When I read this comment, I thought "nah it's not that hard" and then I tried whispering it to myself. Took me 4 attempts to say it right. Touché, realtorvlogs.
Thanks for the tips. I love how you get straight to the point and don't try to entertain us, trying to be funny or sarcastic. Your voice is pleasant and your speed is perfect. I can't make it through most videos. So I really appreciate you and I have learned more from you than any other carpenter.
100%! I watch most videos at 2x speed, cause once you get used to understanding it, it saves half the time. It makes going back to normal speed kind of agonizing with most videos, but somehow his are still really enjoyable.
I started using this a while back when I realized it was cheaper. I didn't know they were finger-jointed, so that explains why they're cheaper. Thanks!
I was surprised when I watched the video that there was no mention of a couple more downsides of FJP, which are that Pine is a very soft wood so it dents easily, and also that Finger Joints tend to show through even when painted. I use FJP, so don't get me wrong - it's a fine material for some applications - but I use bare Poplar for anything that really matters to me, and I do the relatively small amount of extra work to prime and paint it. Poplar is more expensive and takes more time with the extra step to prime (BIN Shellac!!) but I feel much better about it when it's done.
Thank you, great advice. Do you feel like running some videos on how to design and install these kind of installations. When to use a base platform, attachment points, hiding screw fixings, ergonomics etc. These questions are what stump me at present.
Thank you! As a newbie I’m learning so much from you. Just purchased the drill and circular saw you recommended. These boards are perfect for the shelving in my laundry room. Would have never known were it not for you. 😊
Thank you, mollymom! I’m really glad the videos are helpful. I try to pull up as many of these slightly overlooked topics as possible. More coming. Good luck, and work safe! 🙂
@@TheHonestCarpenter Stop calling it "pre-primed pine". That sounds like it's before being primed. Just call it primed pine; either it's primed or not primed, no need for the pre-. Pre-primed refers to the state of before being primed, aka not yet primed.
I also like to use pre primed pine for this kind of thing. Wider boards don’t seem to be available around here so I use a combination of this and melamine sheets. Glue doesn’t adhere well to melamine so I use screws and putty them over. For primed pine to primed pine joints, I prefer to use construction adhesive (liquid nails) and brad nails. Tite-bond PVA glue is great stuff but I only use it for raw timber.
This channel is great. As a carpenter, I appreciate your thoroughness and you do a great job of explaining everything. Sometimes I learn things from your channel, and other times I feel reassured in the way that I build things when I see that you would do it similarly.
I've found that I have better luck with construction adhesive (liquid nails) than wood glue with primed material. And I agree, this stuff is nearly flawless and saves a ton of time, especially if you're working in an area where spraying paint isn't practical.
I have always wonder why melamine are not preferred for interior shelving as no painting is required and they are really cheap for a 4x8 sheet. Would really appreciate if you can share your honest opinion. Thank you!
It's heavy, hard to glue and paint due to the (melamine) plastic finish, and since it's compressed wood chips with glue, it swells when wet and explodes (almost not kidding)when screwed and nailed (doesn't hold nails well), forcing you to religiously protect the finish when working and to pre drill and use caution with screws that may bulge the other side even with pre drilling. So you need screws that are thin with very thick threads to go into slightly larger than usual holes to avoid this. So less holding means more screwing, or adding glue to toughen every hole. You also need a fine saw blade to avoid chipping the edges. It also doesn't like long spans and will definitely sag: it doesn't have longitudinal grain like wood to be put in tension. When you have the patience and/or professional shop equipment, this cheaper pre finished type of material is good. Otherwise, as with all cheaper industrial grade cheapo stuff, you need to work a lot or use it when visual appearance isnt a priority.
Great tips. Working at Lowes, a lot of people would buy "pre-packaged shelving kits" then stop by Lumber for another small board; Just a couple aisles over they could get the same thing, but, be able to cut down to exact sizes to maximize out the space they are building in. "Pre-packaged kit" that's only 36 inches, when they have something such as 41 & 1/2 inches to work with. The kits are convenient, but with some basic tools & watching a couple of The Honest Carpenter's videos, and you've got a project to be proud of !! Panel saw at the store can help cut down to whatever size needed. ( Cutting real slow on melamine types of wood cuts down on splintering, and/or using tape ) ?? Thanks.
I can't tell you how many exterior finger jointed brick moldings I've replaced over the years. Whenever I order a new exterior door I always negate the trim and either apply solid wood or whenever possible PVC. And both are very easy to build up and or profile if wanted.
Oh boy, secret is out now. I’ve been using these on my interior projects for years, especially since they get paint anyway and you will never see the joints.
Thank you for posting this video!!! With pre-primed Pine, how does it measure up to the stated sizes? Is a 1"x3" actually 1"x3" or is it really 3/4"x2-1/2" & so on?....
I really enjoyed the video and thought that this would be a really great tip for someone like me who's getting into building my own built-ins. I've seen the material in HD plenty of times and never really thought about it. So when I made a trip there recently, I was rather surprised to see the prices on them. They look extremely expensive to me! I saw a board that was 12"W by 8'L, and it was at least $40!! I wasn't sure if I was looking at pre-primed pine or a PVC board! By comparison, I can get a decent plywood sheet for $40-60, and that'll give me the same amount of material as $160 in pre-primed pine. Sure, I have to cut it and prime it myself (and in particular deal with the edges), but that's a huge price difference! Was I missing something? Was I looking at the wrong product?
