How much sanding/staining/poly to the inside of drawer cabinets?

[Pakaderm]

I'm building a cabinet with several drawers. Once the drawers are in place, nothing ever comes in contact with the inside of the cabinet. How much 'finishing' do you guys do to these inside areas that are not seen, not ever touched, and never have anything leaning against them?

Thanks,
-Pak

[SARGE..g-47]

It depends as I see it. If it is a kitchen cabinet and we're talking knive and forks.. etc.. I might not bother dependind on what wood I used on the drawers inside. Moisture protection is not a major factor here.

I generally use poplar for inner drawers. In a kithchen I would probably quick coat it with spray shellac and let it be. Not really necessary as long as the wood is relatively attractive on it's own. Now.. on a chest of drawers the same could be said, but I prefer to use two coats of wiped shellac to seal any smell or possible (but not likely) sap that might still be in the wood as those drawers contain clothing that you will wear.

Women seem to have a sense of smell that goes far beyond we quys.

[cabinetman]

I usually finish the cabinet inside and out. This goes for wall ends and appliance openings. Finishing inside of drawer openings helps to minimize insects, any potential odor from the bare carcass, and is easier to clean. And it's an area the client can see.
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[JimD]

I also prefer to finish the inside of drawers. If I am spray finishing the cabinet I will usually do a 2 or 3 coats of the same finish inside the drawers. I do not sand the inside much, however. After the first coat of finish I nock the fuzz off and hit it again.

I also have used wipe on poly on the inside of drawers. Simple and provides good protection.

Jim

[Pakaderm]

Just to be clear, I not referring to the drawers themselves, but rather a cabinet with no doors, only drawers.

-Pak

[Jeffrey Schronce]

Given you are talking about interior of cabinet that will not be seen/used as it is all drawers you could leave it as is.

A more conservative approach would be to finish it the same as the exterior (as long as it is not an oil based finish as the oder will not go away quickly). The theory here is to equalize the seasonal wood movement.

[cabinetman]

Given you are talking about interior of cabinet that will not be seen/used as it is all drawers you could leave it as is.

A more conservative approach would be to finish it the same as the exterior (as long as it is not an oil based finish as the oder will not go away quickly). The theory here is to equalize the seasonal wood movement.

That would apply to a cabinet constructed from solid wood, as in glue-ups, not one from sheet goods like plywoods. The OP didn't really make it clear what the carcass was.
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[Pakaderm]

That would apply to a cabinet constructed from solid wood, as in glue-ups, not one from sheet goods like plywoods. The OP didn't really make it clear what the carcass was.
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Sorry, this question refers to plywood, and the application is for DIY garage drawer units.

-Pak

[atgcpaul]

Sorry, this question refers to plywood, and the application is for DIY garage drawer units.

-Pak

My rule of thumb is if it can be *obviously* seen from any angle or is an area
that serves a functional purpose, then it needs finishing. In this case, I
personally would not finish the inside of the cabinet that holds the drawers.

A caveat to this rule is if I use solid wood. Then I make it a point to finish
all surfaces. Mostly to control wood movement; I don't worry about it with
plywood when built properly.

Paul

[mschrank]

Sorry, this question refers to plywood, and the application is for DIY garage drawer units.

-Pak

I'm not qualified to answer...I didn't even put finish on the exterior of my garage/shop cabinets.

[JimD]

Unless you are worried about the cabinet getting wet, I would not finish the inside. If you live in a part of the country where you have to worry about the vehicles carrying frozen water inside, you might want to finish the inside of the lower portions in case they get wet from direct moisture or humidity.

Jim