Make plywood smooth -bondo best?

[machsnell]

I am trying to make the insides of my cabinets smooth. They are already done and a semi-rough plywood and I want to fill the grain and knots.

They will be painted.

Wood putty is too cumbersome.

Easy sand drywall mud I am afraid is going to be too soft.

Not sure about bondo or durham's or some sort of epoxy or poly that can be smoothed out easy and give a quick sanding then prime and paint.

Drywall mud would be a dream. So easy.

Looking for something like that but tougher.

I have done plenty of bondo and it's easy enough but a little thick.

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[lilredex]

I glued 1/8" Masonite sheets in some rough cabinet interiors once, on an old house. It was then painted.

 

[LXCam]

Plaster or fix-all. Since you're concerned about drywall mud being too soft I'm assuming you're wanting to do this on the horizontal surfaces? If it's not just a wear area I wouldn't hesitate to use some easy sand mud.

 

[Kaizen]

Wood filler can be smoothed with a wet rag virtually eliminating sanding. Only thing I’d put over wood.


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[DFB]

Ya wood filler would be my choice also, the powder you mix with water is much faster setting than the premix stuff that comes in a plastic tub.

 

[machsnell]

Not all of it will be a wear area but will see some wear or something be put up against it. I want to not have to worry about it like i would drywall. I know it would be tougher bit not in the mud fill areas.

I want to get rid of the dust pockets and be able to clean easily. And the insides will look better.

The wood filler like durhams rock hard? Or another brand I am not familiar with filler other than the Elmer's or minwax type

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[robin1731]

I worked at a cabinet shop for almost 25 years. Counters for airports with a lot of stainless steel and laminate. We used bondo all the time to fill voids and make repairs. It works very well.

 

[fourbyford]

I've done the bondo thing in the past. It works... with "work" being the key word in that phrase. More recently, I've used "store bought" wood filler. Famowood is my favorite brand... water based, easy to work and clean up, fast drying and easy to sand. Last I knew, they sold it in gallon containers for use as a grain filler for hardwood floors. IIRC, they call it "trowel grade". Following the fill and sand (down to 120 grit or so with the r/o sander) I'll apply a couple coats of a good quality water based urethane, sanding between coats. The more coats of urethane, the smoother the finish. Dont sand the final coat with too fine a disc and you'll have a better surface for the paint to adhere.
If you're not familiar with the water based urethanes, they're a great product as well. Same properties... low odor, easy to apply and clean up, FAST DRY, easy to sand. With this method you can make your ply just as smooth as you want!

 

[ford33]

Why do you want the inside of your cabinets to have a smooth surface?

Seems like a lot of work with little benefit.

 

[machsnell]

Why do you want the inside of your cabinets to have a smooth surface?

Seems like a lot of work with little benefit.

It is a bit of extra work but as I wrote earlier plywood is rough and I want to be able to blow them out or wipe them down and not habe everything stuck in all of the grooves and drain and knots.

Maybe its overkill but labor is free and you can only do it easily before paint.

If you really think about it it's not that much work. If you are good at spreading it out you domt have to sand much. The filler whether bondo or famocoat isnt expensive.

I should have used better plywood but cest la vie. It is what it is now. I could easy sand it in no time but want it a little more durable. I like finishing drywall and this wont be much different.

I am a bit of a zealot too.

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[Git]

Durham Rockhard is a good product, but it actually expands a little bit when it dries - which is great for locking into deeper holes and defects but if you had a little dimple for example, it may cause it to pop out. If you look at the back of the can, it says not to use it in a 'thin' paint like layer, like a skim coat. I have used it like that in the past, and it has worked well for me, but just keep it in mind. Also, when your mixing it up, if you add a little milk, it will slow down the drying process

This is one of the reasons why when I am working with sheet goods (plywood, etc) I would just as well spend the money and buy MDO

 

[Jeff May]

Durobond Joint compound
It's a powdered drywall compound you have to mix.
It sets & dries fast. It is also harder than premix when cured.
It comes in either 45 or 90 minute cure times.

 

[Slowgsr]

Id use sheetrock 90. Them skin with machine mud. Sand and done. Id probably prime to wood first.

 

[mike93lx]

I glued 1/8" Masonite sheets in some rough cabinet interiors once, on an old house. It was then painted.

