Oak plywood pricing question

[JerrySats]

3/4" RO ply good 2 sides runs around $88 a sheet  and 1/2" of the same grade was around $80 from a Delaware plywood supplier and this is what they call plain slice .

[rwe2156]

I would also reconsider oak ply for cab boxes. I think maple might be a better choice. I'd also check on pre-finished plywood.

+1 on the melamine that's about all I use for kitchen cabs, but its has a stereotyped image as something a ww'er should never use.

FWIW, I've built quite a few shop cabs out of the Sandeply that HD carries. Prefinish before assembly. Nice light color. Worth a look.

[John Mihich]

I know a lot of people consider "quality" differences with big box and lumber yards.  I have been doing this for quite some time now.  Once you cut and finish the project you will not notice the difference.  I buy all my stuff from Menards now with the 11% sale.  I have never had a issue with a piece that I made.  

If I paint a piece I will use prefinished plywood - great for cabinets.  I sand the outside and paint with spray colored lacquer.  Works great.

[Duane N]

Thank you all for the advice.  I've learned a lot from all the replies because I assumed all cabinet grade plywood was the same.

I guess my biggest question is why most don't recommend using oak plywood for the boxes.  I can understand not needing it if the cabinet is all drawers because you won't really see the inside of the cabinet.  Is it a cost reason?  These cabinets won't be stained...I want them natural looking red oak and most will have just have one top drawer on the lower cabinets.

[fredhargis]

To me the interior needs to be light colored and easy to clean. That's what makes melamine a good material, though not my personal first choice. Oak is very hard to finish to be completely smooth, it's somewhat darker than maple or birch, and it typically costs a little bit more. My material of choice is now prefinished plywood since I have a place to buy it. It's maple, and saves you the headache of finishing it...plus the UV-cured finish is much, much, tougher/durable than anything we mere mortals can apply.

[rwe2156]

To me the interior needs to be light colored and easy to clean. That's what makes melamine a good material, though not my personal first choice. Oak is very hard to finish to be completely smooth, it's somewhat darker than maple or birch, and it typically costs a little bit more. My material of choice is now prefinished plywood since I have a place to buy it. It's maple, and saves you the headache of finishing it...plus the UV-cured finish is much, much, tougher/durable than anything we mere mortals can apply.

^^^

Melamine is my first choice.  If I use ply its prefinished maple.  I've even used melamine on built ins eliminates all the painting.   But the biggest selling point is the easily cleaned, bright interiors.

But like I said before, don't poo poo the Sandeply HD carries.  Its very light colored.  The only issue is chipping with you drill shelf pin holes. Can be minimized by prefinishing and drilling to through tape.

If you go with melamine use 5/8 for the uppers, 3/4 for the lowers.  You can also make nice looking drawer boxes out of melamine.  If going frameless edge band to match the doors.  If you want to go frameless get Danny Proulx's book.

:-)

[K. L. McReynolds]

Last I checked, 3/4" oak ply at HD was $50 a sheet or so. $80-$110 at the lumber yard.

[kurt18947]

Retail price for red oak 3/4", cabinet grade A1 is a little over $90/sheet at my hardwood supplier. (B2 is around $80.) I'm curious about the grade you mentioned. I'm hardly an expert, but the cabinet grade ply I've seen is graded with a letter and then a number, while the construction grade ply is grade with 2 letters as you cited. That aside, why not use a less expensive grade for the carcasses? If you have an exposed side, cover wit with a frame/panel. Personally, I'd rather not have an oak veneer in the interior of my cabinets anyway, mus prefer something with a smoother grain, at least the ones that will have doors. On a drawer cabinet it wouldn't matter (to me).

Yup. Flat sawn Oak veneer on one side, birch on the other works out pretty well. I got it from a plywood supplier, not a box store.