# Finish or not to finish the inside of drawers?



## desimas (Feb 1, 2011)

Hi all,

I am getting ready to make a bedroom set and I was wondering if I should finish the insides of the drawers and/or the outside of them? The front faces will be finished but should I do the rest?

Thanks
Pete


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## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

Pete, this discussion has come up several times and the consensus seems to be about a 50:50 mix on finishing drawers. I am with the group that finish all surfaces but a number of others do not apply finish to the insides/sides of the drawers. So I guess that this is largely a personal decision in that there are no absolute right or wrongs here.

Here is one forum discussion on the topic.


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## hObOmOnk (Feb 6, 2007)

Repeated from other discussions:

"I have a house full of real antique furniture and none of my pieces have fully finished drawers.
I've done furniture restoration and repair for more than 40 years and it's the same story.
Occasionally I'll see a piece that has minimal finish on the inside of drawers, such as a little stain and shellac.

I generally use a little shellac to seal the unseen parts of any drawers that I make.
If I color the wood, I use a water-based dye not an oil-based stain.

Avoid multiple coats of finish, especially oil-based products.
It could make the drawers stick and the smell will linger for a long time."


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## ChrisForthofer (Jan 1, 2010)

I would just do a coat of shelac, one pound cut. Just something to seal the wood. I poly'd drawers in one of my first pieces and regret it, dust nibs and all sorts of hard to reach corners. Gives me nightmares just thinking about it. (kidding)

Chris


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## mechanicalengineer (Sep 27, 2010)

I have been around a long time and all the factory produced furniture I have seen is never finished inside the drawers.


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## Mgiannetto (Jan 13, 2011)

I always finish the inside of my drawers with two quick coats of dewaxed shellac and a quick coat of clear wax. I hate finishing as much as the next person but my thought is if you are going to spend all this time building your piece, finish it to the best of your ability. It really doesnt take much time and the end result is much nicer to the touch!

good luck


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## meestajack (Feb 1, 2011)

I've noticed that poly finish on one side of a piece of wood can cause cupping as moisture migrates more slowly through the finish than the 'open' wood grain, so that may be a consideration depending on your design.


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## Broglea (Dec 9, 2009)

The few dressers I've made did get finish on the drawers. Simply becasue I thought it was a waste of my time and material. Who looks inside drawers to see if they are finished or not anyways?


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## TheDane (May 15, 2008)

I asked this question last night of the instructor in a woodworking class I am taking at the local tech school. This guy has been in the cabinet and furniture making business for 30+ years.

His advice: Shoot the unstained draw boxes, dust frames, etc. with a coat of lacquer. He then waxes the wooden drawer slides so they slide easier.

-Gerry


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## SnowyRiver (Nov 14, 2008)

One thing worth considering, is the use of the drawers. If you plan to put things in them that can cause marks, stains, or spills, then it might help to seal the inside. I think many high production cabinet shops dont finish the inside simply because of time and cost. I have drawers in cabinets in my kitchen and bedroom that the kids put crayons and ink pens etc in and I wish they would have been sealed because its nearly impossible to get the stains and marks out. I also find its easier to dust and clean the insides of the drawers if they are sealed.

In my own shop, I tend to stain the inside of the drawers as well to match the outside, but thats just me


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## canadianchips (Mar 12, 2010)

If you can find a non smelling poly, maybe ?
I look at it this way, a Home handyman or carpenter will finish the inside of drawers , a real cabinet maker won't !


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## Alongiron (Jan 10, 2011)

I guess I would have to say finish them because I always use pre-finished plywood for my drawers as I do for the inside of my cabinets


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## sgtsprout (Oct 25, 2010)

I am also getting ready to start a 2 twin bed room set and I will not finish the drawer innards. I just don't see the point. I am not an experienced woodworker though so take that with a grain of salt.


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## SnowyRiver (Nov 14, 2008)

My great grandfather was a German cabinetmaker from the late 1800s. I have a number of his pieces in my home…they look like Ethan Allen furniture and the drawers are all finished on the inside. My grandfather was a Danish cabinetmaker and I have one of his pieces, and its stained on the inside, but no shellac, so some cabinetmakers from way back did finish them.


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## ND2ELK (Jan 25, 2008)

I finish my drawers the same way I finish the cabinet. Two coats of poly and apply two coats of paste wax with #0000 steel wool.


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## Sawkerf (Dec 31, 2009)

If I'm restoring or rehabing, I go with whatever is already there (i.e. finished or unfinished). For new work, I use prefinished baltic birch ply. It saves me a ton of time since the drawers are ready to go as soon as I make them. On a kitchen last year, the drawers sat in the customers house for two weeks while the finish guy did his thing.


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## DraftsmanRick (Jan 8, 2010)

PETE!!!!!!!!!
Listen, it depends on what you mean by "finish" but if you mean stain/poly that kind of thing…NO DONT TO IT! Your drawers will smell for YEARS. Now, if you want to "finish" your drawers in such a way as to just keep the thermal expansion and contraction its simple. USE SHELLAC! It dries very quickly, slows down the thermal movement and it flashs off "meaning no smell" in a couple of hrs which also means you can apply several coats in a single day. And its easy to apply, rag, foam brush, whatever. You can also use it to help stop bloching with cherry and other blotch prone woods. Oh, almost forgot, get the "dewaxed" shellac. You can get it at lowes/home depot.


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## canadianchips (Mar 12, 2010)

I think the unfinished drawer probably started back before any drawer hardware was available. Wood slid on wood. We were taught in our cabinet school not to finish because paint or stain would not slide well, all they wanted us to do was coat the part of drawer that touches other wood with candle wax. TODAYS world of melamines and drawer hardware is doesn't matter if the drawer is finished. An example would be melamine kithen cabinets , it would only make sense to have the drawers finished. On your dresser drawer it depends on what lumber you are using for the drawers. *Really the choice is yours.*
(I didn't mean to offend anyone by the real cabinet maker comment I previously made. I apologize if I did)


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## Bertha (Jan 10, 2011)

Count me as a 50:50 dewaxed shellac:denatured EtOH guy. Beeswax on sliding surfaces.


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## nate22 (Jul 12, 2010)

Pete it is up to you if you would want the insides done. Like I do drawers for underneath beds and I only do the outsides of them. But it is up to you want you want to do with them.


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## CampD (Nov 8, 2008)

Kitchen and Bath Cabinet drawers, Yes, the location their in warrants it.
Furniture IE: chest of drawers, no! 
I also like to stain them to match the exterior wood, JMO.


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## desimas (Feb 1, 2011)

Thank all for the information to think over. I still have a about 6 weeks before I start my project and I will continue to research it.


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## WoodSpanker (Feb 10, 2009)

Well sir… my $0.02 worth would be this: Ask the owner of the piece. When you make YOURS, do it however you want. If it is for the wife, or for you both to share, ask HER what SHE would like. Everyone is happy, and it keeps marital bliss. If she doesn't like it later, then make her new drawers! hahahaha.


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## dbray45 (Oct 19, 2010)

I use bees wax or carnuba wax on the outsides of the drawers and moving edges - if there is no drawer hardware - wood on wood moving surfaces. Insides have no finish as a rule.


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## Viddy (Jun 7, 2014)

any advice on how to get into the corners of drawers with stain, or a better question is how to get the extra stain off the wood after application?
Thanks,
Viddy


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## wseand (Jan 27, 2010)

I put in a spray bottle, lightly spray it, and then use a dry sponge brush to wipe it around. Then just use a cloth to get it cleaned up the rest of the way. Also, stain it with the bottom out and it will be a lot easier.


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