# Laundry Room Floor Cabinet



## BrownsFan (Jul 11, 2011)

*Episode One*

For about a year now, I've been interested in trying my hand at building a cabinet. This summer (2011) while moving things around in the laundry room we discovered the particleboard floor cabinet in this room was beginning to crumble.

My answer…

Make another from particle board!!! Sorry LJs. Its my first cabinet. I'm not going to shed the bucks for a sheet of 3/4" 11-ply baltic birch on my first attempt. However, I did want to work with prefinished sheet goods for the first time. I decided to go with a 3/4" melamine skinned with Norwegian Maple.

I quickly built the carcass.









I was pretty happy with the tight jointery.









I have made faceframes before so I went right to the solid maple to build the actual faceframe with pocket screw joints. (Seen below)

Many weeks passed as I was shopping for the right cabinet-maker's router bit set for the doors. My generic bits finally arrived in the mail. I first made a prototype out of pine. I'm using most of the same dimensions as the cabinet I am replacing… however, when building the door, I forgot I widened the cabinet by 1 inch. See the skinny little door below. Oh well. That's what prototypes are for right?









Next I begin the actual door stiles and rails out of solid maple. Here I learned a little bit about snipe on my router table. One set of opposing joints are open









while the other pair of opposing joints are tight. 









My router table fence is one single piece for the in-feed and the out-feed. I was able to fix this on the second door by clamping a single lining of cardboard (cut from a Eggos box) to the fence on the out-feed side of the bit. This prevented the work piece from falling into the bit as the tail of the work piece left the in-feed fence.









Since this is for a laundry room, I might just wood fill the crack. On the brighter side, my measuring paid off in the long run as both doors meet perfectly in the middle with a 1/32" gap covering the wider faceframe.


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## Knotsobeardedww (Feb 27, 2011)

BrownsFan said:


> *Episode One*
> 
> For about a year now, I've been interested in trying my hand at building a cabinet. This summer (2011) while moving things around in the laundry room we discovered the particleboard floor cabinet in this room was beginning to crumble.
> 
> ...


Looking good, I have to do the same for a linnen closet when I get back from deployment


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## paulnwa (May 22, 2011)

BrownsFan said:


> *Episode One*
> 
> For about a year now, I've been interested in trying my hand at building a cabinet. This summer (2011) while moving things around in the laundry room we discovered the particleboard floor cabinet in this room was beginning to crumble.
> 
> ...


Looks like you are doing a good job. It should look great when finished.
I understand your logic about not wanting to buy expensive plywood, but I think I would have opted to go to one of the BORG stores (HD, Lowes, etc.) and purchased a small precut panel for the *bottom *of the cabinet, which is the most susceptible to water damage. Particle board doesn't like water! Or maybe it does-and therein lyeth the problem! Those precut panels are usually available in 2'x2', 2'x4', 4'x4', etc. They are more expensive per sq. ft. than a whole sheet of the same material, but for a one off use, it might make some sense.


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## BrownsFan (Jul 11, 2011)

BrownsFan said:


> *Episode One*
> 
> For about a year now, I've been interested in trying my hand at building a cabinet. This summer (2011) while moving things around in the laundry room we discovered the particleboard floor cabinet in this room was beginning to crumble.
> 
> ...


I hear ya Paul. If this were an upper, it'd be ply for sure. My next bottom cabinet will be ply as well, after I "prove" myself with this first one. Thanks for looking.


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## BrownsFan (Jul 11, 2011)

*Episode Two*

*1/1/12 - *OK. Today I finished the flat panels. I had to make a detour and build a panel cutting jig. Its worked ok for this project but I would like to build a slightly wider panel sled as a keeper.









*1/2/12 - *Assembled, glued-up and hinged up while waiting on dye to arrive from Rockler.



























*1/4/12 - *Only two days of Christmas Break left. Today I built the drawer for the cabinet. I was excited to use my new Portal Cable router! My plan was to make a test draw from pine and the final drawer from Aspen. However, my test drawer came out pretty OK and the pine doesn't appear half bad. Since this is a laundry room cabinet and not part of our kitchen, I plan on keeping and using the pine version.

The dovetail jig (Harbor Freight) was a little picky to set as usual. I am alway surprised just how close I need to bring the flare of the dovetail bit to the collar of the guide bushing to make this work. Fortunately its not a brass bushing so a little cut into the bushing shouldn't hurt anything other than my woodworking ego.


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## BrownsFan (Jul 11, 2011)

*I hate finishing.*

*2/2/12 - Groundhog Day*

I really don't like finishing. It seems every time I have a project glued up and ready for final finishing, I blow it with the stain and/or top coat.

*THIS TIME IS DIFFERENT*
(so far)

First I added 6 coats of Transtint dye. (Left door) I'm a first-time dye-er so I used regular water as my solvent. I suppose I could have made a stronger dye mix and saved on the number of coats. Live and learn.

The right door has one additional coat of Olympic antique cherry oil based gel stain.









Tonight I've been spraying lacquer coats. I'm using Watco rattle cans. Boy oh boy the garage STINKS tonight! I planned on building the lacquer up with gloss and the top coating with satin. However, so far I really like the sheen. I might just leave it gloss.









Next, I plan to rub it out with a light wet sand and finish with wax and steel wool. I've never done this step before either. How long do you wait until you buff? The can says it will dry rock hard over 7 days. Do you wait all 7 or buff it out before its completely set up?


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## Grandpa (Jan 28, 2011)

BrownsFan said:


> *I hate finishing.*
> 
> *2/2/12 - Groundhog Day*
> 
> ...


Looks good so far. you are doing an excellent job.


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## Jimi_C (Jul 17, 2009)

BrownsFan said:


> *I hate finishing.*
> 
> *2/2/12 - Groundhog Day*
> 
> ...


That looks great. Diluting the dye in denatured alcohol works great too and won't raise the grain on you. It also sprays very well (I use the cheapo Rockler HVLP). What color Transtint did you use?


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

BrownsFan said:


> *I hate finishing.*
> 
> *2/2/12 - Groundhog Day*
> 
> ...


I won't attempt any advice, but I will say you sure got a good looking finish. I prefer a satin gloss like you have there. I think too much gloss looks a little like plastic. That is just my personal preference and not a condemnation of those who prefer a higher gloss.


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## Radu (Jan 25, 2010)

BrownsFan said:


> *I hate finishing.*
> 
> *2/2/12 - Groundhog Day*
> 
> ...


I was interested in an answer to your question as well, as I want to try dye / lacquer. I'm not of much help, but I'd say better let it dry a week (or 7 days if you want) and then buff. Try it on a piece of scrap before you do it anyway. Those doors came up very nice. Good job.


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## BrownsFan (Jul 11, 2011)

BrownsFan said:


> *I hate finishing.*
> 
> *2/2/12 - Groundhog Day*
> 
> ...


Jimi, it is Dark Vintage Maple Transtint.

stefang, what you see in the photo IS Gloss. I planned on top coating with a satin, but I like the gloss as it currently is.


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## ShopTinker (Oct 27, 2010)

BrownsFan said:


> *I hate finishing.*
> 
> *2/2/12 - Groundhog Day*
> 
> ...


Those doors look great. I think you've figured out your finishing process.


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## BrownsFan (Jul 11, 2011)

*Complete*

Completed project seen here:

http://lumberjocks.com/projects/61973


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