How to Finish Plywood Cabinets: Inside & Out | Sealing Plywood / Edge Banding / Painting Plywood

[@GijsvanDam]

That finish on that plywood with shellac and polyurethane looks amazing!

[@kennethharwell181]

I by no means am a strong maker. with that said I watch and listen to many many makers around the world. I saw from a fellow content maker, bourbonmoth. He had the same problem with painting his cabinets. He used a foam roller and it left air bubbles. So he follows it up with a brush stoke, very very light; just to break the bubbles. I have tried this a few times and it works well to remove this stubborn pot marks or orange peel effect. Love your content. Thank you so much

[@DIYMontreal]

Yeah I saw his video too and went Doh! Wish he had posted that a few weeks earlier... Great tips in the video.

Unless you try out the innovations, you cannot learn something new. And you are always working to teach innovations. And you always produce innovative studies and ideas. Thank you for sharing. See you. greetings.

[@DIYMontreal]

I appreciate that!

[@radchander]

One of the problems of micro bubble is painting when temperature is below about 60degrees. May not be due to the paint itself. Also, alkyd paints are good for shelves as it doesn’t cause the stickiness on the surface, especially bookshelves. Great videos. Enjoyed them

[@daviddeitrick27]

FWIW, there is a boat finishing process (I think it is called roll & tip) where you roll on the paint (in sections) the take a "dry" paintbrush and very lightly go over the rolled on paint to get rid of the texture. I discovered this AFTER I used a roller to paint an exterior door. It actually works pretty well if you "tip" the paint after each small section while the paint is still quite wet. Used this method on a different door and was surprised at how good it looked afterward. The brush doesn't have to be completely dry, just don't put it in your paint.

[@balwaann]

Wow! Thank you for your help tip!

[@MTNPANTS]

I’ve found parchment paper between the iron and edge band works great. Thanks for sharing, great work!

[@markhudson1282]

Damn... spent 12 minutes watching and it felt like 3 time really flies when your enjoying something

[@davek5464]

I had this same issue with the bubbles in the paint! It's because even though the layer you painted over is dry, it still holds a little bit of moisture. I used a heater and brought the room temperature up to 24 degrees celsius. I let the wood dry properly for a few hours. Then painted the new coat, and there were no bubbles in the paint!! Was so happy.

[@bluedragontoybash2463]

Those dark blue color is amazingly beautiful

[@Warkive]

Part of the issue may have been the temps. Even with the space heater I imagine it was still pretty cold. The colder the paint the thicker the paint, and less inclined it will be to self-level. Also, while more so for spraying/pouring, you might consider a paint conditioner like Floetrol which can significantly improve the finish as well.

[@DIYMontreal]

It's odd because I found this paint so watery. But temp may be the issue indeed if it affect the self-leveling...

[@l.m.ionescu4964]

@@DIYMontreal Have you tested with a heat gun? I'm planning to paint some cabinets and just finished resurfacing a bath tub with epoxy. The heat gun helped get all the bubbles out of the epoxy after pouring it on the tub. Wondering if that might be useful when I start painting.

[@scottthompson7916]

Love your channel! I'm from Ontario and love that you are Canadian

[@JustinBeshearse]

I use the Behr enamel all the time in the shop. It’s best sprayed for doors and drawer fronts but carcass and faces come out great when you lightly brush after using the roller. Just drag the tip lightly across the surface and it’s money.

[@Googaliemoogalie]

I bought a paint shelter (like a tent) that I can put up in my garage to spray paint my stuff now because of how disappointing lol the paints usually are. No overspray because of the tent, but make sure you have a good fume/particle respirator and goggles!

[@Bigmitch_2001]

I've used the same paint on cabinets with a pneumatic sparyer (for cars acutually), and it came out flat as a mirror! I only had to thin the paint a little bit (maybe 10-1) and it was flawless! I've also used the alkyd paint you showed with good results, but not as good as the Behr Cabinet Paint. I just wanted to share my experience with the paints.

[@calixtonavarro2507]

I felt your pain when you said "this sucks!" . Thanks for leaving this part of the process in the video.

[@TinyPlanetgroup]

The best video explaining everything! Wow! Thank you so much.

[@FaniMaker]

good job! even if you didn't want to achieve this, I really like the orange peel finish 😅

[@johnbell1012]

sherwin williams emerald urethane is an excellent furniture and cabinet paint. Great video!

