From a simple bevel to a an ornate French provincial profile, you can find a set to suit just about any style of cabinet door. The drawings below show a sampling of the profiles commonly available. The slot cutter and bearing are attached to the arbor with a nut. On both bits, the profile cutter is integral to the shank. As you can see in the photos, each bit mirrors the other and the two fit together precisely. But unless you're running a production cabinet shop, you can probably get a lifetime of service from these bits. These sets can be a bit pricey, usually running anywhere from $80 to $100 for a set. Since the bits are precisely machined to match, you're almost guaranteed a perfect fit. A matching rail bit cuts a coped profile and a stub tenon on the ends of the rails. A stile bit cuts the profile and the groove for the panel in the edge of each of the frame pieces. Fortunately, you can accomplish the same result by using a set of matched router bits.Ī set of rail and stile cutters (often referred to as "cope and stick" bits) can take care of the joinery and the decorative profile in one operation. But creating it at the router table and then cutting the joinery separately adds several steps to the building process. The only downside is the straight profile of the frame can be a bit, well, boring.Īdding a routed profile to the inside edge of the frame gives a more professional, finished look. And simple stub tenon and groove joinery provides plenty of strength for this application. A hardwood frame surrounding a hardwood or plywood panel provides a lightweight and stable door. So before building the doors you'll need to consider the design and joinery options.įrame and panel construction is a common solution. But they also need to be strong enough to handle years of use. Let us know your material choice for painted cabinets and cabinet doors and why you like that option best.It's no secret that a well-built cabinet needs doors that complement the overall style of the project. See the Janka hardness rating scale below for a comparison of popular wood species hardness.įor a complete description and photo examples of poplar, soft maple and hard maple, see our wood material description pages. Poplar is considered a hard wood although it is not quite as hard as soft maple or hard maple. Poplar is not as stable as maple and customers typically choose it for it’s lower price point. Paint grade poplar is typically the least expensive paint-grade material option, with soft maple being the mid price point and hard maple being the highest. Soft maple is harder than alder, African mahogany and poplar, and is a great choice for painted cabinet doors. The difference is significant however soft maple is still a very hard wood. As mentioned in our article Hard Maple vs Soft Maple Cabinet Doors, soft maple’s hardness rating on the Janka Hardness scale is 950 while hard maple is rated at 1450. This group typically chooses solid hard maple, soft maple or poplar frame and panel for their doors.ĭespite the name, soft maple is still considered a hardwood. Some cabinet makers and homeowners prefer solid wood cabinet doors, because they want to stay away from adhesives used to bond the fibers in MDF or they want the ability to strip down the material and repaint at a later date. Hard Maple, Soft Maple, Poplar: Top Picks for Painted Cabinet Doors The relatively narrow stiles and rails framing the panel typically remain more stable than the wide piece of wood that makes up the door panel. Many cabinetmakers prefer an MDF panel because of the stability MDF panels provide against movement and potential paint cracks between the panel and frame. Paint grade hardwood frame combined with an MDF panel is a top-selling combination. Closed Grain Wood SpeciesĬommon closed-grain material options for painted cabinet doors include soft maple, hard maple, poplar and hardwood frame with Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF) panel. Some remodelers or homeowners wanting to reuse and paint over existing cabinet doors in an open-grained material, take several extra steps like filling in the woodgrain with putty or sealer and sanding the surface so it is smooth before applying paint. We don’t typically recommend open grain woods like red oak, white oak and ash for painted cabinet doors due to the porous, prominent woodgrain texture that shows through the paint, creating a rough finish. Below we give pros and cons of the most common options so you can weigh the differences and make the decision for yourself. Which base material makes the best painted cabinet door is a source of much debate between cabinetmakers. Painted cabinets and cabinet doors are timeless and beautiful, and based on the number of painted displays at the 2016 Kitchen and Bath Industry Show, they are extremely popular across all price points.
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