Cabinet Boxes: Particle Board vs. Plywood
pugrolls
13 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (19)
dyno
13 years agoRelated Discussions
Particle Board versus Plywood boxes - does it really matter?
Comments (4)My husband does lawn maintenance on several lots and properties for a high end home builder. I met with the local cabinet company that supplies this home builder with all it's cabinetry work and the salesman shared with me a lot of the ways the home builder saves money and still provides a "high end" kitchen. The most important thing was that the builder uses particle board instead of plywood on everything but the end cabinets. He does full extension drawers on some, but not all cabinets. He doesn't even use the soft close hinges or drawer slides. I have seen several of the model homes from this builder and they are stunning, especially the kitchens. If the cabinet company offers a warranty on it, then all the better. I really don't think it's something you'll spend a lot of time thinking about once they're installed. Therefore, I would think you'd be fine with the particle board, except maybe doing the ends, sink cabinet, or the heavy drawers in plywood, as previously mentioned. HTH!...See MorePlywood or particle board boxes on your kitchen cabs?
Comments (36)>>Not sure how you can have adjustable shelves in particle board- (is that a possibility?) Not only do I have 19 yr old particleboard kitchen cabs in perfect shape (Kraftmaid frameless Euro6 line), I've owned painted particleboard bookcases for over 30 years, lugging them around from place to place. And yes, the KM cabs are completely adjustable with pins, no problem. There IS a difference in quality to look for. 3/4" is not as good as 1" (you can see some of the thinner particleboard cubes below show some bowing, although at 19 yrs in the same configuration they have yet to fall apart). And high-density is a lot better than low-density. Here's a photo of a mix of 3/4" and 1" bookcases and cubes. Notice the 2-shelf unit on the bottom LH, of 1" board? One of the oldest ones I have, it has been loaded with those extraordinarily heavy art and coffeetable books for thirty years. If you stacked up all the books that are on one shelf there, it's 30" high and I'll bet no person here would be able to lift them all at once. BTW, ignore the tilt in some of the vertical stacked cubes - we used L-brackets to bolt each individual piece to the wall for earthquake proofing, so it tilted some of the cubes forward as we worked upwards. Also, these are only half of the bookcases; we have 8 full-height teak-veneered particleboard bookcases in other rooms, also heavily loaded, and all over 20 yrs old. I can assure you, having moved these books and bookcases around several intracity relocations, each one of those bookshelves is holding much more weight than is being held on my fully-loaded, 75-lb capacity rollout KM pantry shelves in the kitchen. Lousy quality particleboard will bend under the weight of a few folded sweaters - I can attest to that, I've owned some of it (and had to throw it out). OTOH, lousy quality plywood is just as bad. We also own the "solid wood" Home Depot Masterbath bathroom cabs - what crappy plywood it is! 1/2" ply so flimsy, I was surprised it managed to support the weight of the double sink countertop without crashing to the floor. You'd better believe I'd never stand on the Masterbath cabs - but I have stood on the KM cabs without any problems, and at 230 lbs. I'm not exactly lightweight. The point made about the quality of interior veneers is an excellent one, and far too often overlooked. The interior veneer used by KM in 1989 is far superior to what they use now. I put dishes away wet and even had a six-month slow leak in our sink cab that did no damage outside of a quarter-sized bubble raised in the veneer, no substrate damage. There is an additional cost to using particleboard that should be noted - you should never go over 30" wide without a - I don't know the right woodworking term - front vertical support slat? - to help prevent the shelves from bowing. Plywood can go 36-48" in width, depending upon board thickness and weight capacity desired. Therefore, you should use more, slightly narrow cabs in particleboard, than you can use in plywood. That is the ONLY advantage of plywood, IMHO, coming from someone who has put frameless particleboard boxes through a lot more heavy use than most people ever manage. Being able to use fewer, larger cabs can sometimes save enough $$ to be worth the upgrade cost, for those who prefer plywood anyway. Plywood cabs are lighter and easier to DIY. Installers hate particleboard because it takes 2-3 people to do the install and it's a lot more heavy work. But either material IF of good quality, will be able to last so long you'll get tired of it before you'll see it disintegrate....See Morecabinet construction - plywood box v. particle board
