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Appreciation post: Those cheap birch plywood drawer boxes I was dead set against | Cabinetmakers - Librear

Appreciation post: Those cheap birch plywood drawer boxes I was dead set against

I gotta admit, for years I swore by solid wood drawer boxes. Thought plywood was just a shortcut for lazy builders. Then I took on a big kitchen job in Tacoma last fall, 24 drawer boxes total, and the customer was on a tight budget. I caved and used 3/4 inch Baltic birch with dovetails instead of my usual hard maple. Figured I'd be calling them back in a year to fix stuff. But after building and installing them, I was shocked. They were lighter, easier to fit in the openings without shaving edges down, and didn't move or twist at all. The guy's been in that house 8 months now and not a single call about sticking drawers. What's something you thought was junk at first that ended up working out better than expected?

2 comments

2 Comments

tessa8684mo ago

Oh man, tell me about it! I was the same way with those cheap laminate countertops, thought they were the devil's work until I put them in my own rental property out of desperation. Turns out they're actually way more forgiving when you accidentally drop a cast iron skillet on them, unlike my poor granite that chipped on day two. I guess sometimes being stubborn about "real materials" just means you're making things harder for yourself, not better. Live and learn, right?

kevin_adams4mo ago

I get where you're coming from, but I actually see it a little different. My experience with laminate in a rental was that it looked okay for about a year, then the seams started peeling up near the sink no matter how careful we were with moisture. Granite chips sure, but at least with that you can epoxy fill it and it still looks decent after. I guess for me it depends on how long you plan to keep the place and how much abuse it really gets.