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Kitchen cabinet door fundamental question (perhaps a bit UKish in nature)
- Thread starter Wuffles
- Start date
Well, I started building the carcasses over Christmas, just the shapes, probably over engineered too, but needed something to use for storage.
I've kind of built additional bits to the Neptune kitchens before which is where I thought I'd probably be alright eventually if I had a crack at the whole lot. I say eventually as each part is a challenge unless you've done it before.
Some of the tall units are nearly £1500 a piece even with a discount so given my time is free if it's for the Wife, we're onto a winner.
Also, forgot to say, using real hinges, not Euro ones, so MDF wouldn't really work for the doors for anyone thinking I am bonkers going full tilt with the wood.
Have used MaxCut for layouts (wow that program can save you sheet materials!), made a spreadsheet that gives me cut sizes based on cabinet width/height/depth (including cheek sizes and depth of face frame - it doesn't take much to confuse me, so this is invaluable) - it's on Google Sheets too so I can get to it from my computer in the workshop.
I'm fairly sure painting is going to come back and bite me now at least half the units are assembled, BUT, it may not fall into my remit and also nothing has been put in place permanently yet, they could be dragged outside and sprayed probably.
Carcasses are being built, dragged into kind of position in the house and the face frames and doors will have to wait until I have more space to work.
This whole edging plywood malarky is all new to me, but since getting a decent trimming bit for my router I decided I should avoid it no more, so if it were like a very long coat hook for example, made of ply, would it be ok generally to trim the edges in pine? It's just to make it look prettier, doesn't need to serve any endurance.
I've kind of built additional bits to the Neptune kitchens before which is where I thought I'd probably be alright eventually if I had a crack at the whole lot. I say eventually as each part is a challenge unless you've done it before.
Some of the tall units are nearly £1500 a piece even with a discount so given my time is free if it's for the Wife, we're onto a winner.
Also, forgot to say, using real hinges, not Euro ones, so MDF wouldn't really work for the doors for anyone thinking I am bonkers going full tilt with the wood.
Have used MaxCut for layouts (wow that program can save you sheet materials!), made a spreadsheet that gives me cut sizes based on cabinet width/height/depth (including cheek sizes and depth of face frame - it doesn't take much to confuse me, so this is invaluable) - it's on Google Sheets too so I can get to it from my computer in the workshop.
I'm fairly sure painting is going to come back and bite me now at least half the units are assembled, BUT, it may not fall into my remit and also nothing has been put in place permanently yet, they could be dragged outside and sprayed probably.
Carcasses are being built, dragged into kind of position in the house and the face frames and doors will have to wait until I have more space to work.
This whole edging plywood malarky is all new to me, but since getting a decent trimming bit for my router I decided I should avoid it no more, so if it were like a very long coat hook for example, made of ply, would it be ok generally to trim the edges in pine? It's just to make it look prettier, doesn't need to serve any endurance.
jmbfestool
Member
- Joined
- Jan 9, 2009
- Messages
- 6,646
I haven't gone through all the posts yet I will do but not now so sorry if it has been said.
If you are painting it, then it has to be all oak or non at all. So you would use solid oak with oak veneer for panels if u went the oak route .
This is because you are likely to see wood texture in the paint and other woods give a very smooth finish. This would look horrible seeing grain and non grain areas in the paint.
I would use tulip (its a poplar wood) for frames and rails and styles of the doors. Its stable, cheap, light in weight and easy to work with.
Then use MR MDF for panels.
Or go MR MDF all the way but I see you mentioned your missus won't approve. Thing is if you paint them before hand she won't kno the difference.
Regarding edging...for unit shelves.... Well if you use birch plywood just stain the inside of the units and sand the edge and stain and leave it at that. Hard wearing and looks nice.
Howdens even do units with birch plywood edge affect on their chipboard units lol. So it must be something people like to see. Unless Howdens was thinking people might believe their units are actually made of plywood..... Lol
Avoid pine wood horrible knots soft crap. Also avoid painting inside of units.......well never paint inside of units. Two main reasons one its a pain in the arse. t
Two it soon looks messy once you start to use it getting dirty and scratched in use.
