Pre-finished ply interiors for cabinets with exposed sides

[Kevin Stafford]

Hello all. I'm designing a built-in bar cabinet using a frameless design in walnut. The recess I'm building it in is pretty shallow, so I'm going to have the cabinet jut out a bit, which leaves exposed panel ends on each side. I see a lot of people recommending pre-finished plywood for interior surfaces, which sounds convenient, but I don't know how to handle the exposed panel sides, as I haven't seen a combo of walnut ply with a prefinished side on the back. I can go with walnut ply for everything, but was curious how others would handle this. Thanks.

[Mark Bolton]

We would just use an applied side for the finished end if you want all-matching interior.

[Robert Engel]

I would probably just apply some shop sawn veneer wide enough to cover the gap.

[Kevin Stafford]

We would just use an applied side for the finished end if you want all-matching interior.

What do you mean by applied side? Veneer? Thin sheet of walnut ply? If it's more than veneer i'm curious how you handle the exposed edge as it would mean another odd-sized strip of edge banding visible from the front.

Overall, do you guys feel the product is better with the pre-finished interior? I understand that having a light colored interior is a plus, and the prefinish is very durable. I'm not as concerned about the time or potential cost savings from using the pre-finished ply. Thanks again.

[Ole Anderson]

I have applied a raised panel to the old base cabinet sides.

[Kevin Jenness]

Applied side means a separate walnut veneered panel added to the prefinished interior panel. On frameless boxes the applied panel can be in plane with the doors, showing a matching edgeband. If your design won't accommodate that, you could remove the finish and glue veneer to the outside of your prefinished panel.

[Mark Bolton]

What do you mean by applied side? Veneer? Thin sheet of walnut ply? If it's more than veneer i'm curious how you handle the exposed edge as it would mean another odd-sized strip of edge banding visible from the front.

Overall, do you guys feel the product is better with the pre-finished interior? I understand that having a light colored interior is a plus, and the prefinish is very durable. I'm not as concerned about the time or potential cost savings from using the pre-finished ply. Thanks again.

There are several ways depending on whether you will install your applied end in the shop or in the field. I would assume you will be shop, so you could use 1/2" PF 1 side for your carcass material or at least your ends, and apply a 1/4" walnut ply skin, then edge band (3/4" total thickness) to get your finish. Most frameless jobs would be similar to what Kevin mentioned. A field applied end panel that is either set flush with the door plane or flush with the carcass and using whatever overlay hinge is needed to leave your reveal left and right.

Im not sure than light interior is necessarily a preference by anyone per say. For me its most definitely more of an issue of cost savings. You can most often buy pre-fin 1 side maple cheaper than you can buy raw and it will have a UV clear on it that you can simply not produce in the shop so its a win win win win. Its cheaper, more durable, faster, better quality. That said, someone may prefer walnut interiors? If so,... pay up.

[Jim Becker]

Generally speaking... an applied end panel designed and finished to match the rest of the exterior surfaces. Be sure to account for the thickness of the end panel. In some designs, it can even be thin....25" MDF if flat and painted or a veneered thin panel. In other cases, folks will do a full frame and panel. It really depends upon the cabinet design, but the answer is "cover it".

[Kevin Stafford]

Thanks everyone. This was very helpful.