Question about finishing plywood edges, do you caulk or route first?

I spent 5 years hiding plywood edges with iron-on banding until a client in Austin pointed out the tiny gaps on every cabinet door in their kitchen. That's when I realized I was caulking before routing the groove, which let the banding lift over time. I started routing a 1/16" chamfer on the edge before applying any adhesive, then caulking after the banding was set. Now I'm curious, are there others who sand and seal before banding too, or is that overkill for painted cabinets? Has anyone else had banding peel on them a year later?

1 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In

1 Comment

uma_reed261mo ago

Oh man, that peeling banding thing is brutal. I've had it happen on a couple of jobs where the customer called me back after a year and I had to redo whole cabinet doors. That chamfer trick sounds smart, I never thought to do it before the banding. I usually just sand the edge good, wipe it clean, and hit it with a quick coat of shellac before anything else. It keeps the glue from soaking into the plywood and drying out. I think you're onto something with routing first though, that little bit of play makes a big difference. Not overkill at all, especially if you're painting them.

2