Everyone,
As part of a kitchen remodel, I’m building a shelving and storage system for a sizeable kitchen pantry. The kitchen has a lot of wood, so we’re considering pre-finished plywood for the shelving (instead of white melamine). I’m having a really difficult time finding it in New Jersey and I’ve never worked with the pre-finished plywood before. Would you recommend it for kitchen pantry shelving? If I were to use regular birch or maple ply, what finish would you recommend I put on it. Can I I’m guessing water born poly, but I would appreciate some input before I start ripping and finishing the shelves.
Thanks.
Frank R.
Replies
Let's say you can source hardwood veneer plywood that is prefinished both sides. I don't know of such an animal, but the commercial wholesale jobbers that are selling to the architectural millwork shops (read that as commercial work . . . offices, stores, and such) might be selling something like that.
You will need to be very careful when cutting the sizes you need for shelving, then you will have to edgeband, all without disturbing that finish on the faces.
If I were you, I would approach a cabinet business that is willing to make and sell components, all prefinished. Scherr's Cabinets and Doors, of Minot, ND is one such business.
They are willing to make all-hardwood-plywood cabinets, the shelves of which would be the same material, all of this factory finished. It is those shelves you are after.
On the other hand, they can make all your parts prefinished, and if you go that route, all you will do is assembly, and that will go fast.
Stinger,
I did two large built in closets in the master bedroom using oak plywood that I stained, edged with hardwood, and finished with a few coats of poly. Double hanging, shoe shelves, toe kicks, chrome hardware, etc. Everyone was happy with those. I hesitated on using the same approach with the pantry because I wasn't sure if a few coats of poly would hold up to kitchen use (cans, plates, etc.) and I did not want the job getting scratched up within a short period of time. I saw Norm use pre-finished plywood and thought I would look into that as a more durable surface. (I still think white melamine would be a good surface but no one wants white). I see it on web-sites of plywood manufacturers but my usual suppliers don't carry the pre-finished and don't know who does. In the end, if I could stain and poly the oak or birch ply, and it would hold up, I would probably go that route again. The pantry already has doors, so I would just be making the shelving and drawers for the inside. (along with the baskets and other details that are popular with the cabinet companies) No cabinet doors.
Thanks.
Frank
You need to look into a sheet goods supplier. The one I use carrys several of the more popular species pre-finished. My supplier only sells wholesale to cabinet shops and lumber yards
I recently built a large walk-in closet system using prefinished maple. what a time saver! After I cut all the panels all I had to do was edge band and coat the edgebanding with water born poly and a rag.
you can even get pre finished edge banding now... with heat on or psa adhesive.
james
Thanks for the reply. The time savings you were talking about is what I expected to hear from someone who used it. I will spend some more time trying to locate a source for the pre-finished plywood. If I cannot find it, I'll go back to finishing it myself.
Thanks.
Frank R.
Your local lumber yard can order it in. Mine does. I go to the supplier directly for larger orders but with fuel prices being what they are today I just pay the difference for smaller lots
Frank
Go over to knots and do a search on this. There was recently a thread discussing prefinished ply. Don't remember the thread otherwise I'd give you the link.
Doug
Prefinished maple plywood is excellent for your pantry shelving--you can get it from Rosensweig lumber in the Bronx 800-228-7674--check it out--more expensive but worth every penny
mark
Everyone,
I read the thread on Knots and it was helpful. I will ask at some of the local yards and, if they can't get it, I'll take a ride into New York. (I work in NY everyday so that is not a big deal).
Thanks Again.
Frank R.
This is the stuff I use:
http://www.statesind.com/prod/ind_2a3.html
Not only is it prefinished, but the finish is really tough - UV-cured epoxy. It will scratch if you aren't paying attention, but typical machining like running it through the TS or router table were fine. You should check it when you buy it - I did have one batch that had scratches from the manufacturing process. To find a local distributor:
http://www.statesind.com/market/zipcode.html
It's available, and good stuff. The ones I can get have a U.V finish, but it's not epoxy....never heard of that. But it is tough; much better than any finish that can be sprayed in the average shop, but not quite the finish quality of a sprayed finish. I can only get it as a veneer core ply (I dislike plywood a lot), so I gripe about that. High end shops use it for cabinet parts, low end for doors and door fronts too, my suplliers tell me.
Costs me about $15 more a sheet than the raw ply........yep, $15 for 2 x 32 square feet of finish that is equivalent to 2-3 sprayed coats. Hard to beat in some applications.Cabinetmaker/college woodworking instructor. Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.
more expensive but worth every penny
What does a 4x8 sheet go for?You get out of life what you put into it......minus taxes.
Marv
about 65.00---no finishing
Prefinished plywood in 4 species is available as "NovaPly" from States Industries. Great product for your use. The cabinet industry hardly uses anything else for casegoods now. aloha, mike
Thanks Everyone. I also spoke with the local Woodcraft who can get the pre-finished plywood delivered from Reading, PA. I was going to get some baltic birch/appleply through him (another difficult product to come by in North Jersey) so I may group it all into one order.
Thanks again.
Frank