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plywood cabinet doors

the walley's picture

plywood cabinet doors (post #169781)

the walley on Sat, 02/11/2012 - 08:02
in

Hello everyone I'am new to this form and need some advice.I will be building kitchen cabinets with a painted finish and thought about doors built with 3/4" plywood stiles and rails and 1/4" resested center panel.Then using  poplar trim to cover plywood edges.Will I would prefer traditional constuction the plywood option would same me considerable time and money and if done right look and work just fine. 

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wdwerker's picture

plywood frames? (post #169781, reply #1 of 2)

by wdwerker in reply to the walley [original] on Sat, 02/11/2012 - 10:16

If I was going to attempt this I would only use 3/4 baltic birch ply, it comes in 5 x 5 sheets.  Most plywood these days has a poor quality to the core. A lot of the affordable sheets are imported and the core can de- laminate or it will warp.  Some of the domestic plywood is ok but usually costs more and has nice face veneers which you don't need if you are going to paint it.  I think the work needed to cover the edges and assemble the frames would make this idea unfeasible . A soild wood frame with a 1/4 ply panel would be a great choice.

RalphBarker's picture

painted doors (post #169781, reply #2 of 2)

by RalphBarker in reply to the walley [original] on Sat, 02/11/2012 - 10:17

Using plywood for the entire (flat) door is common within more "economical" construction, but not in the manner you are thinking. For frame and panel construction, solid wood is better for the frame, but thin (1/4") ply can be used for the panel. The grade and source of the ply also makes a big difference in the quality and durability of the finished cabinet.

The new issue of FWW has a nice overview of the different grades of plywood: furniture grade, cabinet grade, and multiply being the "top" three grades. The article, however, skips over construction grade (what is usually available at home improvement centers) entirely.