Best Wood For Painted Cabinet Doors

If you have painted cabinet doors either your own diy project or the work of a professional there are some things to keep in mind.

Best wood for painted cabinet doors.

Best woods for paint grade cabinet doors. It has soft maple as a competitor because poplar tends to be more labor intensive to sand and finish but soft maple is more expensive. As with most things you won t find any shortage of opinions but there does seem to be some broad agreement on when the best types of wood are for painted cabinets. Aside from the general pros and cons of each option you ll need to consider the type of wood your cabinets are before you make any decisions.

Paint grade cabinetry is usually a smooth flat wood made of lower quality materials because the paint will cover the grain. There are shaker style cabinet doors flat paneled doors inset doors raised doors and many more. Associated fabrication over the years poplar was the preferred choice of wood for painted cabinets. Here are some of the types of wood that are best for painted cabinet doors.

Everyone wants to know that the home improvements they re making are durable and add real value to the property. Poplar has for years been the paint grade wood of choice for furniture makers and cabinet shops. Cabinet doors come in a wide variety of styles. Maple is a strong competitor though.

First sand any damaged areas on the doors or paint cabinet frames with 320 grit sandpaper to remove burrs or ridges then fill the areas with spackling compound photo 3. This is especially important if your wood cabinets are already stained or have a glossy finish you will need to get through this finish layer first either with sandpaper or a liquid. So what s the best wood for painted cabinets. So which woods are best for paint grade kitchen cabinet doors.

Paint adheres best over a scuffed surface making true wood cabinets a great candidate for painting sand the surface to prep it for paint and the result is a better bond and smoother finish. The best wood for cabinetry is widely considered either red oak poplar maple mahogany or plywood. Here is a brief summary of our experience with the various paint grade woods. Some paint cabinets like ours have a catalyzed lacquer finish that s very hard.

Tight grained woods that are workable and durable remain a popular choice. The reason for this is that poplar tends to fuzz up during sanding. Poplar for years has been the paint grade wood of choice for furniture makers and cabinet shops. Which solid wood type is best for a specific project depends on budget if the cabinetry will be painted and personal preference.

If you plan to get the cabinet doors painted we would highly recommend mdf over solid wood. Staining by wood type. Primer won t form a good bond to this surface unless you scuff it up first. Because most cabinets are painted with a high gloss or semi gloss paint they will be more durable and easier to wipe clean than say a matte finish wall paint but you do want to take care not to use anything so harsh that you end up striping the paint or.

Paint grade poplar wood.