Unpopular opinion: pre-finished plywood edges are ruining modern cabinet faces

I keep seeing guys at the shop arguing over whether to band edges or just paint over them, but nobody seems to talk about how pre-finished stuff from the big box stores is causing headaches with adhesion later. My buddy Tom over in Columbus had a whole kitchen job where the edges peeled after six months because the factory finish rejected the glue. On the other hand, I've used iron-on banding from a local supplier that's held up for three years now with no issues. So is it the type of finish, or are we just not prepping these edges right before applying? I sand with 120 grit before banding and still get failures sometimes. What's your go-to method for avoiding that lifting problem?

2 comments

2 Comments

shanenguyen5d ago

Have you tried roughing up the pre-finished edge with 80 grit before anything else? My buddy Mike learned this the hard way after he banded a whole set of kitchen cabinets for his sister and six months later he got a call saying the edges were popping off near the sink. He swore he had prepped them right but turns out that factory lacquer is basically like trying to glue something to wax, once he switched to a heavier sand and used a heat gun to really press the banding in, he hasn't had a failure since. Could be worth a shot if you're still fighting with that lifting issue.

miller.paul5d ago

Did you ever find out if Mike's sister still talks to him after that? lol