Comments (9)I see this thread goes back to 2009. Maybe things have changed a bit? The references to 'particle board' are interesting. The cabinet shop stated that MDF is not particle board. They are two different materials. That particle board is the cheap or poor product. She said it's high density fiberboard today and very strong. Not something to be concerned about in terms of durability. The off-gassing didn't come up but that's an important point. Certainly plywood also offgases but maybe not as much? I think the water damage issue is another important consideration. For painted cabinets, she says they do MDF so the finish holds up to humidity changes. I don't understand why she talks about it being high density but we were saying "MDF" not "HDF". I don't know if this painting method is used just for the doors or if getting painted means the whole cabinet basically must be fiberboard. (I believe the frame and some other parts are always solid wood). She did say plywood upgrades are available. On all wood, warpage is a serious consideration so I'm not sure why that's considered so much better....See MoreShelves for kitchen. Plywood or particle board?
Comments (5)Jesse Here is a site to check sag based on thickness and length. http://www.woodbin.com/calcs/sagulator/ Scroll towards the end for wood species, it has plywood and several options for particle board, not sure what the different numbers are, but I would check them all. I assume you will be adding shelf support brackets on the longer runs, otherwise, you would have to have very thick material to resist sag. In terms of dark mahogany stain, I would go with the cheapest wood species you can find, other that oak - oak has very porous grain...See Morecribbs
13 years agomonkeymo
13 years agostjamesb
13 years agoUser
13 years agopaintergirl94
13 years agocaryscott
13 years agolive_wire_oak
13 years agocribbs
13 years agoUser
13 years agojterrilynn
13 years agokatsmah
13 years agoearthpal
13 years agopharaoh
13 years agojterrilynn
13 years agojterrilynn
13 years agogranite-girl
13 years agoCity Cabinet Center
12 years ago
Related Stories
KITCHEN DESIGNBirch Plywood Keeps Things Light in a Cotswolds Kitchen
A country kitchen is packed with clever design details — including an island on wheels — that give it a modern yet natural look
Full StoryWOODDesign Workshop: Plywood as Finish
Trendproof your interior with this sensible guide to using this utilitarian material indoors
Full StoryWOODThe Power of Plywood All Around the House
Of course you've heard of it, but you might not know all the uses and benefits of this workhorse building material
Full StoryWOODTry DIY Plywood Flooring for High Gloss, Low Cost
Yup, you heard right. Laid down and shined up, plywood can run with the big flooring boys at an affordable price
Full StoryCONTEMPORARY HOMESHouzz Tour: Plywood Pod Adds a New Dimension to Living Spaces
Designers redo the back of a house for a better indoor-outdoor connection and install a clever structure for storage, function and flow
Full StoryGARAGES8 Clutter-Busting Garage Storage Solutions
Never trip over tools or bumble through boxes again. These organizers, cabinets, shelves and boards will keep your garage neat and clear
Full StoryKITCHEN CABINETSChoosing New Cabinets? Here’s What to Know Before You Shop
Get the scoop on kitchen and bathroom cabinet materials and construction methods to understand your options
Full StoryKITCHEN CABINETSCabinets 101: How to Choose Construction, Materials and Style
Do you want custom, semicustom or stock cabinets? Frameless or framed construction? We review the options
Full StoryKITCHEN CABINETS9 Ways to Save Money on Kitchen Cabinets
Hold on to more dough without sacrificing style with these cost-saving tips
Full StoryMOST POPULARHow to Reface Your Old Kitchen Cabinets
Find out what’s involved in updating your cabinets by refinishing or replacing doors and drawers
Full StoryMore Discussions
michellemarie