[@nickrusso86]

I just finished a cabinet with white Sherwin Williams Emerald cabinet and trim enamel. I used a very short nap non-foam roller. It is amazing stuff and gives you a fantastic finish. Almost like it was sprayed on. It is expensive at about $75 per gallon, but it will save you a lot of time.

[@lorinewton1]

Thank you for the tips. I just finished making my first drawer base and will definitely use your instructions for the wood filler. I plan on spraying my wood because I didn't want any brush lines or roller markings. I don't care the for orange peel look.

[@rfdunbar]

I'm using that same paint on my kitchen cabinets. I dilute and then spray with my Earlex hvlp system and it lays down very nicely. My cabinets are plywood with pine face frames.

[@DIYMontreal]

Diluted?! Wow, this stuff is already so liquid I can't even imagine. But good to know. I'll likely try spraying next time.

[@chrisdewild9627]

I used the exact color and brand paint you used, on my cabinets. Instead I used the oil based zinzer primer. I did no sanding and used a paint sprayer. The coat came out very smooth. I did this on my old cabinets in my kitchen. It turned out better than I thought it would. The trick may be spraying this paint rather than rolling.

[@GLOBHUBINDIA]

hi Would you be able to tell me the exact shade code for that colour as had been having struggle finding the right shade

[@chrisdewild9627]

@@GLOBHUBINDIA if you look at the paint colors that Bear makes(found at Home Depot) it’s the navy blue. It’s the only darker blue color they have.

[@GLOBHUBINDIA]

@@chrisdewild9627 Thank you very much!!

[@Sly_Wolf_1]

Great video, love that you didn't edit out the learning curve. Got a new sub👍

[@Utubia55]

A lot of great thoughts Marie. Sorry about your Behr experience. I kept wondering if it still wasn't too cold in the shop? Really like the Blue you picked. I'm a big Behr fan, but I had never used that line of paint. Probably won't now either. Keep makin, and be well.

[@arc.handyman1905]

Regarding the paint finish, I think there’s 2 issues here as I’ve been doing research to achieve a smooth finish on cabinets as well. 1) The dry time on the paint. A longer dry time, although inconvenient to do multiple coats in one day, will allow brush strokes and bumps to even out. 2) It seems to roll a smooth finish, mohair rollers are the way to go. Also, a longer dry time and a soft-bristle brush could do the trick as well. In the end, spraying really is the best way to achieve a glass-like finish. Thank you for the thorough video. I have an upcoming project making a kitchen cabinet with drawers.

[@knowah.]

I'm still looking for the dryer or jar you are painting, but the filing cabinet came out great

[@Beemerboy324]

I love how you go through the "I did this but it didn't work, so I did that" situation. I really appreciate that you show how you can do it wrong and how to fix it if you do. There are more of us very experienced woodworkers who do the same thing. Really like your videos so I subscribed.

[@colonynaut1627]

Epistemological honesty!

[@ghsh837]

Very good performance, will copy your method, thanks for sharing

[@samg9328]

I literally just used this paint with the same results. Cold garage as well. I did do a couple test pieces AFTER the cabinet carcass 🤦🏻‍♂️. I found that rolling with a 6mm nap 6 inch roller, then coming back over the wet paint with a foam roller improved the appearance. Still not as smooth as spraying.

[@DIYMontreal]

Sucks to hear that, but at least I'm not alone I guess? It seems you were on the right track but the trick is to go over the paint with a light stroke using a paint brush to even it out.

[@MCsCreations]

Beautiful work, Marie! Really well done! 😃 That kind of finish is called "orange skin" by some car's painters... You know? What they do is to sand it with a really fine sandpaper and apply a varnish over it. But I don't know if it would work for you. 😕 Anyway, stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

[@DIYMontreal]

I call it orange peel! And maybe a clear coat would solve the issue indeed, but after primer + 3 coats I know when to call it done ;)

[@martinmoss317]

orange peel is the term for the cracked surface but I also noticed dimples on the first coat called cissing or fish eyes. normally attributed to contamination. It might help to wiped the wood with a degreaser like acetone or alcohol. perhaps poorly mixed paint may be the culprit.

[@chefsimon2997]

Great quality work there!

[@michellelose2361]

Life-changing product!

