best material for sliding doors in shop cabinet

[tom coleman]

I want to make some sliding doors to hide the contents of a storage shelf on garage wall. My approach is to rip a 2x4 to 1.5 x 1.5 and cut grooves with my dado blades and then use 1/4" plywood slabs as doors varnished on both sides and wax portion that slides in grooves.

I am in a high humidity area (florida) and am concerned about warping. What can I do to minimize warping? Is there an alternative to plywood?

[Dewey Torres]

I want to make some sliding doors to hide the contents of a storage shelf on garage wall. My approach is to rip a 2x4 to 1.5 x 1.5 and cut grooves with my dado blades and then use 1/4" plywood slabs as doors varnished on both sides and wax portion that slides in grooves.

I am in a high humidity area (florida) and am concerned about warping. What can I do to minimize warping? Is there an alternative to plywood?

I am from Panama City originally (before the Navy)...

1/4'' hard board is a good solution. It is cheap and easy to replace down the line. My cabs are made with it here in CO (frame and panel setup).

[Dell Littlefield]

I made some of 1/2 inch ply. The doors were each about 4ft by 6ft. I installed some very small rollers for the bottom that fit in plastic track. This was not very satisfactory so I bought a sliding closet door set of hardware and that proved much more reliable. BTW I also live in Florida and have had no issue with the humidity. My doors are painted on both sides.

[Rick Gooden]

How about something like this..........Maybe just a little too big? I agree with the 1/4" hardboard.

[Russ Boyd]

I also used 1/4" hardboard for mine. They have to be at least 10 years old and still operate well. With your humidity you might do well to make your groove oversized. Russ

[Chip Lindley]

+2,3,4 on Hardboard! Unless the cabinets are very large you have your solution! I guess Stanley still makes some 1/4" deep round finger-pulls that press into holes. These make a neat solution for slider doors. Make sure the doors overlap at the center an inch or so, to prohibit dust entry. Some self-adhesive foam could be applied to gasket the doors where they meet.

[Jamie Buxton]

In my end of the country, construction lumber (for instance 2x4) is sold green. As it dries, it is very likely to warp, and take the panel with it. Even kiln-dried construction lumber is somewhat wet. It is dried to 19%, which is just low enough that mold won't grow on it. However, as it dries further, it is still likely to warp.

[Greg Deakins]

I like the hardboard option, but not the material choice for the frame. Think in that case I would use something harder, (oak) as over time, the bottom will wear. Also, those are a bear to get in and out if cut too big, leave a good amount of play in the top to bottom measurement and use large enough tracks to conceal it.

[glenn bradley]

+1 1/4" hardboard. If moisture is really a problem you could get 'service tempered (http://doitbest.com/Hardboard+Panels-DPI-Decorative+Panels+Intl-model-TS125-doitbest-sku-112522.dib)' hardboard for a bit more $.