@@TheHonestCarpenter What wood makes the finished product-(painted airless sprayer) look the absolute best? I've seen plywood etc and even painted look cheap and terrible. Money is not an object.
For your face frame, you can run your board through the table saw on edge to cut a very thin rabbit to remove the primer for gluing. Same for the edge of the shelf.
Hey!! I have a question, what about the white “fake wood” or pressboard stuff that you can buy at Lowes (easy trak)? I’m living in a rental property and needed shelves for my closet. I was buying an 8ft wood board and they cut into 2ft sections until I saw how much cheaper that white pressboard (not sure what the heck it is). If I owned home, I’d do something more solid but this is working for me.
This video should be called "how to build crap out of crap." Finger jointed wood is EXTREMELY weak. It's only good for trim and baseboards, and sometimes not even that. I'm glad I have the skill and knowledge to build my own things instead of relying on hacks like this guy.
I was just pricing an indoor storage cabinet project (using melamine) when I saw this video. Definitely a better and more durable solution. Thanks for the idea!
This has changed, at least local to me. Lowes wanted $50 for an 8' x 12" primed finger board, and only $40 for the same size premium pine board with no knots at all. Oh, and they were completely out of the primed board in that size too.
Good video! It's true, I never think of that stuff. Wondering WHY the finger-jointed boards are less strong, given what we now know about the extreme strength of end-grain glue-ups? I suspect perhaps they are not using a good PVA glue, so they can achieve faster setting joints.
This stuff is absolute shite. It looks ok when you purchase it, and quickly goes downhill, _no_ dimensional stability at all. You'd do way better to rip everything from sheets of Baltic birch.
So with the vid consult. Does it include “convince the wife”? Because that sir would be a mooooney maker! Lol! Thanks for the great advice. I love throwing up shelves and this should save me some time.
Any advice on how to secure the bottom self divider/support if my closet has a tile floor? I find your videos really informative and helpful. Thank you.
In the southern hemisphere we call this a dog bar I think because the first brand available was called Dogyu by we shortened the name. That was 15yrs ago but now there are loads more brands available
I'm a handyman and I once asked a paint manufacturer what would happen if I didn't add a top coat of paint on top of a pre-primed board. They said that after a month, the primed surface would start to peel, and that the top coat was needed for long lasting protection. It was on an exterior project. I'm wondering whether one can get away without painting a top coat on pre-primed boards for an interior project.
So would you say this isn't a good option to put together boxes for a full built in closet where I will run a clothes hanging bar to hang clothes between the sides of the box?
Great tip. If only they'd sell primed boards here in Japan. I've been to a lot of different home centers (think HomeDepot, Lowe's, Ace, etc.) here but I have only ever seen primed plywood. And that was one-sided, meaning only one side was primed, not all sides. Maybe this is just not a thing here. Oh well. Gonna keep my eyes open, maybe I was just unlucky so far.
Ahaa. Many times I go walking to wood isles just looking at the woods and dreaming of projects I could do. I love wyyd so much :) but I sure always skippa doo all the the pre-primed pine stuff. I'm gonna slow down next time. Thanks for the tips 👍
I've done lots of shelving with knotty pine and hit it with a coat of white shellac before painting. Your suggestion seems much cheaper and easier! I'm sure you're right it isn't as strong as solid boards, but for many projects I wouldn't expect that to matter much. People don't often store heavy loads in bedroom closets, linen closets, and pantries. I'd probably avoid that stuff for garage shelving though, heavier loads and more humidity variation to gradually undo those finger joints.
Mr. James, thank you for your integrity in presenting these videos. I have seen just about all of them as I have a hunger to learn in this area. I am retired and a veteran and thank you for all that you do to make my woodworking hobby so much more enjoyable. You are one of several that I watch.
I'm a huge fan of PFJ. I once built some custom book shelves for a customer using clear pine, painted it, and it warped like crazy. Needless to say, I was not happy and neither was my customer. So at my own expense, I tore the shelves down, purchased PFJ, built and painted the shelves and they look great. No warping at all. Maybe I did something wrong the first time around with the clear pine, but I won't go down that road again as long as PFJ is readily available
I recently discovered that the 5+" preprimed shiplap is good for small wren bird houses. I trim off the side tabs with my small bandsaw and then cut the pieces with either 90degree or 45degree edges, depending on their part in the project. I got a box of 1 gallon zip lock bags and created kit packages for use with Boys and Girls Club kids. They get a ready to finish project quickly without the need for them to use power tools. thanks for talking about the preprimed wood. I buy mine at Lowes where I think the quality is highest here in eastern Iowa.
I just started using it for my inside trim around my doors in my 130 year old house post fire .... much easier to purchase as I need it without painting. I would rather use or find full dimensional 1X5.5, but that is hard to find ...and I'm not a pro. Also, my trip used to be full dimensional redwood on top of redwood walls (verticle/horizontal to make a 2 inch wide wall .. no studs ... not lattice).
