Built your own kitchen cabinets?

[ccmviking]

I get it from my local Benjamin Moore Store.  They stock some of the tintable Lacquer's but I have to order (2-3 days) the product I was describing.  Definitely not water based but it's the strongest product I've had the pleasure of using.  You have to mix the product with some lacquer thinner and add a catalyst.  It lays down really nice and like I said before it's actually difficult to damage it.  I spray all my stains and top coats.  I've never been much good with a brush and at this point don't like taking the time to brush anyway.  Attached are some pictures of cabinets I made for a rental house I own.  I tried to get a few that show the sheen.  There's undetectable orange peel and no sanding occurred after I started finishing.  I sprayed a dye/Sealer (trans tint mixture) on the maple cabinets prior to top coating and the Walnut ones at the wet bar are just top coated.  One picture shows the cabinets prior to finishing.  I put backs on all my cabinets except the sink base.  Most customs are built backless and to me it just gives you more problems with bug/rodents/etc.  I build them box style like Kraftmaid/Etc.  All the sides and bottoms are 3/4" Maple Plywood and the back is 1/4" Maple Plywood.  The kitchen has a Satin finish and the Maple has Gloss.  fyi... it is a smelly, somewhat messy product that you cannot clean up at a water tap.  To me it's worth using though...

Chris... 

 

[tvgordon]

Nice cabinets Chris.  I do like the look of the finish and would like the durability, but I have no space to spray solvent based finishes.  I do have the time to brush but I am not always pleased with the results.

Tom.

 

[BarryL]

Question on wood selection for cabinets....I too plan on buiding my own cabinets and have been going through the tool buying phase for nearly three years!  I wish I would have discovered the nature of the Festool tools and how they work as a system...I would have been purchasing them long ago...as it stands...I am catching up   Anyway...on to my question.  I am undecided on what type of wood I would like to select for my cabinets.  I like cherry and maple...I like hearing how some of you have used cherry here.  Question is...have any of you ever used ash??  I ask because I happen to have access to enough to build many kitchens!  How does it look?  Hold up?  Wear?  What do you finish them with?  Do you like them??  The cost to build these for my kitchen would be minimal considering...I am just wondering if it would be worth it?  I don't hear of many people using it for kitchen cabinets??  Thanks!

 

[ccmviking]

My favorite to work with is Maple.  I like the soft look of the grain and it's very durable.  I use cherry when I need something to stain a little darker.  Maple has a tendency to blotch up if you try to stain it dark (even using toners).  I don't really like cherry (not a fan of reds) in it's natural state but love it with a medium brown stain and glazes.  Cherry tends to split a little more than other woods so you need to be diligent about pre-drilling your screw holes.

Here's pictures of some Cherry and Maple cabs with the exact same stain and glaze...

 

[tvgordon]

Those are amazing cabinets Chris.  I hope mine turn out as nice (whenever I get around to making them).

Barry, I think ash would make nice cabinets.  I've made display cases and smaller tables from ash and really like the look of it.  I used both a golden oak stain and just a clear finish over the wood,  I prefer the look of just the clear coat.  It seems to be a durable wood, if you have enough to build the cabinets I say use it.  Why buy more wood when you already have some?  Just my opinion.

Tom.

 

[Dan Uhlir]

hi Chris

      Flashing some mad skills. thanks for posting the pics dan

 

[Tinker]

Question on wood selection for cabinets....I too plan on buiding my own cabinets and have been going through the tool buying phase for nearly three years!  I wish I would have discovered the nature of the Festool tools and how they work as a system...I would have been purchasing them long ago...as it stands...I am catching up   Anyway...on to my question.  I am undecided on what type of wood I would like to select for my cabinets.  I like cherry and maple...I like hearing how some of you have used cherry here.  Question is...have any of you ever used ash??  I ask because I happen to have access to enough to build many kitchens!  How does it look?  Hold up?  Wear?  What do you finish them with?  Do you like them??  The cost to build these for my kitchen would be minimal considering...I am just wondering if it would be worth it?  I don't hear of many people using it for kitchen cabinets??  Thanks!

Barry, I have some prefinished ash panneling in our kitchen and bathroom. We have one of those fiberglass shower/tub fixtures and I put some of the panneling between top of shower and ceiling. Unstained, clear finish.
We (BOSS LADY & I) love it.  I like the grain, it is easy to work with and seems to be a very stable wood with minimal shrinkage/expansion from season to season and none above the shower.
Tinker

 

[clintholeman]

Ash is a great wood for cabinets.  It machines well, is very stable and durable.  Looks great!  You can easily add interesting accents by using contrasting pulls - Granadillo is one of my favorites.  Ebonized Maple or Cherry also work.  If you want to go another direction, try a mahogany pulls.

I think you'll like the way your cabinets look and also, Ash is pretty economical.

