Visited a high-end kitchen showroom in Portland and noticed all the drawer boxes were now 5/8 inch Baltic birch.

Has anyone else seen this shift away from 1/2 inch plywood, and do you think the extra cost for the thicker material is worth it for a standard kitchen install?

3 comments

3 Comments

karen_perry381mo ago

5/8 inch Baltic birch in a kitchen? That's a huge jump from half inch. The cost difference is no joke, and for a normal kitchen it seems like overkill. Thicker boxes are stronger, sure, but half inch ply has been just fine for decades. Feels like showrooms are pushing premium specs whether you need them or not.

violatorres1mo ago

Honestly Karen, you hit on something that bugs me too. Lee72 is right about the upcharge, but I want to know where it stops. Is the next push for 3/4 inch boxes? Tbh, I'd ask them to prove you need it. Have them show you a broken half inch box from normal use. Ngl, if they can't, it feels like they're just building their margin with thicker wood.

lee721mo ago

Karen_perry38 is right, it's mostly about the upcharge. That extra 1/8 inch doesn't really change how your kitchen works day to day.