[@ogatkinson6274]

No edge banding for me. Excellent video, thanks.

[@anhdang3349]

Fantastic ! Thank you . Greatly appreciated for showing this video

[@MixingGBP]

SW Emerald paint is good for this job. I use a 6" Purdy roller, the green one with short nap for enamel paints when I make painted furniture.

[@simmis9387]

Perfect perfect video!! Exactly what I needed. Thanks so much

[@FoxyCAMTV]

Blue looks good.

[@ifell3]

Awesome content!

[@jkmeldrum]

I've just watched your video, but don't have time to go through all the comments, so if I'm repeating something I apologise. I'm a painter by trade. Whenever I want to apply enamel to woodwork, such as doors or cabinetry I use a mohair roller. They have a short nap and when you lay the paint off in the same direction it leaves a silky smooth finish that is hard to differentiate from spray paint if done right (particularly if you're using gloss paint). Thanks for sharing your video

[@harrygill6546]

Great tips and insights! Will try the DAP grain filler and shellac.

[@DIYMontreal]

Awesome, enjoy!

[@mrjacks1203]

Very nice and informative video 👍 Langevin Forest , recently started selling prefinish plywood. They have many thicknesses in 4'x8'format.

[@DIYMontreal]

That's great news! Thanks so much for sharing 👌

[@queenbvanity727]

I have a tip for you when using the roller with paint Add a little bit of water like 5% or 10% after you apply with the paint roller use another roller but dry and go over it. It will give you a good finish like if you had it sprayed. it works for me especially when it's cold and raining you don't want to use your sprayer. Try it use a piece of scrap.. But overall you did a great job you could use the edge banding also for painting

[@ChipEstrada]

I love your channel and I love your shop. I'm moving to a new house and I'll have a one car carage space for my work space. I'd love to see a virtual tour of your shop.

[@sunflower20505]

Thank you so much. Exactly what i was looking for

[@ngdto3141]

Nice job thanks

[@songyao1318]

thank you for the video! learned a lot good experience!

[@lynjermey6423]

Bourbon Moth Woodworking has some great tips for painting cabinets in his last cabinet build video.

[@DIYMontreal]

He sure does! I so wish he had posted that video before I painted my cabinet! He does a great demo of laying off using a paint brush after applying with a roller.

[@lynjermey6423]

@@DIYMontreal My Dad was a professional painter and decorator and always brushed after rolling, but I never knew it applied to wood as well.

[@sandycooper3188]

Really great video. That is a beautiful color. Very much like the color I am thinking of using for my kitchen cabinets. Do you mind me asking what color it is? Thanks so much. Take care.

[@MsRosiev]

Yes please agree with Sandy, is a beautiful color. What is it called?

[@MountainManFred]

Such Great info..Thanks!

[@Mark-em5zm]

I had the same result using a 1/4 nap foam roller and oil based paint. Foam rollers probably have a place but I have yet to find it.

[@hardeeharry]

I used the same paint as Marie, using a regular roller, than a foam brush, a foam roller and even Krylon spray can and sanding in between with unacceptable results until I used Behr Oil based enamel from Home Depot with a foam roller. I used satin finish, the shine/finish did not change during the drying process, BUT IT TAKES ABOUT 5-7 DAYS TO DRY, patience, patience but in the end it is flawless no holes or pit marks, perfect finish and easy to paint. Best thing was just like polyurethane, it even out or fills out the roller marks on the surface as you paint. I had a 72"x 28" (plywood) desktop with black top to match other thing in the room. Black top is very unforgiving, Ugh.

[@hardeeharry]

Forgot to mention i used brush too, that left brush marks, maybe my brush was not the right one, but nevertheless oil worked for me.

[@alliehomes8943]

Great tips. Thank you for making this.

[@Progress303]

I actually like the texture

[@ThekiBoran]

I've had good luck applying/spraying water based polyurethane over latex paint. I use a cheap sprayer and a compressor. Water clean up is wonderful. I should add that I spray General Finishes water based polyurethane. It's a bit expensive but worth it. With a bit of practice you'll get professional results. I was also thinking about getting the Graco handheld airless paint sprayer. The reviews for that are mixed but spraying latex right out of the can without having to thin it is nice.

[@bradkuzniczci894]

Did you consider the temperature may have effected the bubbles? A hair dryer or heat gun probably would have removed them. I hope this helps in the future. TYSVM for your content!

