How to use plywood in your kitchen
Do you need to replace the fronts in your kitchen? Or do you want to renew your worktop? We tell you all about using plywood in the kitchen. Do you have enough information to get started? Then order your plywood kitchen cabinets directly at TOSIZE.fi. With the assembly tips you know exactly how to assemble the kitchen doors!
Kitchen with plywood doors
Plywood sheets can be used for countless different projects. Birch plywood is the most popular form of interior plywood because it is the best quality choice. It is waterproof glued as standard and has a clearer wood grain compared to poplar plywood. Moreover, birch is a wood species that is much harder than poplar. It can therefore take a beating! This also makes the material more durable. You can use birch plywood for a table top, a kitchen worktop, a (dividing) wall, furniture and toys. It is also a good constructional board. Would you like to replace your kitchen fronts or worktop with plywood or even a whole kitchen with plywood? Then it is good to know the material well.
What is plywood birch?
Plywood consists of different layers of wood veneer. These layers are glued crosswise to each other, which makes the panel very strong and hardly works. These are also the advantages of plywood birch in comparison to solid wood, and therefore it is also used in constructions. Because of the layers, the ends of plywood are beautiful to see and are often kept in sight. Compared to poplar plywood, birch plywood has more layers, making it a stronger board. This makes birch plywood a suitable material for the kitchen.
The direction of the wood grain
With plywood, a wood grain is visible. The drawing of the wood grain always runs lengthwise. When sawing the plywood, we take the length of the plywood to be the length of the wood grain. If you have this material sawn and delivered to your home by TOSIZE.fi, please pay close attention when filling in the dimensions, so that the flames of the wood grain run in the right direction! This looks very nice when you choose to make your own kitchen fronts from plywood.
Quality marking for plywood
Plywood is available in different qualities. This does not mean that the panel is more or less strong, it indicates the quality of the appearance of the panel. The interior birch plywood we supply is a standard #B/BB quality, which means that the front side (B) is the most intact side and very suitable for visible work. Here knots and colour differences are minimally visible. The back side (BB) is at least of a slightly lower quality, in which more knots are visible and any imperfections have been repaired by means of plugs. More information? Watch the video about Plywood.
Made to measure
Do you want your IKEA kitchen to have plywood doors? Or do you want a made-to-measure plywood birch worktop? Through TOSIZE.fi you can easily order plywood birch in the right dimensions. We will saw the material to the millimetre so you only have to assemble it yourself. Find out in this article what to look for when making a worktop, kitchen fronts / kitchen cupboards or a plywood wall shelf for your most beautiful accessories.
Use of plywood in the kitchen
Birch plywood is often chosen for its natural look and visible wood grain. This gives the panel material an attractive appearance, in contrast to melamine chipboard, for example, which is a material with a less exclusive appearance. The synthetic top layer of melamine faced chipboard does however ensure a long life for the material, as the outer surface is more resistant to moisture. This material is often used in kitchens, for example at IKEA. Plywood birch is untreated, and especially for use in the kitchen, a treatment of the wood is really necessary to extend the life. In a kitchen you have to deal with moisture and differences in temperature; the ingredients for wood to work. Think of warping, shrinking or expanding. Is plywood suitable for use in the kitchen? Yes, it is! We do recommend that you treat the plywood with a lacquer, oil or stain. Are you looking for an alternative material that is even more suitable for use in the kitchen? We will give you some options later in this article.
Treatment of plywood
Do you want to keep the natural look of plywood? Then use a transparent varnish, oil or stain. Do you think it is important that only the wood grain is visible in the plywood worktop or the plywood kitchen fronts? Then you can treat the material with an oil, stain or lacquer in the colour that matches your interior. In this way the material remains well protected against the effects of temperature differences and moisture, and you can enjoy the work you have done to give your kitchen a metamorphosis for longer.
Want to know how to properly treat the leading edges of plywood kitchen fronts? Use a edge sealant to make the plywood ends moisture-resistant. This also applies to the worktop or a wall shelf you put in the kitchen.
