Hey Guys,
As a woodworker who almost always works with solid wood, I need some help in selecting a material for one upper kitchen cabinet (paint grade) which will match others in my remodeled kitchen.
I’m familiar with plywood of course, but I was thinking of using MDF or MDO to make it easy to paint. Although I’m unsure about joining the edges and shelves. I have the usual tools to do biscuits, dados, and pocket hole screws. I would ideally like to the use the pocket hole method, which I don’t think works well the MDF conformat screws.
Anyway, maybe somebody who does cabinets could make a recommendation. I would really appreicate it.
Thanks!
Patrick
Replies
Paint grade birch is fine, MDF is probably going to be cheaper but it's heavier and screws will blow out if you don't predrill. It's one cabinet, so I don't think it's a big deal either way. I would never do a whole set of kitchen cabs out of MDF though.
I'd avoid MDF, its heavy, shelves tend to sag, and its generally used in lower quality cabinets. Cut edges require filling before painting.
MDO on the otherhand would work fine for paint grade. This is plywood with a resin coated paper that is ideal for painting. Like other plywood, the edges need to be banded before painting.
A paint grade birch would work well also. You still should avoid the "big box" grades and buy from a real lumberyard or plywood distributor.
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