Can marine ply be used for kitchen cabinet doors?

[marianmade]

Can I use marine ply for the cabinet doors in my kitchen renovation?

Also what would be the paint to use in this situation? I like a two pack finish but unsure if this is best.

[EricL]

Hello @marianmade 

Thanks for sharing your question about using marine plywood as kitchen doors. Using marine plywood for interior doors, especially in areas with higher humidity like bathrooms or kitchens, offers superior moisture resistance and durability compared to standard plywood, making it a good choice for long-lasting performance. However, it's surface finish will need to be modified in order to get a totally flat finish.

In regards to your question about getting a two-pack finish, I suggest leaving this particular task to the professionals as using two-pack paint requires specialized equipment along with knowledge and experience in handling specialized paint. If you are looking for a nice gloss finish, I recommend having a look at MDF as an alternative to plywood doors as these are often used on kitchen doors. Plus, the flat surface of the MDF does not need to be modified and can be painted on directly in order to achieve a gloss finish.

When used correctly a standard electric paint spray gun can provide you with a high gloss finish. It won't be as tough as two-pack, but it can give you a similar look.

Let me call on our experienced member @Dave-1 and @JoeAzza for their recommendations.  

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

[Dave-1]

Morning @marianmade 

I would say yes with a clause "follow @EricL's suggestions" I am a great one for using things outside scope as I think the benifits weight out the negatives. However if you are going to be spending a large bucket of money its something to be cautious over.

Do you have a particular style/use? in the area you are considering? A few photos would help in saying a yes or a no that may not be such a good spot.

I think I know what you have in mind for a kitchen and I have considered it myself. Chips on the edges are one of the things that made me hesitate on the product (from cutting)

Dave

[MitchellMc · Accepted solution]

Hi @marianmade,

I just wanted to point out that by the time you go to the effort of cutting up marine ply, buying primer and topcoat paint and possibly buying a spray guy, you could be spending more than pre-made and finished Kaboodle doors. For instance, if you take a look at 2440 x 1220mm 18mm Plywood Hardwood Marine AA Grade that's $50 per square metre. Purchasing the Kaboodle raw doors, wouldn't be much more expensive than the plywood, but with a superior finish ready to paint. 

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

[marianmade]

Thanks for your informative reply. I’m still learning and exploring using marine ply for the kitchen doors and drawers in my renovation. I know what you mean about the chipping along the edge when cutting. Would this be a good scenario then to use a router on all door and drawer edges after the initial cutting to size to remove any chipping by rounding off the cut edges. I had planned to use a simple flat face/profile but with rounding of the edges using sandpaper. I don’t know much about routers but I wonder if my idea might work. My kitchen will have about 2 meters of base cabinets on one wall with freestanding gas oven in the middle and uppers also on that wall. The second wall will have 2 meters of base cabinets with a dishwasher and sink and no uppers. Overall it is a very small space and manageable  using Kaboodle carcasses but I like to explore outside the square, hence the idea of marine ply versus MDF for doors and drawers.

[marianmade]

Hi Eric, thanks for your reply and advice. Perhaps I should reconsider my preference for using two-pack paint and visit the paint shop at Bunnings and have a closer look at the painting options available. Thanks again.

[MitchellMc]

Rounding over the edge would assist, and using a high-tooth-count blade will help prevent chipping @marianmade.

Can I ask why you'd like to use plywood? Is it to try and save on costs? You need to be aware that this is work typically only done by cabinet makers, takes quite a bit of skill, requires a bit of equipment and tools, has the potential to end up with some sub-standard results, will require many hours of work and even if you don't factor in your own time, will likely cost more than premade options.

If this is just a project you're looking to do and want to do it yourself, by all means, go ahead. I just want you to be aware that it could cost more than something you could buy off the shelf tomorrow. I had a close friend ask me a similar question: Would I suggest going with the raw MDF doors and having them paint them themselves? Even with that situation, I advised going with the pre-finished doors, though they are more costly. The finish on a Kaboodle door far exceeds anything they could achieve painting it themselves.

Mitchell

[Dave-1]

Afternoon @marianmade 

I would think it still may chip using a router but going slowly and practicing may lesson the effect? If you have a router already I would suggest to get a smaller piece and practice the routing and cutting. Making sure the bits and blads are sharp I say this as my carpenter mate was stirring me that teh blade on my compound saw was a little blunt.... I had not realised it.

Dave

[marianmade]

Hi Mitchell, I appreciate your help with this and taking the time to tell me the possible issues I could encounter. Why marine ply? I just don’t like MDF. I feel if I use pre-finished MDF doors and I scratch off the surface, as happens with wear and tear, I feel that they will breakdown sooner if they got wet as MDF swells when in contact with water.  Are Kaboodle doors painted or are they wrapped? 

[Dave-1]

Good Afternoon @marianmade 

When I did my last kitchen the doors were wrapped (shinny white smooth surface) My mums were more of a matt feeling so Id say you can get diferent styles. My newest idea as you seem to like thinking outside the square Is to use the Stainless steel bench tool trays and install a larger timber bench top on them. I really like the idea but still nervous over such an industrial look. I figure ifthe draws can handle heavy tools they can handle pots and pans plus crockery. 

The cost I have only figured roughly looks to be about the same with the stainless or kaboodle plus doors/drawers.

Dave