# Appleply / Baltic birch for inset slab cabinet doors



## jsvenson11 (Feb 8, 2018)

I'm curious if anyone has any thoughts on Appleply/Baltic birch for inset slab cabinet doors and drawer fronts. The material will be veneered with cherry or doug fir. This is for a kitchen remodel and cabinet project we're doing ourselves. . I am leaning toward Appleply/Baltic birch for the door and drawer front material because (1) it should be more stable than hardwood/softwood plywood (I.e. less likely to warp), (2) it has better screw holding and strength than MDF, which I like for a kitchen that will get a lot of use, and (3) it should be relatively flat and have a consistent thickness.

I am guessing most here would recommend MDF for the cost savings but I'm willing to shell out considering the time investment I'm putting in. Thanks for any thoughts.


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## pottz (Sep 15, 2015)

well i love it for making drawer boxes but i would never use it for the fronts,especially a kitchen,i think it would look cheap so for me id only make the fronts from hardwood.just my personal preference though.


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## therealSteveN (Oct 29, 2016)

Shop drawers and such all day long. Bring it inside the house, not so much, unless it's a painted panel with the end plies buried in a solid wood frame, usually painted. It just doesn't have a real sexy face look. Women hate it also, so if you decide to go for it, show it to a Woman or 5 first.


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## jsvenson11 (Feb 8, 2018)

I should have clarified better from the get-go. I spoke with my local States lumber supplier for ApplePly. They can produce it with any hardwood veneer instead of the typical B grade maple (or birch?) that's usually on ApplePly. So the visible surfaces of the doors and drawers would be bookmatched plain sawn cherry or Doug fir. I would then use solid wood edge banding to cover the ply edges. Thanks.


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## pottz (Sep 15, 2015)

what style of drawers would this be,just flat? if so sounds rather boring,as steven said get approval from swmbo first-lol.


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## ArtMann (Mar 1, 2016)

I did a job for a church a few years ago where I replaced about 20 cabinet doors that were made from MDF with doors I made from cabinet grade Birch (not Baltic Birch) plywood. Several of the original doors near sinks and food prep areas had gotten damp and the MDF swelled and the hinge screws of several other were pulling out. These were heavily used but this job convinced me never to use MDF in a kitchen for anything. I checked about a year ago and the replacement doors are holding up just fine.

In my situation, the doors were painted so the veneer species was not important.


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## jsvenson11 (Feb 8, 2018)

ArtMann, that's has been my experience with MDF as well. If you're careful, you can avoid the water swelling issue but I still haven't seen a good solution for the hinge screws. It's just not designed to last with heavy use for cabinetry.

As far as the appearance, we're going for something roughly similar to this. May incorporate a small inlay of some sort to make it a little more interesting. The ApplePly from States seems flat and smooth enough that I don't think we'll get any variations in the plywood telegraphing through the cherry or doug fir veneer.


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## pottz (Sep 15, 2015)

well after seeing this it's not too bad,if you can do a nice edge treatment and it save a lot of money why not.


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