What type ply for kitchen cabinets?

[John Daugherty]

Hello all,

I will be building a set of kitchen cabinets soon. This will be my first time.
My question is, what type of ply and what thickness ply would you use for the upper and lower boxes? I'm going to be using face frames if that matters. I am thinking about spraying the insides of the cabinets with target USL tinted white. Would it be better to spray the ply before I cut it or after the boxes are assembled?


Thanks

John

[Tom Peterson]

I have my cabinets in progress, so all I can tell you is what I am doing. I am using 3/4 birch ply for the sides and 1/2' for the backs. The outsides will be painted, but I am using laminate for the insides. Since I do not have very much exposed material I am using a shop grade B2 ply. I am sure the 3/4 is overkill, but it is not that much more and it gives more glue and screw surface. I am using combination of biscuits, dados and pocket screws to put it all together. The face frames and doors are maple. The birch ply was $3.50 per sheet cheaper and since not muchs shows who cares

[Mark Singer]

3/4" Prefinished ply for carcass....1/4" Back...

[Steve Clardy]

I use all 3/4 shop grade usually. Clear one face, minimal defects on the other side. 1/4 for backs also.

[frank shic]

john, i just completed a set of 11 kitchen cabinets. i would HIGHLY recommend spraying the carcase parts BEFORE assembly unless you enjoy maneuvering your gun through all those different angles! unless you have a BIG air compressor and a LONG arm, i recommend cutting the pieces down before spraying. the other option would be to purchase prefinished ply although i'm not sure if they have them in white. the other option would be melamine. i used 3/4 maple throughout (including backs) finished with emtech sanding sealer and conversion varnish.

you might want to think about looking into confirmat screws or biscuits for case assembly and pocket screws for face frame assembly and attachment. i used a combination of all three to avoid having any visible screw holes within the cabinet. if you haven't actually designed the cabinets yet, i'd recommend e-cabinets as well as cutlist pro (the silver edition). good luck!

[Jim Becker]

I agree with Frank and Mark...either pre-finish components (insides) or buy pre-finished sheet goods. You don't want to be spraying the insides of built-up cabinets if you can avoid it. And while the cost of the pre-finish is a little more, the time savings can also be a big benefit. Cut and assembly. Done.

I took the pre-finishing route with my kitchen cabinets in 2003 and the results were great...nice, smooth, easy to clean cabinet interiors.

As to the type of plywood, the ideal is high quality ply that doesn't have voids in the interior plys...apple ply, baltic birch, etc. But I have successfully used easily sourced birch plywood. Remember, that the lower cost materals will have very thin veneers... ;)

[Art Mulder]

Soooo.... how do you assemble pre-finished plywood into cabinets? I'm talking about where a finished side meets an unfinished side, such as when putting together the carcass box. Are you pretty much depending on mechanical fasteners then?

[Jim Becker]

Art, you can mask your dados and grooves if you employ them, or use a glue compatible with a finished surface, such as Roo-Glue. But there is no harm in using mechanical fasteners in cabinetry, especially when it will never show. My cabinetmaker neighbor uses butt-joints and screws and builds high-end custom work. The plywood carcasses are only for the interiors. The exteriors of said carcases get overlayed end-caps and other features that don't determine strength...those all cover any fasteners.

[Mark Singer]

Follow this thread....you don't need dados

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=27461&highlight=balboa

[Charlie Mastro]

Well I guess I’ll put my 2 cents worth in here….;)
I’ve built over 60 kitchens in the last 30 years and all I’ve ever done was screw them together. I always preferred ½” backs because it let me screw the cabinets (especially the uppers) anywhere I needed to. Let’s face it you are going to screw the cabinets to each other and the wall behind it and they are supported by a level toe kick, where are they going to go?

If it’s a free standing piece then yes you need better joinery but for built in cabinets, butt joints and screws are all that’s needed. Use the time you save to build better doors and faces that will actually show. And I agree completely with the prefinished material. Why would you want to have to paint it yourself? That includes drawer material. There is as Mark says prefinished and banded ½” drawer material out there and that was all I ever used after it came out.

Charlie