Can you make pine cabinets harder/more durable?

[Lyn]

We have someone making shaker kitchen and bathroom vanity cabinets for us. Before hiring he said he uses birch wood for his cabinetry. Once they were installed we learned the door stiles are pine and the front flat part is what he called sande ply but another woodworker believes it is luan ply wood. The boxes are a decent looking plywood but I’m very concerned about the fronts denting.  Aside from being mad at myself for not getting the wood type in writing on the contract and not knowing more about wood until it was all installed, is there anything that can be done to treat the wood to make it more durable? I’m now reading how soft pine is and that it can warp. He claimed this is just as durable but i don’t see how it can be. They will be primed and painted  with acrylic paint. 

[drzaius]

Short answer, no. Application of high quality paint will provide a coat that is harder than the wood, but that will only help slightly with superficial impacts & scratches. The common varieties of birch are a lot harder than the common varieties of pine, so if he's saying that the pine will be just as durable, then he's at best being disingenuous at best & I'd be inclined to not believe any claims he makes.

[RichardA]

Prime and paint will slow the possibility of warping, but pine sucks ...... moisture faster than birch or any inexpensive hardwood like poplar, which is a better wood for painting.  I wish you luck.

[Lyn]

Thanks y’all. Lesson learned!

[Bankstick]

I sold custom and factory cabinetry. I can't understand why anyone would use pine for cabinetry.

[Tpt life]

Pine is too wide a field. Some SYP and heart can work well if you can source old stock. The problem is that “pine” is just not specific enough.  

[gee-dub]

3 hours ago, Bankstick said:

I sold custom and factory cabinetry. I can't understand why anyone would use pine for cabinetry.

Just making an assumption; it seems the gentleman was trying to widen his profit margin through misrepresentation of what would be delivered and what was actually delivered.

My condolences to the OP. I think we all have experiences in life somewhere back down the road that taught us a painful but lasting lesson.

[Bankstick]

gee-dub,  I have to agree. I wonder how much profit would be gained. I think I would report him to a local group as BBB or CoC.

[Ronn W]

WElcome to the forum.  Sorry that it had to be under these circumstances.

[Woodenskye]

Since your first mistake was not getting the wood used in writing, hopefully you have received something in writing that this guy will guarantee his work. 

[G Ragatz]

16 hours ago, Bankstick said:

I sold custom and factory cabinetry. I can't understand why anyone would use pine for cabinetry.

I've seen pine cabinets in rustic or country-style kitchens that I thought looked nice - although it's not a style I favor.  I haven't lived with them, so I don't know about durability, but I would guess something like SYP would hold up okay.

[BillyJack]

On 9/14/2019 at 5:07 AM, Bankstick said:

I sold custom and factory cabinetry. I can't understand why anyone would use pine for cabinetry.

I used pine for my rec room entertainment center in 2005. Until the 70" toshiba went out and moved up to flat screens it was used...Pine has learning curve..

[Bankstick]

BillyJack, I must agree that those cabinets look great. I never saw pine offered for factory cabinets and never heard of it requested for custom cabinets. About years ago, I recall seeing a garage lined with knotty pine; probably T&G boards. Measured for cabinets for a remodel. Great room had pine T&G on the walls and ceiling.

[Tom King]

I built cabinets out of Pine for years, since my houses had a lot of T&G in them, and Pine trim.  That was in the days when YP was stable, and readily available in all grades, sizes.  There were, and are still no hardwood suppliers anywhere near me.

Here are some pictures I already had in these Forums.  First is just YP.   The hutch is made up of leftover wood scraps from a Heart Pine kitchen that was built in 1981 to the same design as that hutch, so apologies for the poor grain match, but no pictures readily available for that kitchen.  Table was originally in the same kitchen as those Heart Pine cabinets. The inside of that house is pretty typical of the houses I built, and sold, for 33 years on the lake. That particular house was built in 1991.

[collinb]

On 9/14/2019 at 8:07 AM, Bankstick said:

I sold custom and factory cabinetry. I can't understand why anyone would use pine for cabinetry.

Some people like that country kitchen look. IMNSHO it depends on the house it goes in. Maybe fitting for a cottage or bungalow.

[collinb]

On 9/15/2019 at 1:13 PM, Tom King said:

I built cabinets out of Pine for years, since my houses had a lot of T&G in them, and Pine trim.  That was in the days when YP was stable, and readily available in all grades, sizes.  There were, and are still no hardwood suppliers anywhere near me.

Here are some pictures I already had in these Forums.  First is just YP.   The hutch is made up of leftover wood scraps from a Heart Pine kitchen that was built in 1981 to the same design as that hutch, so apologies for the poor grain match, but no pictures readily available for that kitchen.  Table was originally in the same kitchen as those Heart Pine cabinets. The inside of that house is pretty typical of the houses I built, and sold, for 33 years on the lake. That particular house was built in 1991.

 

3

Nice.

[Bankstick]

Pine with the proper grain and colors are nice. I never had a request for pine, though. Refer to my previous post on Sunday.