Finishing worktop or kitchen fronts
Do you like to add nice details to your job? Have the edges of plywood rounded by TOSIZE.fi. By default we round plywood 3 mm; but you can specify the desired rounding yourself. This gives the plywood a soft look and is the finishing touch when making your own kitchen doors. View here all edge finishes that TOSIZE.fi can provide for you.
Cost of kitchen plywood
Before you start making and replacing your kitchen cabinets yourself, it is good to have an insight into the costs. The price of plywood kitchen fronts or a plywood worktop can be calculated directly and easily via our order module. Make a saw list with all the dimensions of plywood birch you need for your kitchen. Do you have all dimensions clear? Enter the measurements and choose the possible edge finishings. Tadaa! In no time you have an impression of the costs.
Add to this the cost of treating the plywood and any kitchen hinges and handles. Via TOSIZE.fi you can also order this Accessories.
Alternative board material suitable for the kitchen
Plywood in the kitchen is a common and popular material. It fits in with the Scandinavian interior trend. There are also sheet materials that are used more frequently in the kitchen. As described above, melamine faced chipboard is an example. For a worktop, choose okoumé plywood because it is water resistant. Also MDF moisture-resistant V313 untreated or MDF Black Water-resistant are recommended for use in the kitchen. Why? We're happy to explain.
Melamine faced chipboard
In the case of white melamine chipboard, a plastic coating (melamine) is stuck to the board on both sides. This plastic layer makes the board immediately ready for use, it does not need to be painted. However, the ends are unfinished, so that it is still visible that the inner layer is made of chipboard. These sides can be finished with edge tape to prevent moisture from seeping into this area. IKEA often uses this material for kitchen cupboards, for example.
MDF kitchen
MDF moisture-resistant is a board material that is very suitable for use in the kitchen. MDF falls into the category of fibreboards. The board consists of wood fibres that are compressed under high pressure, and in the case of moisture-resistant MDF, a special type of waterproof glue is used. To enhance the moisture resistant properties, the material is pressed under a higher pressure compared to MDF clear.
In principle, MDF moisture-resistant does not need to be treated with a primer. The absorbing effect is namely less than with MDF blank because it is somewhat harder pressed. However, it does strengthen the moisture-resistant properties. Moreover, primer works as an adhesive, as a result of which the final layer of lacquer will look nicer. The ends need a little extra attention (and possibly other machined areas, for example when milling). It is best to treat these with an edge sealer. MDF moisture-resistant is available in a clear variant and can be recognised by its green core and in black.
Worktop plywood okoumé: the best choice
Plywood water-resistant okoumé is, just like interior birch plywood, glued with a water-resistant glue. Okoumé, however, is a wood type that is more resistant to moisture, making this variant very suitable as a kitchen worktop. But of course you can also choose the board for its beautiful pink-red hue and the fact that it is easy to work with.
How do I mount a kitchen front?
Do you want to replace kitchen fronts, but don't know how to mount them? There are a few things you can look out for to make sure you can be proud of the result.
Measuring kitchen doors
The result of the new kitchen fronts is determined by the correct dimensions of the doors. Pay a lot of attention to this! If necessary, have someone else measure the dimensions. Only then will you have a truly custom-made kitchen front! Our tip: measure the current dimensions of the doors and stick to that. An alternative is to measure the outer dimensions of the cabinets and then subtract 2 mm from the left and right. That way, all the doors fit neatly next to each other. Also read the handyman tip about measuring tips you will never forget.
Use kitchen cabinet hinge (soft close)
Kitchen cabinet hinges are hinges that work without a pin and are also called pot hinges or drill-in hinges. These hinges can be invisibly concealed, so that, for example, cupboard doors can be joined together almost seamlessly. Furthermore, these hinges often have an 'open position', which means that they have a fixed position when they are open and therefore do not move back and forth. The soft-close system ensures that they close silently.
Mounting a kitchen hinge is easy, provided you have the right tools. It is necessary to drill a round hole in the door with a pilot drill so that the hinge can be fitted into it. It is very important to measure out the position of the hinge properly before you start drilling. The great advantage of these hinges is that they are adjustable, even after assembly.
