What Type Of Plywood To Use For Kitchen Cabinets

The many types of plywood can differ in materials number of layers rating and grade.

What type of plywood to use for kitchen cabinets.

Plywood is sold in 4 x 8 foot sheets in a variety of thicknesses. Use a strong plywood with a 5 ply minimum on the drawer sides. But considering other factors such as cost and availability particleboard cabinet boxes can be a wise choice. You get different grades of plywood namely structural exterior interior and marine.

Back in the old days veneer core plywood was your only choice for cabinet plywood. I ve decided to build new cabinets for our kitchen and while i m pretty handy with power tools i m having trouble deciding just what type of plywood i should get for the cabinet bodies especially for the parts that are going to be hidden on the sides against the wall. Which solid wood type is best for a specific project depends on budget if the cabinetry will be painted and personal preference. Wikimedia commons plywood is a combination of different layers of wood veneers glued together into boards.

The grain of each layer of plywood is at right angles to each other. Cheaper laminated melamine particleboard drawer sides just aren t as structurally strong. For making cabinets we use interior plywood. Drawers call for a different type of construction than cabinet boxes and while you may use the same type of face plywood for the drawer fronts your box construction and lining may differ.

In the case of cabinets such as vanities kitchen cabinets and similar applications acceptable grades and thickness are dependent on where the sheet of plywood will be used. If all other factors are equal plywood cabinets are best. Everyone wants to know that the home improvements they re making are durable and add real value to the property. There are a few plywood grading systems out there but most of them follow an a d classification with a being the best.

Plywood is also classified as exterior exposure 1 exposure 2 and interior. The best wood for cabinetry is widely considered either red oak poplar maple mahogany or plywood. This guide will explain the different uses of plywood as well as popular plywood sheet sizes and its rating and grade system so that you can choose the best plywood for your project. That is far from the case today.

So far i know i should get 3 4 for the sides and 1 2 plywood for the backs. The type of plywood you choose will depend on economics how much exposure to the elements the wood will get and whether looks are important to you. Purchase plywood based on face grades and thickness to suit your purpose.