Flat Slab Cabinet Doors

[Alan Schell]

A neighbor has asked me to help him make new cabinet fronts. He really wants Flat Slab Doors made out of Walnut. What is the best way to control warp? Would horizontal cleats placed on the back allow for enough seasonal wood movement and still prevent bowing away from face frame of cabinet? If so, what is the best method to attach the cleats? If not, any suggestions?

[Jamie Buxton]

Do you have to use solid lumber? If you use good walnut-veneer plywood, the doors will be flat and stay flat.

[Charlie Plesums]

I am with Jamie about plywood with either veneer edge banding or a hardwood strip.

Walnut is pretty stable by itself, but a cross-grain cleat on the back of a solid door is asking for trouble with any wood.

[ken gibbs]

I advise using 1/2 inch MDF or a good grade of plywood and laminating walnut to the outside face. I did new cabinet doors seven years using this method and have not experienced any warp. I would advide using a good grade of exterior eurathane slightly thinned for absorption to boths sides and edges of your finished doors to prevent water emersion. If you use solid walnut, it will expand and contract and eventually fail due to the movement. If you laminate walnut to the underlayment, use a waterproof glue and always STAIN the walnut wood with walnut stain before you finish. Using a commercial stain will prevent sunshine from lightening the walnut over time and will not change the finish color or tone.

[Todd Bin]

I saw this exact thing at Home Depot Expo last weekend. Hey had solid (slab) walnut cabinet doors with two cleats screwed to the inside of the doors. My first thought was I still bet they will warp over time. But this was a name brand manufacturer.

[julie Graf]

it might be neat to breadboard the slab - but then you have to account for the movement inside the ends. anyone ever done that?

i'd go with plywood though, given the option.

[Rick Gooden]

Plywood and edge. Easy, fast, and stable.

[Jim Becker]

I'd also likely opt for plywood with walnut veneer, but the cleats are doable on the back of a solid door if you provide slots for the screws to allow for movement. The screw in the middle gets fixed and the others float. The ends of the cleat need to be set back from the edges of the doors, even if inset to insure that there is no overhang when the door seasonally shrinks. NEVER glue on the cleat. That said, a cleat does take up cabinet space so that has to be taken into consideration.

[Alan Schell]

Thanks for your input.

I forgot to mention that he already has the wood. I am going to glue up a sample door to let him sit in the kitchen so he can watch and see what happens with the door. I am guessing that we will end up doing panels instead, but I will let him figure that out.

[Dennis Lopeman]

its OK if he already has the wood... Just a little more work, but you could "make" your own vaneer on a bandsaw - just cut it on end and make thin pieces... plane/joint as necessary... then glue them on the plywood/mdf to look like it was butcher block or something like that.

He will also get "more" bang for his buck and could use the extra leftover wood on other features in the kitchen (or entirely different project)

make sense?