Spray finishing frame and cabinet doors: I have questions

[Paul F Franklin]

All,

I'm a newbie at spray finishing, so any hints/suggestions appreciated.

As part of my home office remodel, I'm building cherry built-ins. The cabinet doors will be solid cherry frames with inset 1/4" cherry plywood (floating) panels in shaker style.

My normal finishing schedule for cherry is to do a sealer coat or two of garnet shellac to give some warmth and pop the grain a bit. After sanding with 220 or 320, I topcoat with general finishes high performance water born poly.

When I do this by hand, I completely finish the panel by itself, shellac, sanding, poly. I apply the shellac to the frame pieces before glue-up, masking the glue areas. Then I assemble the door. If there's any minor flushing of the joints needed, I do that and touch up the shellac. Then I brush on the poly to the frame only, since the panel is complete.

My question is how to modify this schedule for spray finishing? My thought is to the pre-finish the panel with shellac only, sand and then assemble the door. Hit the whole door with shellac, sand, and then do the whole door with the poly. The thought on doing the panel first is it will avoid any bare wood showing as the frame shrinks and swells.

Since I'm new to spraying, I'd like to know if this makes sense or if I should do something different? Most online videos I've seen are for painting doors, and they just do the assembled door, panel and all.

[John TenEyck]

If you are using plywood panels I would glue them into your frames and then finish everything after glue up. I've done it that way for years w/o issue. Only when I do floating solid panels do I prefinish the panels before glue up, and I only do that when building in the summer, because the panels will shrink next winter and expose any unfinished areas. When I build in the winter I don't prefinish the panels unless there is some kind of complicated finishing process that would make it difficult to wipe a stain from the panels, etc. The only precaution I take is to make sure not to spray too heavily where the panels fit into the frames so that the panels are still free to float. Again, this is for solid wood panels. For plywood panels, I always glue them in.

John

[Prashun Patel]

I would Pre finish the panels. I just find it easiest. You can get up to the edge so you protect against reveals if things contract. Although, with plywood it’s not so big a deal. Just do a single top coat on the panels before assembly.

I would finish the frames after because you will prob have to sand the frames flush anyway. The final top coat on the whole thing will bring it all together.

If you are spraying, consider endurovar or enduro clear poly. Both are general finishes products but more durable.

[Paul F Franklin]

Thanks gents for your thoughts, much appreciated.

John, when you glue in plywood panels, do you glue them in solid, or just a dab in the center of each side, or?? Gluing in the panels and finishing the whole assembly at once would sure be more efficient. I'm going to give it a try on the mock up/prototype first cabinet I'm building.

Prashun, I'll check out your finish suggestions.

Thanks again!

[Rob Young]

Thanks gents for your thoughts, much appreciated.

John, when you glue in plywood panels, do you glue them in solid, or just a dab in the center of each side, or?? Gluing in the panels and finishing the whole assembly at once would sure be more efficient. I'm going to give it a try on the mock up/prototype first cabinet I'm building.

Prashun, I'll check out your finish suggestions.

Thanks again!

John can give his method but I've just run a small bead along all four sides with plywood or MDF panels. I don't fret over getting that glue line perfect. Close to a continuous bead down in the groove is good enough.

I've pre-finished panels before gluing them in. Or at least the primer if painting. Just run a sanding block along the edge to re-expose the ply/MDF so the glue has something to bite.

[jim sauterer]

Paul not trying to steal your thread.i am halfway through a frame and panel build myself and I was using spaceballs and plywood panels going to be painted (first painted piece too) now with what john and rob are saying I am going to do the upper half their way and gluing them in hope your build goes well.ihope I won’t be sorry.i normally make solid wood panels and prestain and finish.best jim.

[John TenEyck]

I do pretty much like Rob said, except I don't prefinish plywood panels. I size the panels no more than 1/16" undersize and run a bead of glue down in the groove. That way the glue gets onto all the edges but doesn't come squirting back out. Doors made with glued in panels are incredibly rigid and will never rattle.

John

[Paul F Franklin]

Got it. Thanks again all!

[Bill McNiel]

If you are using plywood panels I would glue them into your frames and then finish everything after glue up. I've done it that way for years w/o issue. Only when I do floating solid panels do I prefinish the panels before glue up, and I only do that when building in the summer, because the panels will shrink next winter and expose any unfinished areas. When I build in the winter I don't prefinish the panels unless there is some kind of complicated finishing process that would make it difficult to wipe a stain from the panels, etc. The only precaution I take is to make sure not to spray too heavily where the panels fit into the frames so that the panels are still free to float. Again, this is for solid wood panels. For plywood panels, I always glue them in.

John


Not surprisingly, IMHO John's approach is exactly what I have done for a very, very long time without any issues.