Wondering if I should change my wood choice.

[Robert Engel]

Hey guys, couple questions.

I'm going to reface my kitchen. They will be painted. I already had a ton of poplar and have already cut all the parts, but --

I discovered my supplier now carries rough soft maple at a fairly decent price. Would you use rather the poplar?

This kitchen is an empty nest home, just me and my wife, no inside pets, so the cabs are not going to be abused.

My second question is for anyone using Target Coatings pigmented lacquers, do you use the cross linker for kitchen cabs?

[Jim Becker]

If you were starting from scratch and hadn't already produced your components from the poplar, the maple would be attractive. Soft maple here isn't much different in cost from poplar, either. But since you already cut your parts...stick with what you started. There will be little difference, especially in the environment you mention.

I've used the cross linker with tinted EM6500 on guitar bodies and wouldn't hesitate to use it in the kitchen too if I ever, ever do a kitchen again. It would have saved a step/product as my kitchen has tinted EM6500 top-coated with EM800cv and I could have stayed in the EM6x00 family. (This conversation can continue in the Finishing forum area if necessary)

[eugene thomas]

I would keep going with the poplar.

[johnny means]

For painted work, I consider poplar and soft maple to be pretty much interchangable.

[Jeff Duncan]

Soft maple is a far better material for cabinets.... any cabinets. However if you've already cut the parts what are you gonna do with them? Seems like your already invested in the poplar so may as well run with it now.

good luck,
JeffD

[Bill McNiel]

Poplar is my go to for painted cabinets, soft maple is a minor upgrade IMHO.

[Edward Dyas]

Hey guys, couple questions.

I'm going to reface my kitchen. They will be painted. I already had a ton of poplar and have already cut all the parts, but --

I discovered my supplier now carries rough soft maple at a fairly decent price. Would you use rather the poplar?

This kitchen is an empty nest home, just me and my wife, no inside pets, so the cabs are not going to be abused.

My second question is for anyone using Target Coatings pigmented lacquers, do you use the cross linker for kitchen cabs?I've had problems with poplar warping where I've never had problems with soft maple. What kind of wood is the original cabinets? Even if they were oak or ash I would rather paint over it than go to the trouble of refacing and making new doors.

Lacquer may be a very easy finish to use but it isn't very suitable for wet locations. You would be better off with an enamel or better, a pigmented conversion varnish.

[jack duren]

I refaced for a living for awhile.when someone says maple over poplar they jump but I never had problems with a poplar or call backs..

[Tom Bender]

You will have more tearout with Maple. Poplar is a dream to work.