Type of wood for alcove cabinet?

[brightondiynotfan]

Hello - building a cabinet in alcove at the weekend. Going for a "shaker style", so will be painted white eggshell.

Now, what type of wood should I be buying? I already have some cabinet doors that I will reuse, but for the frame front to stick around them ... bog-standard whitewood PSE from Wickes? Or should I be heading to the timber merchants and getting a hardwood?

I want to achieve a smooth finish, with no visible grain. If I gave a softwood PSE enough coats of eggshell, would it be resistant to everyday bumps?

cheers!

 

[big-all]

mdf or pse timber are both great
mdf is cheap and easy to paint but slightly more difficult to attach hinges to but easy enough if your careful

 

[foxhole]

For no visible grain then mdf is ideal, use 18mm and no frame is required.

 

[brightondiynotfan]

thanks for tips!