# Plywood barndoor



## jinjin (Sep 19, 2008)

Hi there.

I am planning on building a barndoor for our family room.

It will be 2 panels, each with dimension of 30" x 96". I don't own much of tools for woodworking, so I would like to make this as simple as possible. And also at low cost. Here is the what the doors would look like.









I'm going to have 30"x96" plywood for panel in the center and on each side, I plan to glue/nail/screw in the frames as shown in the drawing.

I am wondering if it would be ok to use plywood to build the frame or do I need to use solid wood boards? We live in the coastal area, so we do get a lot of moisture. Do I need to worry much about warping for door of this size? If so, which would be better, using solid wood or plywood for framing?

I also like this look. But since all the boards are going horizontally, it seems like it will more likely to warp vertically with 8ft height. Am I wrong? Is this more stable design, using same type of wood?

Thank you in advance.


----------



## pjones46 (Mar 1, 2011)

MDF would be a better choice IMHO and as long as you paint/seal all surfaces the problem of moisture should not be a problem inside your home. The down side is MDF is heavier which may or may not be a problem in the size of track you plan to use.

The addition of the trim will also act as stiffeners as long as you use the more vertical grain of the wood you plan to use for trim. You could use MDF strips for the trim as well, there again if your plan to paint the project.


----------



## canadianchips (Mar 12, 2010)

Are you painting this door ?
If this was my project I would use solid lumber for the framework, 1/4 ply for panels
One 1×4 clear fir on each side, 1×6" fir top and bottom, with panel sandwiched in between. Glued and screwed or nailed. The door will be about 1 5/8 " thick when finished.


----------



## jinjin (Sep 19, 2008)

Yes, I'm going to paint them. For frames, would appearance hardwood work? I see Home Depot or Lowe's selling these. Or is it better to go with framing lumber, like Douglas Fir?

@pjones46 
Is MDF sturdy? I always thought they were inferior after all these encounters with flimsy IKEA furnitures.

Thank you for your responses.


----------



## bondogaposis (Dec 18, 2011)

Hardwood frames and plywood panels.


----------



## MT_Stringer (Jul 21, 2009)

I am confused. Are you going to make rails and stiles and mullions with insert panels or are you just going to nail boards on top of a piece of plywood? There is a big difference.


----------



## pjones46 (Mar 1, 2011)

> I am confused. Are you going to make rails and stiles and mullions with insert panels or are you just going to nail boards on top of a piece of plywood? There is a big difference.
> 
> - MTStringer


+1 MTStringer…


----------



## jinjin (Sep 19, 2008)

Just nail the boards on top of plywood. Trying to keep things super simple.
thx.


----------



## pjones46 (Mar 1, 2011)

With plywood of that length you may find that the doors will warp over time even after being painted. I am assuming the doors are sliding and not hinged so MDF once painted would be more stable.

It is personal preference, both will work.


----------



## AlaskaGuy (Jan 29, 2012)

Don't ever think MDF can't warp.

http://www.woodweb.com/knowledge_base/Door_Warping_Mystery.html


----------



## MT_Stringer (Jul 21, 2009)

Since your overall length is 96 inches, you might want to consider shortening the length to 95 1/2. That way, you can trim a little off each end to clean up the "factory edge". It will help if you can pick your pieces carefully. They might look good in the stack, then you might discover dings, tears, and rough edge when you get it home.

Another way would be to trim the edges all around with solid wood.

Same thought goes for the material you use to make the fake frames. If you don't have a jointer, you could rip each edge with a good clean, sharp blade on your table saw. Good, clean joints will look good when you get finished.

If I were building these doors, I would use pocket screw construction to make the frames, then attach them to the plywood and add the trim to the edges.

Here is my version.

Overview









Rear Plywood Panel









Edge Band Detail









Note. Glue and nail the the edge band to the panel and the frame. That should add strength to the door and hopefully minimize the warping.

Good luck with your project.
Mike


----------



## pjones46 (Mar 1, 2011)

Cabinetmakers agree that plywood is not suitable for making doors because of its tendency to warp. For flatness and stability, MDF-core material is a better choice. That being said, there are cases where both will warp and that includes solid wood doors. As said above, MDF once painted would be more stable but is pesonal choice.

Plywood warping


----------

