[MT Stringer]

What do you use for the "skin" on cabinets (uppers and lower) that will be exposed?

I will be using prefinished maple for the carcases, but the outside needs to be stained or painted (two different projects).

How do you apply it?

Thanks in advance.
Mike

 

[cabinetman]

If you are painting, you could just use Bondo, sand smooth, seal and paint. Or, use a Maple, or Poplar veneer. The easiest to use would be a PSA (pressure sensitive adhesive) (peel and stick).

If you are staining, you could use a variety of veneers in a paperback and use a solvent base contact cement. or a PSA veneer. You could also use ¼" hardwood veneer plywood of the species of your choice, and contact cement, or yellow glue and clamp.

If you use a ¼" plywood and a face frame, allow some overage of the FF to cover the edge of the plywood...for either painting or staining.

.

 

[MT Stringer]

If you are painting, you could just use Bondo, sand smooth, seal and paint. Or, use a Maple, or Poplar veneer. The easiest to use would be a PSA (pressure sensitive adhesive) (peel and stick).

If you are staining, you could use a variety of veneers in a paperback and use a solvent base contact cement. or a PSA veneer. You could also use ¼" hardwood veneer plywood of the species of your choice, and contact cement, or yellow glue and clamp.

If you use a ¼" plywood and a face frame, allow some overage of the FF to cover the edge of the plywood...for either painting or staining.

.

Thank you sir.

 

[calwilliams63]

I also use a prefinished ply for my cabinets but I buy it finished on either one side or both. My supplier refers to this as UV1 or UV2. Is this not available to you? This way you wouldn't have to try and laminate a 1/4" skin.

 

[Lola Ranch]

There is no right or wrong here just different ways of doing things.

I make the exposed end of a cabinet which I call a "Finished End" out of 3/4 A2 hardwood plywood. I cut a rabbet on the edge of the panel where it will touch the wall, 1/2" x 3/4". After I fasten the 1/4" back of the cabinet to the which also goes into the rabbet, I'm still left with a 1/4" thick x 1/2" flange that is easily block planed to match any inconsistencies in the wall. I call it a "scribe". This allows you to fit the cabinet prefectly to the wall even if the wall is out of plumb without the use of a scribe molding unless the wall is more than 1/2" out of wack.

Bret

 

[MT Stringer]

I also use a prefinished ply for my cabinets but I buy it finished on either one side or both. My supplier refers to this as UV1 or UV2. Is this not available to you? This way you wouldn't have to try and laminate a 1/4" skin.

I will find out more Monday. I think the Maple is UV1. However, I would still need to skin the outer pieces to cover the pocket holes (used to fasten the face frames to the carcases).

The cabinets in the pic were constructed with UV2 Chinese Birch.

I am working on a quote for a customer (10 cabinets total) and early this coming year, I will start working on cabinets for our kitchen. These will all be maple.

Thanks for the suggestions.
Mike

 

[Steve Neul]

If I'm building a cabinet with a plywood end that is to be stained I use 3/4" plywood of the same material as the faceframe. It doesn't hurt anything if the inside side of the side of the cabinet is oak where the rest of the interior parts are maple. If it is painted then I would use the maple plywood for everything. Since plywood has gotten so crummy in recent years I've started making exposed ends out of solid wood with raised panels like the doors so I don't have to worry about the veneer delaminating or voids under the veneer.

 

[rozzar227]

Just a suggestion for when you finish, if you want a natural look I the wood, give it a layer or two of linseed oil.

 

[MT Stringer]

Just a suggestion for when you finish, if you want a natural look I the wood, give it a layer or two of linseed oil.

Thanks. The customer will have his cabinets painted, thus the poplar face frames. When I redo my kitchen, I have been planning to use maple, stain and finish. Regardless of the final result, I still need to cover the outside of the ends that will be seen.

I am planning to contact the customer Monday to see what he wants. He will be installing the cabinets so I need to build to his wishes. He may want to wait to do the finish work after installing the cabinets (not his first rodeo).

 

[rozzar227]

It depends on what type of cabinet you are planning to make, but if you need layered shelving in the cabinet, dadoes are very useful as you can just slide the wood you are using for the shelf right in, or if you needed to glue it, it is very easy to apply the glue.

 

[MT Stringer]

It depends on what type of cabinet you are planning to make...

Thanks.
The cabinets will be identical to the two pictured previously. Shelves will be adjustable. Like so...

 

[aaronhl]

Thats nice looking in the house

 

[Hammer1]

The typical approach with manufactured cabinet is that a 1/4" skin is added for finishes ends. 1/4" is for ease of discussion since the actual thickness of the plywood can vary slightly. The face frames normally stand proud of the cabinet side 1/4". The end skins fit against this projection. A construction adhesive is used to glue the skins to the cabinet side. If the cabinet side is finished and there is doubt about the adhesive sticking, the finish is roughed up with coarse sandpaper.

With custom made cabinets, skins aren't always necessary. The cabinet can be built with a finished end. Skins can show on base units since they are cut at the toe kick. If you use a skin, a finished baseboard is added over the toe kick area, this also covers joints if the toe kicks are built into individual cabinets.

 

[MT Stringer]

The typical approach with manufactured cabinet is that a 1/4" skin is added for finishes ends. 1/4" is for ease of discussion since the actual thickness of the plywood can vary slightly. The face frames normally stand proud of the cabinet side 1/4". The end skins fit against this projection. A construction adhesive is used to glue the skins to the cabinet side. If the cabinet side is finished and there is doubt about the adhesive sticking, the finish is roughed up with coarse sandpaper.

With custom made cabinets, skins aren't always necessary. The cabinet can be built with a finished end. Skins can show on base units since they are cut at the toe kick. If you use a skin, a finished baseboard is added over the toe kick area, this also covers joints if the toe kicks are built into individual cabinets.

Thanks. Very informative.