Kitchen cabinets - paint first or after build?

[glynster]

I'm building myself some kitchen-style cabinets - actually they are for the utility room but they will be free standing kitchen-style and made out of laminated pine panels and oak face frames which will be painted - country kitchen style.

I've read a few comments on here and elsewhere about the merits of painting or varnishing the panels before cutting to make final finishing easier. Does that usually involve finishing BOTH side of the panel? If so, wont that make gluing up impossible unless you've rebated everything into a housing or the likes? If I did just paint one side of the panel (I intend to spray finish with the Earlex hvlp 5500) arent they going to twist or cup before I can use them? The wife prefers the idea of unfinished pine on the inside - though I would probably put a clear wax on the inside. Also, if the cabinets are sprayed afterwards, how do you prevent overspray from getting in and messing up the inside of the cabinet?

I'm still at the juggling the processes around my head stage - pretty sure I have my plans sorted, just trying to work out the order of the processes since I have a few to build.

 

[RobinBHM]

Whenever I've done cabinet work such as wardrobes, the carcases always have side cheeks, plinth, cornice etc made separately. That allows the carcase to be one finish, say oak veneer and the face frame, doors, side cheeks etc painted.

Are you painting the oak face frames? For a grain look that shows through the paint I would have chosen ash.

 

[glynster]

To be honest I am just using oak because I have a ton of useable offcuts - literally a transit full of it I'm desperate to use up to make space, and it's American white oak so not the prettiest wood IMO but it should show the grain when painted as I think I am right in saying its a bit courser than Euro oak. Because some of the units are freestanding I will need to finish the sides of each unit. I suppose I could just hand paint them but from previous experience that takes about 10 times longer than I always hope it will.

 

[Zeddedhed]

I suppose I could just hand paint them but from previous experience that takes about 10 times longer than I always hope it will.

In my experience nearly everything I ever do takes 10 times longer than I'd hoped. :roll: :roll:

 

[RobinBHM]

To be honest I am just using oak because I have a ton of useable offcuts - literally a transit full of it I'm desperate to use up to make space, and it's American white oak so not the prettiest wood IMO but it should show the grain when painted as I think I am right in saying its a bit courser than Euro oak. Because some of the units are freestanding I will need to finish the sides of each unit. I suppose I could just hand paint them but from previous experience that takes about 10 times longer than I always hope it will.

I did wonder if that was the case -I didnt think anybody would buy oak and paint it!

If you can spray the side panels before assembly, its probably worth the extra effort masking up to save the hand painting. If you using solvent based, painting one side is probably ok. It might cup a bit, pine panels cup easily anyway. Any cupping will flatten out when the carcases are cramped for assembly.