Expert: Jamie Yocono - 3/26/2008

Question
I'm building an Entertainment Unit and am going to finish it in gloss white. What
is the best type of wood to use for this project?

Answer
Hi Nando,

This question is slightly outside of the scope of what I do. Yes, I build custom furniture, but I don't paint anything, so I don't have much information to help you with regard to what sort of wood to paint a gloss white.

But I do have a suggestion - since wood is so expensive, and  it's going to be painted anyway, why not choose a different material than solid wood? I would suggest a good plywood, like Baltic Birch or Tuckernut. These plywoods are multi-layered, slightly more so than normal plywood. And they're exceptionally strong.  When you use plywood for your shelves, though, you will probably need to add something like a 1 x 2 vertically to the front and back of your shelf, which will greatly reduce the sag.

Another panel material to consider is melamine covered MDF. You could buy a white melamine panel, which would eliminate the need for painting.  Melamine is easy to work with, and looks quite nice. As for hiding the MDF edges, you could do a couple of things - paint, use plastic laminate, or even edge it in solid wood, like an accent wood of Cherry or Walnut or some wood you have in your home. Melamine board is fairly inexpensive, maybe $30 a sheet; compared to solid wood, it's a bargain. You should be able to find melamine panels at your local Home Depot or Lowes.

If you're set on painting solid wood, I would look for something that's reasonably priced, with a smooth grain. Maybe Alder? Pine? The only thing about those two woods are that they are soft, so durability might be an issue.  But if you want durability and end up using a hardwood, like Oak or Maple, you're going to be paying a lot for that, only to cover it with paint. Seems like a waste of money to me.

OK, hope this helps, write back if you have any other questions,

Jamie Yocono
www.wooditis.com
Las Vegas, NV