[@43srgrock]

Awesome work by the way👍🏻💥👊🏼

[@DIYMontreal]

Thank you!

[@pwisc2115]

Pretty awesome video! Thanks for sharing this

[@DIYMontreal]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@gmfc1]

The issue with the paint bubbles is called solvent pop. This happens when too many variables come in to play. First. It's possible that the primer wasn't fully cured before applying paint. Second . It's possible that primer was not compatible with the paint. Third. There was too much temperature variation between the paint and the surface. Fourth. There was wax or oil on the rag you wiped the cabinet with. None of those suggest that you did anything wrong at all. Your process and techniques were fine. For future reference get some paint conditioner and mix it with your paint before painting. It acts as a reducer and also has silicone in it and will prevent reactions while allowing the paint to smooth out while it dries .

[@thevjoiners]

Great video, thank you! You could try hitting the surface with a hairdryer after you apply the coat. It’ll help bring the air bubbles to the surface and should give you a smoother finish. That said, I love the way it looks! I’m definitely gonna try the 1 coat shellac & 1 coat poly thing. I’m usually a 3 coats poly kinda gal. And I usually hate myself a little for being that way, but it looks so good, so what can y’do?! 😜🤷‍♂️

[@joescrewdriver9000]

I don’t know if this is helpful or not or too late for the party but I’ve had very smooth finishes with Rustoluem oil based. It’s very durable and finishes smooth with both sprayer and roller. I’ve actually gotten the same visual finish out of both methods.

[@squeekhobby4571]

Great job and looks beautiful

[@kahoycrafts]

This was good timing, I've been doing a bunch of finishing work lately and learning to use my HVLP gun, although my go-to is a foam brush or roller. Thanks for recommending the acrylic alkyd enamel, I'm going to try it. I sprayed some Behr Premium Plus on a french door today, unfortunately the coats were too light to get the correct sheen, it still looks nice though, more like eggshell or satin than semi-gloss. 😁

[@DIYMontreal]

Spray gun will likely yield a better result that's for sure. I guess I'll have to use more ne next time /:

[@CorinneSegura]

I had trouble with that paint too though it wasn't as bubbly as yours. I applied it over a chalk style paint and it just seemed to not go well over it, it always looked like it was resisting. Looked off. Three coats and still no good. As for the shellac you should use dewaxed (Sealcoat not Bullseye) under a water based finish.

[@AlexFlores-iq5bb]

I used the same exact paint from Home Depot, and it did the same to me. And I used a sprayer.

[@tallybobba]

Use a brush after rolling just to tip the paint. It remov s the air bubbles and doesn’t leave brush marks if you do it lightly

[@koreelarry4127]

Excellente vidéo. Concernant le rendu de la peinture, est-ce que le problème ne serait pas dans le choix du rouleau ? Peut-être un rouleau à laquer aurait été préférable. Toujours un plaisir de regarder votre travail.

[@cribbsprojects]

Use the best quality roller for fine / smooth surfaces...

[@longfinger]

Great lesson thank you. I personally hate Behr paint. I have never had good luck with it.

[@DIYMontreal]

Thanks! I guess I was lucky up until now with Behr, but not this time.

[@mikesluitertijd]

You could be adding some owatrol to your paint, wich will take care of your orange peel problems. The problem with a roller is that on the direction you are rolling the paint is being pushed on your surface, on the back side of the roller is will actually pull the paint up, OFF the surface...

[@charlevoix418]

I would remove the drawer slides because the sanding dust will stick to their internal greasy coating and their "sliding" capacity will be reduced. I would also veneer the visible edges before assembling the cabinet to prevent all that sanding job.

[@theawesomehandyman504]

Yes the phome roller was the issue.Holes in the phome cause air pockets in the paint Use a fine nap roller next time.

[@giorgosroumeli4782]

Super Video

[@b3arwithm3]

Would you skip the putty step on the edge if that was baltic birch?

[@JoannGatchi]

Can i use edgebanding and paint the plywood? If yes, which come 1st? Paint or edgebanding?

