Shaker style drawer fronts

[jex]

I'm looking at replacing our flat vinyl coated kitchen drawer fronts with white shaker fronts. From searches I've done on here I gather the best material for rails & styles is 18mm MR MDF, not sure what thickness the centre panel MDF is though. Next issue is the paint. I didn't want a gloss finish but the more traditional satin or flat white finish. Has anyone made these and what material / paint would you recommend ?

[Greg Q]

If you are still interested in a reply, how are you planning on making these? There are shaker style cope & stick router bit sets that typically take a 6mm panel. MDF gets furry on the cut edges, so a pre-prime step is required at least once for a good finish. I use Zinsser B-I-N, which is a white tinted shellac. (Its $95 for 4 litres, but you can’t make your own shellac for that).

Two-pack paints are what is considered high end here, but that requires serious spray and safety equipment. Dulux had a renovation range that is water based with a hardener. Haven’t tried it, but I would like to, at least as an experiment. The range includes a satin clear coat.

Really really high end finishing in the UK market is done by brush on traditional cabinet designs.

[jex]

Hi Greg,
I have the cope & style router bits you described but undecided on what timber to use for the best paint finish.

[Greg Q]

I have a friend who works in an ultra high end cabinet shop. Oddly, they use melamine covered MDF and then paint over it. There are (apparently) primers that will cover the melamine.

I have made panelled doors out of hoop pine before...wouldn’t do that again. Any wood is going to move seasonally which will degrade the finish. At least with MDF you can glue the panels in place too.

The pre-prime prep work takes at least as long as the construction. We have lots of panelled features in our new house and I think, conservatively, that we have done over 300 hours of soul-destroying prep work.