What is Paint-Grade Wood In Cabinetry?
Paint-grade wood is lower-quality wood used for painted cabinet doors. Characteristics normally called defects are acceptable in paint-grade.
You’re here because you want to learn about paint-grade wood and its characteristics. You can’t afford to risk your reputation with a low-quality product or by selling the wrong material. So, what exactly is paint-grade wood? What do you need to know about it?
At Cutting Edge, we’ve produced cabinet doors for over 20 years. Painted cabinet doors have always been a staple in the industry, and we’ve gained a lot of experience with the various paint-grade options.
In this article, you’ll learn:
Paint-Grade Wood Is (Aesthetically) Lower-Grade Wood For Painted Doors
Don’t freak out about the quality; we are talking about the overall appearance of the wood. The lower grade doesn’t affect the durability or strength – it only means that the lumber manufacturers and cabinet door makers don’t worry about choosing the prettiest pieces of wood. They spend less time sorting the lumber for aesthetics because you use paint-grade wood for painted cabinet doors, and a painted finish can hide a lot.
Paint-grade wood includes a lot of lumber that cabinet door makers can’t use in other wood grades, like regular or select grade. However, paint-grade material won’t have any defects you can’t cover up with a painted finish.
Paint-Grade Maple and Poplar Are Popular Options
Cabinet makers and door manufacturers have several go-tos for paint-grade woods. Technically, you could choose any wood type for painted cabinet doors – but few woods are less expensive and finish nicer than Maple and Poplar.
There are four common options for painted cabinet doors:
1. Paint-Grade Maple
First up is paint-grade Maple. Maple is a hardwood, which makes it durable and resistant to wear and tear.
However, using only Maple can lead to other problems. Maple is a solid wood, which means it will move over time. As the humidity and temperature in the surrounding environment change, Maple will shrink, expand, warp and twist. This movement can damage a painted finish, especially if you choose a solid wood centre panel.
The potential for damage to the finish is why many people choose to combine paint-grade Maple with an MDF panel.
2. Paint-Grade Maple With an MDF Panel
Most cabinet door manufacturers use a paint-grade Maple frame combined with an MDF panel. This option gives you the durability and wear-resistance of the Maple frame combined with the stability of MDF.
Plus, replacing the Maple panel with an MDF panel reduces the cost of the cabinet door. Even if you replace a plywood Maple panel with an MDF panel, the price decreases by about $3 per square foot. If you replace a solid Maple centre panel with a shaped MDF panel, the cost decreases by around $7 per square foot.
However, both Maple and MDF have the drawback of being heavy – which is why some people prefer to work with Poplar.
3. Paint-Grade Poplar
That brings us to our next option – paint-grade Poplar. Poplar is a softer hardwood that machines well.
However, because Poplar is softer, it is less durable than Maple. Painted Poplar cabinet doors are more likely to receive damage like dents, dings, and scratches than painted Maple doors.
Plus, Poplar is still wood, which makes it likely to move over time. So, to reduce this risk, you can combine Poplar with (you guessed it!) MDF.
4. Paint-Grade Poplar With an MDF Panel
You can choose to combine a Poplar frame with an MDF panel. This combination still leaves you with the reduced durability of a Poplar frame, but adding the MDF panel reduces the overall cost and increases the stability.
Some Defects and Characteristics Are Acceptable in Paint-Grade Wood
You’ve already learned that paint-grade wood is a less expensive and lower-quality wood grade. The key is that the painted finish hides a lot. Paint-grade wood can have cracks, splits, mineral streaks, wild grain patterns, and colour variation.
Now, of these characteristics, cracks and splits (often found in darker wood) can cause a problem.
At Cutting Edge, our team fills the majority of these characteristics with Bondo® before we ship your order. However, you may notice further cracks and splits when the primer soaks into those cracks instead of covering them. So, fill any cracks or splits that appear after your first coat of primer to prevent them from showing through your final coat.
Paint-Grade Wood Is an Upgrade
Yes, paint-grade wood is an upgrade. Compared to MDF, which is the other option for painted cabinet doors, real wood is more expensive and durable. You will pay more for a cabinet door made of paint-grade wood than MDF.
So, in turn, your customers should expect higher costs as well. In fact, paint-grade wood is useful as an upgrade or a selling point for kitchen designs. Here’s a couple of examples:
1. High-Use Areas That Need Durable Cabinet Doors
Painted wood cabinet doors are often featured in high-use areas like entryways, butler’s pantries, and mudrooms. Each of these areas is subjected to frequent use.
In any of these locations, a paint-grade wood option will hold up better than a painted MDF door.
The extra durability is an excellent selling point. Plus, it shows your customers that you care about how they will use their space – not just selling them the most expensive option so you can make the most money.
2. Avoid the Stigma of Low-Quality Attached to MDF
Yes, your customers (and yourself) naturally assume MDF is a lower-quality product. This assumption is correct.
MDF is less durable and less expensive – not to mention, not wood.
So, offering your customers solid wood cabinet doors may be just what you need to stand apart from the competition.
And yes, even your customers can tell MDF apart from wood cabinet doors. 1-piece and 2-piece MDF doors have a flat back, which makes them immediately noticeable. In comparison, wood cabinet doors have a recessed back due to the 5-piece construction method.
3. An Option for Customers Who Object to MDF Products
However, paint-grade wood is not only useful as a selling point.
As you continue to work in the woodworking industry, you will come across customers who object to MDF products.
These customers are usually concerned about the formaldehyde emitted by MDF. Although all MDF products sold in Canada comply with the regulations, and the emissions cause irritation at worst, you will need an option to deal with this objection.
Enter paint-grade wood. As long as you offer a solid wood cabinet door, you can remove your customer’s objection to MDF and make the sale.
Learn How Paint-Grade Wood Compares to MDF
You need a guide who can help you navigate the cabinet-making and woodworking industry. As you continue to discover new terms and vocabulary, you need to have a qualified resource to help explain what each term means.
Otherwise, you may offer a low-quality product to your customers, making them unhappy and hurting your reputation.
So, now that Cutting Edge has explained what paint-grade wood is, it’s time for you to take the next step. Learn whether MDF or paint-grade wood is better for painted cabinet doors.
