Drawer Front Dilemma-will large drawer fronts warp?

14 years ago

We are well underway with our kitchen reno, and today the cabinet (custom) maker dropped a mini bombshell.

We will have solid birch shaker style cabinet doors with slab drawer fronts. Today, cab guy said that the solid slab drawer fronts for the drawers deeper than 7 inches would need to be framed like the cabinet doors (shaker style) for reinforcement, or they will warp. ????

KD and GC (whom the cabinet maker is paid by) says no way, this is not right, and that the slab for all the drawers will be fine and should not warp. The head cabinet guy told the worker who said they would warp to "do it how they want", but I certainly don't want a problem in the future.

We live in south Texas and it is HOT here. I don't know if this has anything do with anything, but I can't get a straight answer why the cabinet guy thinks they would warp. Who is right here?

Oh yeah, my biggest drawer is under the cooktop, and is about 30" wide by 10" or 12" deep (sorry, not sure of the exact measurement).

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Comments (7)

sue36
14 years ago
Mine haven't warped in 3 years. I'm in Maine, it doesn't get real hot here (and when it does we turn the AC on), but we do get a wide range of humidity levels. The largest slab drawer I have is a cabinet that is 36" wide, so the actual drawer is probably 32" and it pot drawer height.
palimpsest
14 years ago
THe reason doors may warp is that they are attached by finite points (the hinges).

A drawer front is attached to a box. It should not warp.
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meaves
Original Author
14 years ago
Would it make a difference if the boxes are nailed, not dove-tailed? Because they are not dove-tailed.

My gut tells me it should be fine--I never would have thought "no, we shouldn't do that, it will warp". But what do I know, I'm not a cabinet expert.

But, this guy is starting to freak me out. this morning, he said again "these are going to warp". He also told me a spliced drawer front would solve the problem.

I really hate that he is making me question this, because after all, I am not the expert, and frankly, neither is the KD (or GC for that matter). I just can't figure out why the cabinet guy is saying this and everyone else (including me) thinks it will be fine. Thanks for letting me vent!
palimpsest
14 years ago
Actually, I have only done large slab fronts where they have been veneer ply and painted or spliced boards rather than a solid board so he may have a point.
Fori
14 years ago
Would the spliced be awful? All slabs I've seen are either veneered or spliced (if that means what I think it means). You're not exactly in the kindest of climates!
meaves
Original Author
14 years ago
Spliced it is. Since the cabinets are being painted, I am assured the lines won't show. Now I can breath a little easier unitl the next dilemma! Thanks for the help!
pharaoh
14 years ago
I made by drawer slab fronts from solid 3/4" red birch. The design aesthetic was a vertical wood grain running from the top drawer to the bottom drawer. This required gluing together several boards of hardwood.

No warping after 3 years. They are secured to the drawers with a few screws.

Drawer Front Dilemma-will large drawer fronts warp?

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sue36

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Drawer Front Dilemma-will large drawer fronts warp?

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sue36

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