 

[Tinker]

I think you'll like the way your cabinets look and also, Ash is pretty economical.
[/quote]

I'm not sure how much longer it (ASH) will stay economical.  here in the north east, it is dieing off fast.  i have been told it is happening in most of the hardwood forests in the country.  I have a large ash tree in my own yard that i have been providing yearly care for nearly 25 years.  It is one of the very few in the local area that has not succumbed to Ash Decline (i don't know the tech name for the disease).  My arborist told me how to care for it when i first noticed the problem.  We caught it soon enough that the tree is now, evidently, thriving.  most in the area, once the symptoms show, are goners.  They are headed for the same fate as the American Elm and the Chestnut.

BTW:  There has been a new hardwood scourge showing up in the woods of the north east.  A couple of different beetles ((Powder Post Beetle and Big Eyed Bug) imported from China have gotten into hardwoods, mostly Maples, but beech and oaks are being affected also.  I have been told they are decimating woodlands in northern New England. Not a happy thought.
Tinker

 

[BarryL]

Thanks all for the response on the ash cabinets...its just that I don't see a lot of info on anyone choosing to make their kitchen cabinets out of ash.  I will (after hearing how you all think on ash cabinets) make mine from ash as it was because of the emerald ash bore that I have access to lots and lots of ash...enough to make several kitchens!  A freind of mine has cut down several large ash trees and had them woodmizered and are currently drying.  By the time I am finished purchasing all of the rest of my tools all the wood will be dried. 

 

[clintholeman]

What kind of info are you looking for? Its a great wood.  If you want to trim out the cabinets in contrasting wood, try purple heart.  I built a couple of chests that way [you can see them on my website in the project area.

I will be building some likely early next year for a client [maybe later this year, but at the rate of decisions, it will be next year... ].  I'll have them up on my blog when I build them if that helps.

 

[Dave Ronyak]

I have seen several kitchens with cabinets made from ash.  As Tinker and others have said, there is plenty of it available now - cheap - due to the Emerald Ash Borer killing these trees.  Some communities in Ohio are cutting down their trees in advance of the advance of the killer borer.  When I think of ash, I usually visualize it as similar to oak, but lighter in color and with more pronounced contrast in grain structure (open pores) between the springwood and summerwood growth areas.  As far as strength and durability, ash is a preferred wood of choice for baseball bats and tool handles because it has good shock resistance.

Clint - how do you keep the purple in purpleheart in your projects?  I have heard that it is susceptible to color change - to a brownish tone.

Dave R>

 

[clintholeman]

I keep my purple heart purple by using a UV inhibitor and applying my finish immediately after sanding.  On large surfaces, I sand and finish by section. 

 

[Dave Rudy]

I keep my purple heart purple by using a UV inhibitor

Clint, What product do you use?

 

[kugiman]

Hi all, to get back to the original, original post:
Here is my over simplified formula for building kitchen base cabinets in a 'nutshell':
1. Get the 7 ply 3/4" (actually 11/16") from Home Depot and usually free
2. Have them rip it down so that you have 2 pieces, 8' x 24". Easier to carry and cut on the table saw.
3. Cut these down to 34.5" x 23.25" (a left and a right panel for each cabinet)
4. Cut the toekicks, usually 3" deep x 4" high
5. Build faceframes from the wood of your choice ( I use 2" wide x 3/4" thick). Take in consideration drawers or doors and properly place rails in the proper places
6. Attach faceframes together with pocket screws
7. Cut dadoes for shelving, cross supports, etc.
8. Accurately measure the box width to the face frame. I leave about an 1/8" on each side so that FFs can snug up tight together at installation time.
9. Build box ... glue and nail gun
10. Attach FF to box with pocket screws and sand with Festool RO sander
11. Doors: I like 3/4' overlays, euro hinges. Connect rails and stiles with Dominos
12. Drawers: 5/8" poplar. Hardwood fronts. Put together with Dominos ... let them show thru on the sides like thru tenons. Use hidden slides like Mepla or Blum with dampening and auto close
13. Spray everything using HVLP (3M) with M.L. Campbell precat water based lacquer "Agualente". Dries fast and is hard as a rock. I use satin. The best, in my humble opinion.
14. A light sanding with worn out 200-320 Abranet on a wood block (between coats and final) makes it smooth as silk and does not show any sand marks.
15. Install drawer slides
16. Smile, you are done, ready to install, which is another chapter
Uppers: 1/2 sheets yield 2 sides per width for standard 12" deep upper cabinets
Please feel free to contact me for particulars. I build cabinets for a living. knottymoondesign@gmail.com

Thanks for putting up with this!!

kugiman www.knottymoondesign.com

 

[tvgordon]

Thanks for the help Kugiman.  I checked out your website and Todd and Amy's kitchen was about what I was looking to build.  I was just looking to use a lighter color of wood.  Looks like you do nice work.

Tom.