Building a front hall cabinet

[donwon]

So we have finally decided to build a cabinet in the front hall for mitts, toques, etc.

My wife wants an "espresso brown" finish like you see on all of the new kitchen cabinets.  My thoughts were to make the main shell out of plywood with stain and poly urethane as the final finish.

Any thoughts on what type of plywood that would stain well?  Is baltic birch the best for this or is there are something better suited.  Also, was going to use poplar for the main part of the drawers.  Will this absorb stain or am I better to use something like a maple or oak?

Any advice is much appreciated.

 

[tjbnwi]

Oak is easier to stain than maple.

The look will determine the wood, do you want to see a lot of grain? There is the option of rift/quarter sawn oak.

Don't use poplar.

Maple will need to be treated/sealed for it to look good.

Tom

 

[butzla]

Cherry also looks good stained with an espresso tint.  I worry that the grain in oak will stand out too much

 

[mrFinpgh]

I've made the mistake of thinking I knew what look someone wanted too may times.  I would take your wife to a store with lots of finishes and have her show you specifically what it is she is after. 

If she wants a lot of grain, then dye is going to be better than stain.

If she wants minimal grain, you can do some staining, sealing, gel stain, more sealing and get a lot of color on the wood that way.

I don't know what you mean by 'main part' of the drawers?  The boxes?  I would use 1/2" baltic birch and some waterborne lacquer.

 

[xedos]

The look of which i think you speak was started a decade ago by the european manufacturers.  They primarily used Wenge which has a pronounced grain, but not as heavy as oak.  The grain actually helped the look because the hue was so dark.  It gave it some depth and visual interest.  Walnut was also used by some cases, and oak was the more budget friendly option. 

I would stay far away from maple in this instance.  Any money you save in material will be lost in time and product during the finishing process.

A lot will depend on the supply chain available to you, unless you're going to veneer your own panels.  Not a lot of places stock wenge or walnut sheetgoods.

 

[JBag09]

You can get away with using maple plywood and solid maple. I’ve learned how to deal with the finishing. I’m not sure of your set up, but spraying a dye works well. I just use the cheap HF purple gun and I get good results. There’s a few tricks I’ve figured out through trial and error. I’d never use that gun for final coats.
Probably the easiest would be to use a gel stain, I prefer General Finishes. They have a Java color, will probably need two coats, let it dry 24 hrs at least between each I have learned, and then 48 hrs before your finish coat. GF also makes a nice gel poly too, in Satin only that works really well.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[junk731]

The best solution that I have personally used, with a lot customers, is to use Maple veneered particle core with solid maple edgeing. I use particle core for its extremely flat surface. Never use Baltic birch if you want a good looking finish. Its OK for structural but finishes like crap without an extreme amount of work. Sand to 180P. Apply General Finishes Expresso. See link. Depending on application method it may take 2 coats. Topcoat after drying with whatever you choose. I've never had the common blotching problems many associate with maple using this product and never heard a complaint from the many woodworkers I've recommended it to.
https://generalfinishes.com/wood-fi...-stains-and-dye-stains/water-based-wood-stain