[@agoldfisher]

Good info thank you

[@guypelchat1828]

You can find prefinish ply at robert bury next to highway13

[@RobSchweitzer]

I had a great experience with using a small foam roller to re-paint our cabinets. Not completely smooth like it was professionally sprayed, but pretty damn smooth nonetheless and way better than a napped roller that you'd normally use on a wall. Bummer it didn't work out for your cabinets :(

[@DIYMontreal]

I've had success with doors and such before; I seriously must say this paint was off and suspect that is the main issue.

[@brianmi40]

Wondering about torching the surface for a quick second to pop the bubbles in that paint, it looked thin enough to still offer some settling time after a quick application and torching... that's the standard method for getting a good epoxy finish...

[@manmademaker6551]

Where did you get your large black mat that you were painting on from?

[@digambertawde4353]

Nothing wrong with roller, paint comes with 2 finish variety a Matt finish and gloss finish. You have used a Matt finish ...Hence the rough look. Informative vdo. Appreciate

[@iNick90]

Did you use the shellac for the ambering effects? Can I still get the silky smooth finish using just water-based polycrylic?

[@shaynesabala]

It looks like what happens when the surface is not completely clean. I found that out the hard way when painting my flat walls with no texture. I had to clean them over and over and when I thought they were clean I cleaned them again to get a smooth finish.

[@smilejesuslovesyou8108]

I want to add soft close to my older drawers. I don’t want to replace because they are in good shape and solid wood. I have refaced them and taken them all apart as you did and now I’m sanding and sealing the boxes for nice clean smooth surface. I don’t think there is enough room for adding slides on side of boxes they currently have single undermount sucks it’s metal and dingy..... what would you recommended? I ordered the side slides going to see if I can finesse them on bottom maybe? As I don’t want to spend 30-40 for the Blum under mount bucks per drawer as I have 24 in my kitchen

[@pespesle]

For a silky look you need to polish the paint after every thing is done! Its just like painting a car, polishing is the final touch witch gives you that pro look.

[@y2j514]

I'm also from the montreal region, where do you source your wood from? Big box? Where do you source hardwood from?

[@ΓΕΡΑΣΙΜΟΣΣΤΡΑΓΓΑΣ]

Great video thanks for sharing

[@maurosimeoni9962]

Didn’t like your video, I loved it! Thank you for sharing lots of valuable tips

[@xeroblastx]

Who votes thumbs down on this stuff… 👍🏽👍🏽

[@alainrochon8850]

Très beau résultat!

[@SwapnilBhartiya]

I hate any oil-based paint. Too much work. So it's now all water-based paint for me . Great videos.

[@rockinrabbi]

Excellent video. Did you happen to make a vid when you built your assembly table? (That's a good looking table)

[@F-Bomb313]

The rough finish might have been a chemical reaction between the acrylic primer and enamel finish paint, the off gas could have created bubbles, as suggested below, tipping off the paint could help break those bubbles.

[@dayganeagar7749]

I thought that may be the case too but I had a look and she used a water based primer, which is fine. It may be that the temperature in her workshop may have been too low?

[@senorasheikh8018]

Love it

[@vogong]

I have had problems with Alkyd paints. Spray and roller. Long dry times and bubbles

[@GregoryLongs]

To find finished 1 side or finished 2 side MDO, call Sign Suppliers in your area

[@rambuthijau]

What we call, the yellow thing like pyramid, she used when glue the wood @ painted. I want buy it. Just want to know, what the name of that things 😊

[@rayman954]

can you tell me what brand of sander you are using? and where to buy

[@jp8479]

Great video. curious, why shellac and poly?

[@fraensemeier-fotografie]

Dear Marie, thank you so much for the video! One question: on the drawers, you are first using Shellac and then Polyurethan. Why this combination, what does the Shellac do in this case? Couldn't you just use the PU or the Shellac only? So far I thought Shellac already is kind of a lacquer... Thanks in advance, greetings from Germany, Peter

[@dfs7979]

I have been known to do this in the past however usually only when I am going over an oil based stain and want to finish with a water based top coat. I have also used shellac to build some thickness before applying the top coat. Shellac changes the color of the wood whereas water based poly does not.

[@garybuelow5362]

Great video! Its been cold in the shop here in WI too. Does the small heater make much of a difference in temp?

[@DIYMontreal]

Yes it helps a lot, but I have to run it for a few hours before heading into the shop.

[@Chanmantroop10]

Are the bubbles did to using water based primer then a alkyd paint on top? I'm no pro or expert just wondering is latex primer can be used with other non latex paints