Replies

1. 
   jfsksa | Oct 21, 2021 12:30pm | #1

   I built some painted cabinets for my office. Carcass was plywood with poplar trim and drawer front frames. Drawer panels were plywood. I found the poplar very easy to work with. It sands smooth and takes paint well. Poplar is not particularly cheap at Home Depot (plan your cuts and measure carefully), but was worth it to me due to how easy it is to work with and the nice result.

2. 
   DRBWWing | Oct 21, 2021 12:47pm | #2

   For paint, soft maple is the best, poplar second best.

   No need to match species for drawers, clear pine works well, as does maple.

   Prefinished maple ply is another good option for drawers.

3. 
   esch5995 | Oct 21, 2021 04:11pm | #3

   Bathrooms are high humidity environments, but also can see wide swings in humidity so I recommend maple over poplar for stability reasons. Maple will also be more resistant to dents and dings that poplar can't help but develop. Poplar is a hardwood in name only there are softwood species that are actually harder. If you use poplar make sure it's quartersawn. Your case should also be maple or birch plywood and finished on all sides. Depending upon the joinery used it can be easier to finish the inside face before cutting the sheet. Commercial cabinet makers ofter use prefinished plywood for their casework.

4. 
   sparkyII | Oct 21, 2021 06:36pm | #4

   I have built many painted cabinets, my go to wood for this type is red oak. you can see the grain pattern through the paint. IMO this looks pretty neat. I have an unlimited supply of red oak, so that is what I use. I have 2 purposes for this red oak : paint it or burn it!

5. 
   jharveyb | Oct 30, 2021 09:33pm | #5

   My two preferences would be soft maple and yellow poplar. l just recently used some very nice soft maple for drawers for a vanity (curly maple door frames with ebony panels (yes, actual real ebony! From a stash of reject fingerboard blanks from the Gibson Guitar Co. acquired in the 1980s.) I didn't paint the soft maple but it was clearly a good paint wood. Both woods are fairly soft, so make sure to call any dings "patina". I've actually dinged up a painted poplar hutch I made to age it at the customer's request.

6. 
   mikaol | Oct 31, 2021 10:26am | #6

   Careful, ebony's an oily hardwood. I work with it a lot, when the customer's willing to pay dearly for it. So, I have some experience.
   If you're set on "dinging" & painting it, I have a little advice. Ebony will chip every chance it gets and it's merciless on blades & bits. And, before you paint it, lightly sand with 22o grit and shellac it to lock the oil in.
   Last, good luck. You've set quite a task for yourself.
   Mikaol

1. 
   jharveyb | Oct 31, 2021 02:07pm | #7

   Agreed about ebony. I was not suggesting that anyone paint ebony, or really that anyone inexperienced use it without learning more about it. To smooth my door panels, I had to use a cabinet scraper, sharpened frequently. Even my best plane chipped out some.