Tambor door backing ???

[David Duke]

I will be building a small tambor door for an appliance garage, I was hoping someone could tell me what is normally used for the flexible backing the slats are glued to.

Thanks in advance,

[Mike Wilkins]

Seems like there was a past article in Fine Woodworking magazine that explained the use of canvas as a backing for tambour doors.
Or maybe burlap.
Either one should be available at your local fabric store.

[David DeCristoforo]

A good quality canvas (also known as "Duck") should be used. I make mine (tambours, not canvas!) in a vacuum press. I lightly stretch the canvas over an oversized piece of melamine (one of the few things it's good for) and staple all four edges to keep it in place. Then I nail one slat across the bottom edge and one on the left side. Then I use a paint roller to apply glue to the canvas (Titebond). Next, I lay the tambour slats down, lightly pulling them against the bottom slat (the one I nailed down) and against the slat on the left side. Once all of the slats are laid out, I pin the last one down to hold everything in place and slip the whole thing into the press. If you don't have a press, you can use a sheet of "whatever" as a caul and weight it down with whatever you have (sandbags, giant boulders, your truck, etc.). Once the glue is set, use a sharp utility knife to cut the canvas away from the board and volia...one tambour....