Plywood Door Painting

[Mark W Pugh]

I'm planning on building some cabinet doors, for my shop, out of plywood. I plan on making partial inset doors and painting them. Question, what do I use to prime/cover the ply so it doesn't look like painted plywood ends? Thanks.


Oh, and I plan on rounding over the edges, so edge banding will not work. Something to fill in the ply end so I can paint it.

[Jamie Buxton]

You might consider MDF, so you have a consistent surface as you round over the edge.

[Bradley Gray]

I have made painted cab doors from 3/4 birch with edges rounded with a 1/4" radius. I primed then sanded x3 before 2 coats of enamel.

[Jason Roehl]

Vinyl spackle, lightweight spackle, Durham's Rock Hard Water Putty, Crawford's spackle, drywall mud, etc. Basically any putty that dries/cures hard and that you can sand. Of the list above, I'd probably go with the Crawford's (green can, not orange), or a setting-type drywall mud (powdered) as the easiest to work with, easiest to sand, and least amount of flash after primer (the mud would flash more than the Crawford's). Several of the others would be great, too, but you would want to sand them soon after they set, as they get harder to sand the longer they cure (Durham's, vinyl spackle).

[Mark W Pugh]

I have made painted cab doors from 3/4 birch with edges rounded with a 1/4" radius. I primed then sanded x3 before 2 coats of enamel.

So the primer did fill in the voids so you ca't tell it's plywood?

I have never worked with Durham's Rock Hard Water Putty, and my dad just happens to have some. He hasn't used it either. Any insight of how one would use it for this application?

[Judson Green]

So the primer did fill in the voids so you ca't tell it's plywood?

I have never worked with Durham's Rock Hard Water Putty, and my dad just happens to have some. He hasn't used it either. Any insight of how one would use it for this application?

Durham's Rock Hard putty is my go to putty for painted projects. Mix it up kinda thick like a joint compound and spread it on with a putty knife, making sure to get it in to the voids. If its not into the voids well enough when you round over with the router the hardened putty could just pop out. Durham's is dreamy stuff, but not always the best adhesion.

Don't mix up too much at a time it hardens quite quickly and clean your tools immediately afterwards (just water) or the stuff will harden on it and you'll have to chip it off. I use a lid from a coffee can as a hawk, but any plastic thing like that would work just fine. Stay away from using wood as hawks, tend to dry out your putty quicker.

But you might wanna consider edge banding with thicker material say ¼ or ⅜" and then rounding that over. The door edge, if using a hard wood, will be much more durable.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Durham's is plaster of Paris with some sawdust mixed in.
It dries real hard - maybe too hard since it is on the brittle side.
That's just my speculation/apprehension though.
I've used it quite a bit on doors which we later painted & it's held up fine for the last 6 or so years.

[scott vroom]

It's a shop right? I wouldn't do anything and call it a feature

[Tom M King]

I did that in our dog room. The plywood was 3/4 Birch from Lowes, but that's been 8 years ago. I think I used some varnish I had leftover from another job, and it sanded out really smooth. For little holes, I probably just used Elmers nail hole filler. Here's a link to the picture on my Wife's website. Good enough for a dog room.

http://www.starbornhavanese.com/images/DSCN5733.JPG

[Bradley Gray]

Of course I sanded before the primer 100/150/220 but the primer will fill the pores. I find the primer easier than putty even if it takes more coats. Rock hard putty is just that - much harder than birch plywood. The primer sands like.......primer

[Mike Schuch]

I use bondo for such things. Cures really fast, sands well and stays where I put it!

[John Huds0n]

Some really good suggestions already. Although I really like using Bondo, for edges and things - I like something I can apply easily with my finger, like Durhams

Another product that work well is "Bondo 907 Glazing putty". (Comes in a tube like toothpaste and you do not have to mix hardener with it). You can find it just about anywhere

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Regarding the flat surfaces - at this point I really like working with 3/4" MDO for anything that gets painted. Although I am paying more (approx $60 a sheet) there is virtually no prep needed on the flat surface and you really have to be doing something wrong to get tear outs or splinters when cutting

[Ken Combs]

I use bondo for such things. Cures really fast, sands well and stays where I put it!

Me too! Well, not necessarily 'bondo' brand, but one of the better autobody fillers, or finishing putties such a Rage Gold.

They adhere to most anything, spread easily, harden quickly ,sand really well and obviously, take paint really, really well.

[Mark W Pugh]

It's a shop right? I wouldn't do anything and call it a feature

I agree, but everything I do in the shop is practice for the big game later in the house.

[scott vroom]

I agree, but everything I do in the shop is practice for the big game later in the house.

So you're planning to make plywood slab doors for inside your house?