# Wood for painted built ins



## cburdick1 (Jan 22, 2010)

Hello all,

I've been building freestanding furniture for 5 years or so now, but my built-in experience is minimal. All of the built ins I have done to date have been very craftsman in style, oak plywood used for shelves etc and quartersawn oak for the trim, all stained lightly and finished with a few coats of poly.

However, the built ins that we have planned for our house are all going to be painted white. It would be a crime against humanity to use my stock of quartersawn lumber, so I need to get some material that would work well for built ins that will be painted.

So, what material suggestions do y'all have for building built-in furniture?


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## 27207 (Jan 25, 2012)

Mdf would work great unless there's going to be a ton of water. Just keep in mind that it's very dusty to work with. A respirator of some sort is a must


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Not only would it be a waste to paint over oak the grain texture of the wood would show through the paint. What I use for paint grade is either mdf for a cheap line or birch plywood for better quality. Either will paint very well. The edges of both materials should be covered with solid wood or veneer tape. There is a paper tape also available for use with mdf. The edges of mdf will otherwise drink up primer like a sponge taking multiple coats.


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## cburdick1 (Jan 22, 2010)

I'm thinkig that Ill go with birch ply and birch hardwood for trim pieces. Does that make sense?


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

cburdick1 said:


> I'm thinkig that Ill go with birch ply and birch hardwood for trim pieces. Does that make sense?


 That's what I do. I will build a cabinet with solid wood on the front and the rest out of plywood. Then the shelving I cover the edge with a molded trim. The only other thing I might add is try not to use Chinese made plywood. I stopped using it in 2009 because it kept delaminating on me.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

cburdick1 said:


> I'm thinkig that Ill go with birch ply and birch hardwood for trim pieces. Does that make sense?


If you can get Poplar plywood, that paints up nice, and use Poplar lumber for where you need it. Likely less expensive than Birch. Other than Birch plywood, Maple paints up well also. I'd rather use plywood. It's lighter, holds screws better and machines better than composites.








 







.


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## Roundup85 (Mar 18, 2012)

cburdick1 said:


> Hello all,
> 
> I've been building freestanding furniture for 5 years or so now, but my built-in experience is minimal. All of the built ins I have done to date have been very craftsman in style, oak plywood used for shelves etc and quartersawn oak for the trim, all stained lightly and finished with a few coats of poly.
> 
> ...


I used birch plywood for my project. Looks like a built in but is free standing. Painted with 2 coats of oil based interior trim paint. Very durable.


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