Can we talk about the difference between pre-finished and site-finished plywood edges?

I've been building cabinets for about 8 years now, mostly in the Denver area. I used to always order pre-finished plywood and just live with those edge banded seams, thinking they looked decent enough. But last summer I took on a job for a kitchen remodel where the homeowner insisted on site-finished solid wood edges on all the panels. Man, what a difference. The way the grain matches up and the finish blends in made the whole thing look like one solid piece of wood. Took me an extra 3 days per cabinet box, but the final look was way cleaner than any pre-finished edge I've ever done. Has anyone else switched from pre-finished to site-finishing for face frames or panels, and was it worth the extra time for you?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_miles7d ago

Have you tried pre-finished veneer edges with iron-on glue for a middle ground option?

wendy_wilson7d ago

Oh yeah... iron-on veneer edges are decent for the price point. They stick well enough for most DIY stuff if you take your time with it. Just don't expect it to hold up like a real glue-up over the long haul.