We may receive a commission when you use our affiliate links. However, this does not impact our recommendations.
Every once in a while I get reminded of why I do the things I do. Specifically, why I choose to not finish the insides of my drawer boxes. What reminds me of this technique that I feel so passionate about? Don’t laugh , it’s my handkerchief.
I change my hankie daily and occasionally, maybe because the temperature is just right or the moon has a particular gravitational pull, I get the biggest whiff of pine from that 12″-square of cloth. The pine aroma soaks into the material as it’s stored in the unfinished drawer. It’s pure unadulterated eastern white pine or Pinus strobus.
But I have to admit that’s not the reason I choose to not finish my drawers; it’s just a pleasant by-product of the action. The real reason I don’t add stain and finish to my drawer boxes is three-fold.
First, I watch the PBS series “Antiques Road Show.” I like the Keno brothers and had the opportunity to meet Leigh Keno at the Philadelphia Antiques Show. There’s no kindred relationship. He wouldn’t know me if I stumbled into his highboy. But, I like their views on furniture and how it should look in order to be classified as an authentic antique.
One of the areas that they emphasize is natural patination on the case back and especially on the drawer boxes and drawer bottoms. These areas are great clues to the authenticity of a period piece. It can sometimes mean a huge difference in value , possibly tens of thousands of dollars. I decided at that time I would not finish my drawers. I don’t want to deprive my customers of that money sometime in the future. Yeah, right!
While the Keno message does enter into my thought process, there is another reason. In the early stages of my quest into building furniture I did finish the drawer boxes. I also felt I was doing a service by making the drawers out of a solid 3/4″-thick material (I actually used that as a sales pitch.) However, that never came back to haunt me as did the finished drawers.
We had a great show in Boston. We sold a boatload of furniture. In that mega-batch was a custom-built piece, a Shaker-style cupboard. Delivered to the customer’s home and set in place, the piece seemed perfect. I hadn’t noticed at the time (October) that my customer didn’t have air conditioning. But, in a short six months, when the windows were open, she discovered that whatever was in the lower two drawers was to stay there until winter had reared its ugly head. Oops! My drawer fit was a bit on the tight side.
By the time I was back in the area to fix the drawers, not only were they stuck in place, the lacquer that I used as the finish had melded the drawer sides to the case interior like a two-part epoxy. I had to hammer the drawers to free them from the grip of the case sides, take them outside the house, then scrape and sand them to remove the lacquer. “Ah Ha” moment two had just said hello.
Finally (I did say there were three reasons), I took two identical drawers and began the finishing process, keeping time with a stopwatch. Pretty sad, huh? The additional time spent to finish the interior of a drawer was unbelievable. I saved more than a half hour on one drawer alone. Well, I was in business to make money. Time was money. No more finishing of the drawer boxes for me.
I had more than enough information to convince me to leave the drawers plain. Not only that, I had a response when potential customers asked why (and they always did). Best of all, I have a sweet smell in my handkerchief. Now, even the occasional head cold isn’t so bad.
Here are some supplies and tools we find essential in our everyday work around the shop. We may receive a commission from sales referred by our links; however, we have carefully selected these products for their usefulness and quality.
Gee Thanks!!!
But seriously, I appreciate the feedback, now I have to go get to work.
Tim
Folks,
As you can see from the above comments, many of you are interested whether this applies to kitchen cabinet drawers as well. I’m coming from a furniture perspective and kitchen drawers are completely different.
I’ve talked with a few kitchen builders and I believe that it’s accepted to apply at least one coat of lacquer (or other topcoat) on their drawer boxes. For the most part major kitchen cabinet builders use a prefinished material for their drawers.
Sorry, I don’t think the no-finish policy holds true for those building kitchen cabinets. Now, get to work!
Hi Glen,
Like Tim above, I am curious as to your opinion about kitchen drawers. Last night I completed 6 for my kitchen remodel and am (or maybe was) about to finish the boxes with clear poly.
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. BTW, I am not a pro but a hobbyist and articles like this are gold to me.
Thanks from Glenn to Glen
I haven’t finished drawer insides for years & years. Besides the drawer sides sticking to the cabinet, things left in the drawers for a while stick to the finish
(can damage papers). And I prefer the smell of unfinished wood to chemical smell of stains and/or paints.
Great article. I am at this phase in my bookcase with drawers, and had debated if I should finish them or not. How about the inside and back of the case work? Same thing? I did not, excecpt a wash coat of shellac on the back.
Interesting article. I, too haven’t finished a drawer box since my first one. My wife complained about a chemical odor from the drawers on hot and humid days. I always thought that it would come back to haunt me in the future so thanks for allaying my fears.
Great piece. Very convincing. Thanks.
Does this also applie equally to kitchen cabinet drawers? Is there ever any issue with cleaning?
Thanks,
Tim
Dennis,
You are right. It’s a matter of jargon. I consider the inside of the drawer as anything that is not exposed as the drawer is in its closed position. The exterior of the drawer box would be what stuck to the case in that early cupboard. The distinction being the word "box".
I only finish the face of the drawer fronts. All other drawer parts, the entire box as well as the backside of the drawer front, remain clear of finish to allow that natural patina.
A question concerning the article on finishing the inside of drawers. You keep saying "inside". But then you write about the drawer finish sticking to the inside of the case sides. To me that is the outside of the drawers.
Are you advocating that the entire drawer box not be finished and only the visible drawer front be finished? Or do you actually mean only the inner faces of the sides, back, and bottom remain unfinished?
Thanks,
DR
Irwin,
In my shop I call that SOP (Standard Operating Procedure). It happens everytime I stain a drawer front. I use aniline dyes. As I brush the stain onto the edges of the drawers – down it runs. I clean it off very easily with the random orbital sander when the drawer finish is complete. No sense in doing it before that time because I can eliminate any overspray of the lacquer or shellac.
What’s with the run down the side of the drawer?