thickness for kitchen cabinet door panel
dbrudd14
| Posted in General Discussion on
Hello,
I am gearing up for a “quick” project over the new year that entails replacing the doors on our kitchen cabinets. The old ones are tired after 20 years of service although the overall layout of the space is fine. I am planning on painting the doors and am looking to a simple flat panel application with the rails and stiles made with a cope and stick router bit set. The rails and stiles will be maple and I wanted the panels to be MDF. My question is: what is the appropriate thickness for the panels. The groove is 1/4″, but I wonder if using 1/4″ MDF would give enough heft to the door. The other option that I was considering was to use 3/8″ MDF and relieve the back of the panel. Any advice would be appreciated.
Replies
just did that for my own kitchen..... was planning on 3/8 ths mdf, but could not find any after milling all the stiles and rails. so, I reluctantly went with 1/4 " for just the drawer fronts to see and they turned out fine. MDF tends to be a legitimate 1/4 " so the fit was good with no rattle. Doors were smallish, so that worked to my benefit also. Nothing paints better........
good luck-
dbrudd ,
1/4" will work just fine , the mdf for paint grade is definately the way to go . Industry standard for door panels is 1/4" or thinner in some cases like 5.2mm .
I know some feel 3/8" or thicker is better but I have found no data or reason to prove that .
Since panels are designed to float in the frame without being glued in little or no strength or structural integrity is derived from the panels . Thicker only weighs more , does not add strength .
dusty
what oldusty said
By relieving the back of the 3/8" stock, it makes fastening the drawer fronts to the drawers a little easier. There's no cavity between the two pieces.
Hi J ,
You are assuming that there is an 1/8" behind the 1/4" groove , many panels are centered in the frame .
dusty
The MDF should be fine for the upper cabinets, but I would suggest making your rails and stiles a little wider than you would for a 1/4" ply panel. The MDF is heavier than the ply and a little more glue surface at the joints would be better.
I would be a little reluctant to use 1/4" MDF panels on lower cabs unless you're certain that they won't get "whacked" too much. Ply has more "give" to it when it's "whacked".
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