I would do this before messing with fillers and sanding. If you don't have 1/8th to spare, a laminate would work as well and be far more durable than any filler and paint

 

[DFB]

Not all of it will be a wear area but will see some wear or something be put up against it. I want to not have to worry about it like i would drywall. I know it would be tougher bit not in the mud fill areas.

I want to get rid of the dust pockets and be able to clean easily. And the insides will look better.

The wood filler like durhams rock hard? Or another brand I am not familiar with filler other than the Elmer's or minwax type

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Sorry for the late response here to your query (no power/no internet)

But ya it was the Durham product I was referring to.

 

[Norcal]

Seems to me that using a different grade of plywood would have taken care of the issue.

 

[RKA]

Not a fan of Durhams in this case. The issue is it dries harder than the wood, which is problematic when you're sanding. You're far better off using something like bondo that sands well so it's level when you're done.

Although, if it's only a few sheets, I would repurpose them for the garage or basement projects and buy something suitable and save my time.

 

[nes999]

Seems to me that using a different grade of plywood would have taken care of the issue.

That woukd be my choice too.

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[ScottsGT]

I used Bondo to fill in all the old hinge screw holes on mine before refinishing. Painter told me to use it, especially after he found out I use to be a paint and body man. But internally? I would use the 1/8" Masonite cut to size and glued in place with liquid nails long before I tried doing body work inside a cabinet.

 

[K'ledgeBldr]

...but labor is free...

You've got a wicked sense of humor!

Labor is never "free" even when it's your own!!!

 

[ScottsGT]

You've got a wicked sense of humor!

Labor is never "free" even when it's your own!!!

And the older I get, the more I realize this! I keep telling my son the same thing. He keeps buying cars to flip and never realizes he's losing money and not making money. If he put those hours in on his job, he would be way ahead of the game.

 

[ghnl]

Instead of a filler (bondo or drywall compound, etc) that will need to be sanded smooth (sounds like work whether it's free or not), consider cabinet grade laminate (Formica is a brand name but there are others). The cabinet laminate is thinner. Usually it is glued on with contact cement but that might prove difficult with the insides of cabinets. It can also be glued on with wood glue - you'd need to figure out a way to hold it snug to the cabinet sides for a few hours/overnight. Using wood glue you have time to get it into position. Contact cement is done once with no chance for adjustment/do-over.

 

[DFB]

OP I built this sign board for one of my friends from scavenged materials around my shop the plywood was just CDX and I filled and leveled ALL the bad spots with both types of the common wood filler's, Durhams and one from ZAR. I also had wet smoothed some of the ZAR like was suggested early on. Sponge sanded, its as smooth as one could ask for a paint grade finish.

Of the two wood filler products I generally preferred working with the Durhams, the other stuff just takes such a long time to set up hard enough to start sanding.

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[K'ledgeBldr]

And the older I get, the more I realize this! I keep telling my son the same thing. He keeps buying cars to flip and never realizes he's losing money and not making money. If he put those hours in on his job, he would be way ahead of the game.

Had a step-brother that did the same thing- never could comprehend the concept, no matter how many times/ways I tried to explain it!

 

[epmills]

I made a toolbox themed dresser years ago, I used wood filler on the big stuff then many many layers of filler primer (spray). Sanding between every 2-3 coats. It was smooth as painted metal when done.

 

[machsnell]

Seems to me that using a different grade of plywood would have taken care of the issue.

No shite that's why I said that exact same thing. But columbo, I also stated they're built already. Is what it is.

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[machsnell]

Instead of a filler (bondo or drywall compound, etc) that will need to be sanded smooth (sounds like work whether it's free or not), consider cabinet grade laminate (Formica is a brand name but there are others). The cabinet laminate is thinner. Usually it is glued on with contact cement but that might prove difficult with the insides of cabinets. It can also be glued on with wood glue - you'd need to figure out a way to hold it snug to the cabinet sides for a few hours/overnight. Using wood glue you have time to get it into position. Contact cement is done once with no chance for adjustment/do-over.

Ghnl - great suggestion. I did think of that and I have used it before it is actually perfect but it is fairly expensive. Its horizontal grade v vertical grade. Vert grade is thinner and cheaper but still pricey. Maybe just a layer on the top sides of shelves?. Kind of like mat inside toolbox.

I spread some bondo last night. It was easy and cured hard as nails. If spread well it doesnt need much sanding at all. It doesnt need to be paint ready.

DFB- that looks great I will try some durhams I have never used it but have heard a lot about it via net search.

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