Plywood face frames beat solid wood for kitchen cabinets

I know everyone likes the look of solid hardwood face frames, but after finishing 12 kitchens this past spring, I'm sticking with plywood. The solid maple frames on a house in Oak Lawn warped within 3 weeks of installation from the humidity alone. The plywood frames I built for a different job stayed dead flat through the same conditions. Has anyone else run into seasonal movement issues with solid wood face frames?

3 comments

3 Comments

oscarc532d ago

Three weeks? That's insane, I've never heard of solid maple twisting that fast. Must have been some seriously green lumber or a crazy humidity spike in that house. I've always used poplar for face frames to save money and never had an issue like that, but now you got me thinking twice about solid wood in kitchens at all.

webb.ben1d ago

Yeah I used maple once and it warped like a Pringle.

scott.miles3h ago

Man, that's wild. Poplar's never done me dirty like that either, guess it's all about the wood you pick.