys. No odor problem and a bit of spill protection. It also eases clean up of surfaces over raw wood so, it depends on the intended use. It has been quite awhile since I left a drawer inside un-finished for any reason though.

[Fred Heenie]

I Do!. I shoot and keep a sheet of 1/2" Baltic Birch for drawer sides in stock. Same with 1/4" for bottoms. I use the finished side inside. I shoot outsides after assembly.

[Jerry Olexa]

Shellac!!!

[Lee Schierer]

I've made at least 8 dressers, three vanities and a bunch of end tables. All were finished with Deft Clear wood finish. It is a lacquer based finish and it has a strong smell as it cures and the smell does linger for a while. It does not make the clothing or items in the drawers smell like the finish. It does dissipate over time. It does not stain clothing, even ladies delicates. I apply two to three coats of finish.

Unfinished wood even when finely sanded, has fibers that stick up that will snag on delicate items if they are rubbed the wrong way.

I totally enclose the bottoms of the drawers which are plywood and finish the inside and outside of the drawers after assembly. I've never had a drawer fail.

[Thomas Hotchkin]

I am with Jerry. Shellac !!!