Solid vs. veneer panel

16 years ago

All the information I read on buying a quality cabinet says buy one with solid panel door vs. a veneer. Makes sense to me...A stronger door. However, is it ever ok (or preferred) to get a veneer panel? For instance, what if you are getting a painted finish...Will a veneer have less expansion/contraction due to changes in the weather which may keep your paint from cracking?

I read that veneers mellow (change color with age) differently than solid wood, so you shouldn't do a veneer panel with cherry cabinets. However, would this not be an issue with maple cabinets since they don't really mellow like cherry does?

Any advice is appreciated...Trying to buy a quality cabinet within a reasonable budget.

I tend to like the look of cabinet doors with a veneer panel vs a solid raised panel bc it is slightly less traditional looking. However, my DH does not like the cheap feel and sound of cabinets with veneer panels. I know there are reversed raised panels that are raised inside/flat outside, but they don't seem to be offered in our entry-to-mid level price range (We are currently considering Merilatt and Kraftmaid). Thanks!

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Comments (5)

shanny75
16 years ago
Wow...those were my thoughts exactly....weird!
I hate the tinny sound of thin recessed panel doors, but love the look. Would love to hear everyone's opinion.

shannon
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igloochic
16 years ago
I went with reversed raised panels. I wanted solid wood. Call me a wood snob, but I want all the wood to look the same 10 years down the road (and all wood changes in color when exposed to light...cherry is just a bit more aggressive). I liked the reverse raised for the weight as well. If I couldn't get those..I'd do solid before I'd go to veneer. I always like the idea that if I scratch or dent...a little stain will cover it up...or paint, but if you've dug into the fake stuff (MDF whatever) it's just not going to look like wood again.
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I have had a shadetree carpenter do veneers that were not as well bonded as a professional shop's veneers, but in the case of a high caliber carpentry shop veneers are, and always have been in the case of wonderful antiques, just as good as solid. Solids are species and size dependent as far as stability, so ask his/her recommendation and compare said recommendations with those from comparable shops. I don't know that the price differential shouldl be substantial as veneers are often more work.
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Make sure you get some quotes from local cabinet makers too. When we did our kitchen 2 years ago, I got quotes from Home Depot, Lowes etc. for the various lines including Kraftmaid. I found a local cabinet maker and got full custom cabinets with glass doors, plywood construction etc. for much less than anything close from the big box stores. I'm not talking about fancy kitchen designers / showrooms. The guy I designed my layout with was the guy making the cabinets. His partner who also makes the cabinets was the guy installing them. Just 10 or so guys doing solid woodworking. You'll likely discover as I did that most/all the local 'custom' cabinet makers actually order their doors and drawers from a central shop. In my case (Toronto) it is Cutrite Woodworking. They take custom orders, have a wide variety of materials and molding profiles etc. The cabinet makers get their doors from them unfinished. Anyhow - don't assume custom cabinets are more expensive. You'll get better quality IMHO and better service for likely less money. The fact you can't really ask the teenager at Lowes who is selling you cabinets much is a sign you shouldn't be bothering with them. All that aside, a solid wood panel (must be a raised panel inverted, so prepare for the interior appearance of your doors to be different - a solid wood panel needs to be thick) will expand and contract much more than a veneer which would be applied to a thin plywood panel. Depending on how dark your stain is, you will likely see 'tan lines' when the panel and frame expand and contract through the seasons. They are not glued together - panels in doors are loose, specifically to allow for this natural expansion and contraction to take place.
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Is it a flat door panel? There are some who say that a veneer is better for a flat door panel as it is less likely to warp or crack with weather/humidity changes. Others disagree...Kompy, for one! Here's a thread where Kompy discusses his thoughts on flat vs using reversed raised panel to give you the flat look. http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg1013104931753.html FWIW, we have cherry cabinets w/a wood veneer center panel and there is no difference in the aging of the wood b/w the center panel & the wood "frame". They've been installed for a year now and get a lot of natural light. Cherry noticeably changes color for the first 2 years or so, the most changes are early on. So, if there was going to be a difference w/color changes I would think we would have seen it by now. Picture from a couple of weeks ago... The description of my door: 3" mitered moulded frame with 1/4" furniture veneer center panel. (Omega/Dynasty)
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Kerrys.... The way it has been explained to me by my CabGuy....depending on the style door, and depending on the over all height, and depending on the wood, solid wood doors (especially slab style) can possibly bow/warp slightly over time. Plywood will not warp. One can get plywood that is made completely of a single species of wood. And if you get the better quality veneered plywood, you should be able to refinish them a couple of times as the veneer will be thick enough to handle it. CabGuy assures me that I will not have issues of delamination, etc. with the plywood he will use. Now that I have selected my wood species (as of today), my GC/CabGuy is going to make sample doors for me - one out of veneered plywood and one of solid wood, stained and finished for me to decide which way I want to proceed. I'm not sure my input will help you much in your decision making. : / Pepper
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pharaoh
16 years ago
Solid red birch, reversed raised panel. I am with igloo. I like solid wood, finished but not stained. painting wood is a crime in my book :) (unless it is a cheap wood that you dont want to see anyway).
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oruboris
16 years ago
Veneered wood is still wood, just in a thinner layer. It will age the same as thicker wood, and it works well for the center panel of shaker style doors, where all the edges are protected. The greater dimensional stablity makes a ply panel less prone to cracking than a solid panel would be in this context.

I'd advise against veneered rails and stiles, though, painted or not: anytime the edges of a veneered panel is subjected to wear and tear, it can end up peeling off.
ci_lantro
16 years ago
I have an over 20 year old set of bookcases that are a combination of veneered ply and solid oak. Lightly stained & oil finished. There isn't really any difference between the colors of the ply & solid wood. The only color difference was discovered when I unloaded & moved them this week...where portions of the bookcases had been exposed to light vs those covered with books.

And, a veneered ply panel in a solid wood frame is just as strong, and probably stronger than a solid wood panel. Details of the construction are why. The solid wood panel must float in the frame. It can not be glued; elsewise, seasonal variations would cause the panel to split. Conversely, a plywood panel is glued into the frame which makes for a much more rigid assembly and helps to conteract the tendency of the solid members from twisting, warping...

And, one reason to choose a veneer ply center panel in factory (low-mid range) cabinetry is to avoid (some of) the tiger stripe effect of blind people doing the grain 'matching' & glue-ups of solid center panels. With a sheet good product like ply, you're more likely to get a more consistent looking product which is esp. important with light stained, &/or no stain clear finishes.

Adding that I'm a wood snob, too. I Hate particle board, and, to a lesser extent, MDF. MDF does have some virtues. Particle board has None, other than to say it does burn really hot when chucked into the wood stove...which is something that is not adviseable because of all the crap that gasses out of it.

Solid vs. veneer panel

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shanny75

igloochic

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