I’m in the process of totally remodeling a kitchen, new everything, except that the HO wants to keep her old custom constructed, beech cabinets, change them to a light shade of stain and replace the old “chewed up” doors and trim. The cabinets are constructed with solid wood face frames and six, 3/4″ exposed, beech plywood carcass panels on the end cabinets. There is also an 8′ long, similarly constructed expanse of upper and lower cabinet backs that are exposed to her adjacent dining room (basically a pass through and barstool dining counter between the rooms). Inside and out, the cabinets were lacquered and stained a very dark brown. There’s not any beech avaailable around here in Central Texas (unmilled stock, plywood or otherwise.
And so as the saga has unfolded, I’ve sanded the cabinet interiors and sprayed them with a light shade of tiinted lacquer, sanded the face frames to bare wood and re-stained them a light shade and constructed new 3/4″ white maple doors with rabbeted black walnut trim (“Shackeresque stile and rail look). The problem I’ve encountered is that the veneer on the exposed, beech plywood panels won’t withstand sanding down to clear grain and won’t stain to a shade that matches the beech face frames. Plus, the flitches on the exposed, 8′ long expanse are so poorly matched that they now scream without their dark stain.
Next creative effort – I have purchased and plan to cover all the exposed beech panels with 1/4″ white maple plywood, that has a continuous top veneer and to trim the intersecting corners with dark walnut. My two questions are these: What adhesive (PL Premium, Tite Bond III, Gorilla Glue ???) would you use to bond the quarter inch maple panels and, to avoid a pin cushion look, how few nails can I get away with, where I’m unable to clamp?
Thanks in advance for suggestions. I have a love/hate relationship with this “silk purse” stuff, but I’m in way too deep anyhow, in terms of materials on hand and labor invested. BTW, the three species actually turn out to look great together, if not world-class stunning. Plus, and most important, she likes it. Zbalk
Replies
Contact cement or Titebond II. no need for any pims if you line it up and weight it down
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Thanks for the glue recommendation. The new quarter inch panels are being hung vertically on the end cabinets and backs of two 8' long cabinet runs, upper and lower, so I won't be able to weight them down. The 32" x 8' pieces are fairly heavy and, of course, not thick enough to rest flat on the old plywood glueing surface. Just need to somehow hold them in place while the glue sets up and cures. My only thoughts on that, so far, is to use nails or brads or whatever other fastener in the exposed "field" and other areas where I can't clamp. Zbalk
what about using a sheet of 3/4 ply wedged against the thin stuff as a clamp?
I was thinking of cab doors - taking them off to lay down for weighting. SorrySo - if you can use contact cement, you still save pinning. But it would take two people to line it up for the contact.
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I use PowerGrab adhesive by Loctite for that kind of application, if you have a 23ga micropinner I'd add a few 1/2" headless pins, but the PowerGrab can work w/o fasteners.
As Piffin says - contact adhesive. There's a brand that is a gel, and won't drool down the sides. Take extra care attaching to those sides, tho. Make a dry run w/o the adhesive and make sure everything fits. I'd line up the outer edge first come glue-up, and press the rest home when you're sure. Use a rubber mallet or a scrap of 2x4 and reg hammer and firmly tap the surfaces together.
If there's any way to brace the panels to another vertical surface, do so. It won't necessarily help, but at least you'll feel better!
ciao for niao
To those who know - this may be obvious. To those who don't - I hope I've helped.
Working alone, I would really try the PowerGrab. I bet you will like it. Instant grab, but repositionable...a good combination of characteristics.