Hence use birch plywood and seal it much nicer or use melamine if you want a white finish inside.
If you use chipboard melamine its hard work getting good results. So best used MDF melamine better for cutting. Problem is MDF IS rubbish for shelves sags under its own weight, it's also expensive compared the chipboard melamine.
Hence best stick with Birchplywood not cheap but hassle free and easy to use.
If you are painting it, then it has to be all oak or non at all. So you would use solid oak with oak veneer for panels if u went the oak route .
This is because you are likely to see wood texture in the paint and other woods give a very smooth finish. This would look horrible seeing grain and non grain areas in the paint.
I would use tulip (its a poplar wood) for frames and rails and styles of the doors. Its stable, cheap, light in weight and easy to work with.
Then use MR MDF for panels.
Or go MR MDF all the way but I see you mentioned your missus won't approve. Thing is if you paint them before hand she won't kno the difference.
Regarding edging...for unit shelves.... Well if you use birch plywood just stain the inside of the units and sand the edge and stain and leave it at that. Hard wearing and looks nice.
Howdens even do units with birch plywood edge affect on their chipboard units lol. So it must be something people like to see. Unless Howdens was thinking people might believe their units are actually made of plywood..... Lol
Avoid pine wood horrible knots soft crap. Also avoid painting inside of units.......well never paint inside of units. Two main reasons one its a pain in the arse. t
Two it soon looks messy once you start to use it getting dirty and scratched in use.
Hence use birch plywood and seal it much nicer or use melamine if you want a white finish inside.
If you use chipboard melamine its hard work getting good results. So best used MDF melamine better for cutting. Problem is MDF IS rubbish for shelves sags under its own weight, it's also expensive compared the chipboard melamine.
Hence best stick with Birchplywood not cheap but hassle free and easy to use.
jmbfestool said:I haven't gone through all the posts yet I will do but not now so sorry if it has been said.
If you are painting it, then it has to be all oak or non at all. So solid oak with oak veneer.
This is because you are likely to see wood texture in the paint and other woods give a very smooth finish.
I would use tulip for frames and rails and styles of the doors. Its stable, cheap, light in weight and easy to work with.
Then use MR MDF for panels.
Or go MR MDF all the way but I see you mentioned your missus won't approve. Thing is if you paint them before hand she won't kno the difference.
Regarding edging... Well if you use birch plywood just stain the inside of the units and sand the edge and stain and leave it at that. Hard wearing and looks nice.
Howdens even do units with birch plywood edge affect on their chipboard units lol. So it must be something people like to see. Unless Howdens was thinking people might believe their units are actually made of plywood..... Lol
Definitely painted insides, she'll probably even want to the colour matched to what she had in the last couple of houses too.
Having already started using whatever I had to hand, then buying some banana-wood ply from Magnet and a few more sheets of a more stable ply form my local place now they're back open, I'm onto a hiding to nothing if it's anything but paint now. Looks like a kaleidoscope inside the cabinets now there's so many different plys going on.
Wuffles
There's rather a lot of information about kitchen building around if you have the patience to search - on UKW and WWUK, its back in old threads tho so have to hunt for it. Recommended face frame dimentions/materials to use/which hinges etc etc.
From what I remember timber wise was poplar/tulip is nice to use but a tad soft - beech or maple if you want something harder (but more expensive). MRMDF works fine for both frame and doors and according to Dr Bob will be fine hung on butt hinges.
Obviously this has all been mentioned above by others but just trying to get across how much info there is if you google around.
I was costing up my own kitchen on a boring day off so got right into it.
There's rather a lot of information about kitchen building around if you have the patience to search - on UKW and WWUK, its back in old threads tho so have to hunt for it. Recommended face frame dimentions/materials to use/which hinges etc etc.
From what I remember timber wise was poplar/tulip is nice to use but a tad soft - beech or maple if you want something harder (but more expensive). MRMDF works fine for both frame and doors and according to Dr Bob will be fine hung on butt hinges.
Obviously this has all been mentioned above by others but just trying to get across how much info there is if you google around.
I was costing up my own kitchen on a boring day off so got right into it.
