Which order to build free standing cabinet?

[Michael Van Voorhis]

Anyway...

I am building my first stand alone kitchen cabinet. I wanted it simple, being my first time, and using pocket screws and maybe just a little glue for the construction of the "European" style faceless front piece. All BB plywood pieces will be cut, sanded, banded and predrilled.

My question is should I condition, stain, and poly all the wood before the final assembly or just the opposite?

Thanks for all the help.

[glenn bradley]

I decide whether to pre-finish all or part of a project based on the difficulty in finishing after assembly. If all your surfaces will be easily reached without a lot of nooks and crannys, you could do it after. Your pocket screw assembly will probably mean minimal clamping so finishing ahead of assembly shouldn't cause problems and I always find it easier to finish a flat horizontal surface so, the call is really yours.