Talked to a 30 year shop guy about plywood edge banding, now I'm second guessing my go-to

Last Thursday I was picking up some Baltic birch at the lumber yard and got to chatting with this older guy who runs a one man shop downtown. He said I was wasting time with my iron on edge banding and that he's hand cut and glued every single edge for 30 years because the pre glued stuff peels no matter what you do. It hit different because he wasn't trying to sell me anything, just shaking his head at my roll of tape. I've done maybe 200 cabinets with iron on and only had a few callbacks, but now I'm wondering if I've been cutting corners without knowing it. Has anyone else switched methods after a random shop talk like that, or is iron on banding fine for most residential work?

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zara_sanchez22d ago

Iron on is fine for most residential stuff, honestly. That old timer has his way and it works for him, but 200 cabinets with a few callbacks is a solid track record in my book. The trick is prepping the edges right and not skimping on heat or pressure, most peeling comes from rushed installs. I've had shops that swear by the glue ups too, but they charge double for it and clients rarely notice once it's painted. Stick with what gets you done on time without callbacks, that's the real measure.