door warping

[alex grams]

I made some wall cabinets for my garage for tools/paints and such, and find that the doors end up warping out of plane. Is there any good fix to this? The doors are 24x36 and panel style that sit in grooves routed into the frame (typical panel doors). The panel is 1/4" ply and the frame is 1x2 pine.

Thoughts? It isn't a big thing, but very annoying when i noticed the top of the door sits about 1" out of plane at the top non hinged side.

The only solution i can think would be door catches that hold the door flat against the cabinet when it is closed.

[Bill Huber]

You could always try to warp it the other way. I had a kitchen cabinet door that did that and I put a block in the bottom and then clamped it at the top for awhile and it did go back straight, but I don't know how long it lasted, I moved.

I did see a thing on the net that you could spray them with hot water and do the over warping but that was on unfinished doors.

Good lock.

[alex grams]

They are unfinished (just a shop wall cabinet) I would be afraid that if i tried to bend them back the other way that i would damage the door (they are just made to cover the shelves, not sturdy enough to hang stuff on.

Maybe some positive catch latches would be the way to go, but I've had this same problem on some other cabinets (though nothing nearly this extreme).

Is there any trick for the construction of doors to help prevent this? The only thing I could think of would be a thicker panel, since I am sure it is the solid wood in the frame that is causing the warp, not the panel.

[Frank Snyder]

Alex - You could try wetting the concave side, let it dry and see if it straightens itself out. If it does, I would then follow that with an oil-based finish or primer to seal it.

In the future, finishing your doors after you construct should minimize this phenomenon. Thicker raised panels (3/4") made of a stable material (MDF) would also help. You also want to make sure your stiles and rails are made of straight-grained stock. If there are any changes in grain direction, you will see some kind of movement.

1/4" plywood may also warp on it's own. Better to use 1/2" and rabbet the edges. I'd also use at least 1x3's for the door frames.

Best of luck.

Frank