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box store 'cabinet' plywood? - DogwoodTales - 05-01-2025
Have you ever used the box store hardwood cabinet plywoods for kitchen cabinet boxes? How did that turn out?
I remodeled my kitchen in my previous house back in 2018 using better grade hardwood cabinet plywood from places like Hyde Park Lumber and Paxton Lumber (both around Cincinnati, OH).
Back then the cost per sheet (49x97) was a god $80 or so. Now that same stuff runs from about $115-200 per sheet depending on what you want.
Now in my current house of three years I'm getting ready build a new kitchen again.
My income hasn't gone up 25-100% in the past 7 years, so those box store prices look appealing, but I think I'm just gunna bite it and pay the extra for what I know has (better have) the best quality.
Your thoughts?
RE: box store 'cabinet' plywood? - jteneyck - 05-01-2025
I don't think I'd use BORG hardwood plywood. The face veneer is so thin on that stuff these days that you often can see through it in some spots. I think I would bite the bullet and by prefinished maple plywood. The finish is incredibly durable and saves a ton of time, and some of the added cost is reduced by not having to buy finish. At $100/gal for some finishes it can be a pretty substantial savings. Gluing is the only downside, so you have to adapt your methods a little.
If you have a local cabinet shop, see if you can buy through them. They usually can get the best stuff at the best price. ]And you may actually be helping them to get to a higher volume level where they get a price break. Worth a call or visit.
John
RE: box store 'cabinet' plywood? - joe1086 - 05-01-2025
I had a smaller cabinet project and surprisingly I got some prefinished 3/4" maple ply from Home Depot. Admittedly it was pricy for a 2' x 8' panel, and I was skeptical on what kind of shape it would arrive in via special order. Anyway, these are made by Columbia Forest, arrived at the store in cardboard liners in perfect condition. At $90 each, not sure how much of a premium I paid, but it was super convenient.
RE: box store 'cabinet' plywood? - DogwoodTales - 05-01-2025
(05-01-2025, 12:30 PM)jteneyck Wrote: I don't think I'd use BORG hardwood plywood. The face veneer is so thin on that stuff these days that you often can see through it in some spots. I think I would bite the bullet and by prefinished maple plywood. The finish is incredibly durable and saves a ton of time, and some of the added cost is reduced by not having to buy finish. At $100/gal for some finishes it can be a pretty substantial savings. Gluing is the only downside, so you have to adapt your methods a little.
If you have a local cabinet shop, see if you can buy through them. They usually can get the best stuff at the best price. ]And you may actually be helping them to get to a higher volume level where they get a price break. Worth a call or visit.
John
Yeah, my inclination for sure is to buy the better quality. I'm just more wondering about the experience of using these borg plywoods for kitchen cabinets given the price difference.
I think insofar as prefinished goes I would expect that the savings is in the labor for contracted work and not so much the cost of the finish on the cabinet. I may look into that though in consideration of my own time.
I'm not being paid to make my own kitchen, but time saved may be worth the extra cost.
I may check around with some cabinet shops, but I also can get 10% off being a Cincinnati Woodworking Club member or using my Vet status. I don't know how that compares to the pricing at a cabinet shop, but a dozen sheets or so for my little kitchen probably wouldn't improve the volume discount for a cabinet shop.
RE: box store 'cabinet' plywood? - tomsteve - 05-01-2025
about 6 years ago I built a corner computer desk for my son using the birch ply from BORG. the veneer was extremely thin. very sharp tooling is required to help keep chipping to a minimum. there were voids in the plies,too.
RE: box store 'cabinet' plywood? - Roly - 05-01-2025
At a regular hardwood supplier you can get the almost bullet proof UV finish on one or both sides and the plywood is full thickness. The hardwood dealer also knows how to store the plywood so it is not bent up or damaged. It also comes 1/2" oversize to clean up the edges if damaged. By all means check the cost vs big box store. Well worth it for kitchen cabinets. Roly
RE: box store 'cabinet' plywood? - fredhargis - 05-02-2025
My suggestion is to stick with the good stuff, and here's what might save you some money (with a little driving). Go to Frank Miller lumber in Union City IN (right on the Ohio border) and set your self up as as a business. this, in the past, has been little more than entering your info there....no requirements. They carry a full line of Columbia Forest products cabinet plywood, in most of the veneers you would want and probably a few you hadn't considered (like rift sawn and quarter sawn). Their prices with the business stuff might save you some money. They also deliver to the Cincy area (I think, they come all the way up to Wapakoneta) and if you don't want to do the business thing, join the Western Ohio Woodworkers for a wopping $30, they get the business price on hardwoods, and maybe on plywood as well (not sure about the ply). The delivery might cost, I've never used it. But their plywood, including the prefinished (available in one side or two) is top notch and much better then the BORG.
RE: box store 'cabinet' plywood? - DogwoodTales - 05-02-2025
(05-02-2025, 06:16 AM)fredhargis Wrote: My suggestion is to stick with the good stuff, and here's what might save you some money (with a little driving). Go to Frank Miller lumber in Union City IN (right on the Ohio border) and set your self up as as a business. this, in the past, has been little more than entering your info there....no requirements. They carry a full line of Columbia Forest products cabinet plywood, in most of the veneers you would want and probably a few you hadn't considered (like rift sawn and quarter sawn). Their prices with the business stuff might save you some money. They also deliver to the Cincy area (I think, they come all the way up to Wapakoneta) and if you don't want to do the business thing, join the Western Ohio Woodworkers for a wopping $30, they get the business price on hardwoods, and maybe on plywood as well (not sure about the ply). The delivery might cost, I've never used it. But their plywood, including the prefinished (available in one side or two) is top notch and much better then the BORG.
I forgot about them. I'm a member of the Cincinnati Woodworking Club and I think I get 10% off there from my membership. I don't know how that compares to contractor pricing, but I do have an LLC with FEID that I can use.
Paxton and Hyde Park are closer and I have to drive into Cincinnati twice a week anyway to work at the office, so I'm already out that way twice a week. So the overall savings between the driving distance at 12MPG in my old truck might not be worth the extra drive, but we'll see. I'll check it out. thanks!
RE: box store 'cabinet' plywood? - ajkoontz - 05-02-2025
Menards sells UV finished 3/4" ply that is great for making the boxes. It's usually an in-stock item, i.e. not special order, at least around me. I've gotten better UV and other ply from a proper WW supply place, but for the price the Menards stuff is tough to beat. I don't know if that helps you if you're not painting your cabinets, but it saved me a ton of time not having to finish the insides of my cabinets.
RE: box store 'cabinet' plywood? - DogwoodTales - 05-02-2025
(05-02-2025, 10:42 AM)ajkoontz Wrote: Menards sells UV finished 3/4" ply that is great for making the boxes. It's usually an in-stock item, i.e. not special order, at least around me. I've gotten better UV and other ply from a proper WW supply place, but for the price the Menards stuff is tough to beat. I don't know if that helps you if you're not painting your cabinets, but it saved me a ton of time not having to finish the insides of my cabinets.
I was going to check out the Menards near me. I think you are referring to this plywood. Is that it?
Looks like this plywood is the same thing, but without the UV finish and $14 less. So $14 for my time applying a finish - I'd say that's worth the little extra.
So you didn't have any issues with voids and flatness and such with this birch ply?
I don't want issues when it comes time to installing drawers and pull out shelving.
thanks!