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Had to choose between prefinished ply and site finishing for a kitchen job
I was working on a kitchen remodel in a house near me and got stuck deciding between using prefinished plywood for the cabinets or buying raw ply and spraying everything myself. The prefinished stuff was gonna save me like 3 days of labor since I wouldn't have to sand and seal each piece. But the color selection was super limited and the cost was about $150 more for the whole project. I ended up going with the raw ply and did a conversion varnish spray finish. Took forever but the color matched the homeowner's trim exactly. The downside was dealing with dust nibs in my garage shop for a week straight. Has anyone else had better luck with prefinished panels holding up in a humid kitchen over time?
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ruby_grant1mo ago
Stick with raw ply for kitchens every time. The color matching is worth the extra work.
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Yeah but the thing nobody talks about with prefinished ply is how much of a pain it is when you inevitably have to scribe for an uneven wall. Ive done both and that little factory edge on prefinished stuff just chips like crazy when you run a router along it for a tight fit. Raw ply you can just hit any damaged spot with a quick sand and another coat before assembly. Plus I swear prefinished cabinets trap weird smells way longer than a proper sprayed conversion varnish does. Did one kitchen two years ago with prefinished and the homeowner complained about a chemical smell for months even though the manufacturer said it was outgassed.
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