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Thread: Door to storage area - not too heavy

  1. #1

    Door to storage area - not too heavy

    Hello, I have attached the picture of the scenario. I need a door for a sloped ceiling (will out swing and on the left). I would love to build it in a way that the bottom part looks like other drawers in the room - see other picture (they will be fake drawers and the top will look like the wall). Although, it seems quite complicated. The door will be 74 high (left side) by 32" wide. What I am trying to do, is to have a door that does not look like a door. I was thinking also about a mirror but it will reflect a mess in a closet on the left. I cannot close that closet with real doors because of the sloped ceiling. I was thinking about using 5 BLUM Soft Close Inset hinges (PN B.71B3750 and B.173H7100) which would be ok for 42L of plywood. However I am concerned that the ply would warp overtime. Did any of you attempt to make an invisible door for a cellar or so? Thanks
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  2. #2
    Join Date
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    My preference is to use a standard hollow core door cut to size. I have done this on many jobs. The width should be close enough and you just machine up a piece of timber to push in the top edge to replace what you removed. It will be light and stable but means a different hinge solution.

    Alternatively, use mdf instead of ply. It will be much more reliable for this application although the size is stretching the limits. Cheers

  3. #3
    Join Date
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    I'm not sure I would like dealing with that sharp point at the top. Would it be reasonable to frame in a short horizontal piece near the top to eliminate the sharp point?

    JKJ

  4. #4
    Wayne, the hollow door is not an option because it will be too tight. I said 32 but the opening is 32", so I will not have enough space for the hinges. MDF would be very heavy unless I pay double price for the light MDF which is the same weight of the ply.
    John, your point is valid but the opening is all plastered (poorly) and I am trying to have max height. Probably I will consider to have a very small piece and not having sharp. Thanks to both of you for the suggestions.

  5. #5
    Join Date
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    Quote Originally Posted by laura vianello View Post
    Wayne, the hollow door is not an option because it will be too tight. I said 32 but the opening is 32", so I will not have enough space for the hinges. MDF would be very heavy unless I pay double price for the light MDF which is the same weight of the ply.
    John, your point is valid but the opening is all plastered (poorly) and I am trying to have max height. Probably I will consider to have a very small piece and not having sharp. Thanks to both of you for the suggestions.
    You can make a standard hollow core door a bit narrower. You just rip one or both long edges. How much you can get away with depends upon how wide the door manufacturer made the rails. You want to keep enough meat for hinge and latch screws to bite. You often can look at the top or bottom edge of a candidate door to see how wide the side rails are.

  6. #6
    Join Date
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    For storage below stairs I've built doors with a slanted top like yours. There's no reason you can't do it. But it gets a little tricky at the point. We're all familiar with beveling the latch-side edge of a regular interior door, to get it to clear the latch-side jamb. You have to do the same thing to the top of a slanted-top door. The odd thing is that the bevel angle gets bigger and bigger as you approach the tip of the door. It's one of those things you might be able to calculate, but it is easier just to hang the door on its hinges, standing open, and note where it is going to be running into the jamb. Cut away whatever is necessary.

  7. #7
    Hi Jamie, I think I am lost with your comment "The odd thing is that the bevel angle gets bigger and bigger as you approach the tip of the door". Let me explain the options I have and how I thought I would go about them. 1st option: Inswing - the door will be shorter because it will run on the step in the picture. I can use normal door hinges and I will cover the jamb with 1.5 baltic birch frame like the rest of the knee walls cabs (in the second pic). However the door will not be flush with the frame (while my cabs are inset so flash). 2nd option: Outswing - Full door to the floor, using 5 or 6 Blum overlay 15/16 (typical hinges for face frame cab), cut the face frame at 1.1/4' (instead of 1.5) so the door will cover the whole frame of the door (basically the face frame will not be visible). 3rd: Outswing - do a complete Inset door with the blum hinges for Euro cab no face frame (see my first message) like my cabs - this option is great but you will see the light filtering from behind which kind of limite the purpose of trying to have a door that does not look like a door.

    To give you even more details. The door will have a birch plywood panel on it or will be done this way (it is the theme of the room, scandi birch minimalist) like this one:
    https://www.themakerplace.co.uk/product/peg-it-all-storage-panel-in-natural-birch-plywood/
    I am concerned about the heaviness of it and the possible warping overtime.
    Should I add wood cross bar in the back to ofset the warping.
    No idea...so many questions...

  8. #8
    I would use 3/4 ultra light mdf and spot glue and nail on the birch. Glue might not be neccesary

  9. #9
    Hi Mel, if I use light MDF (70$ where I live), then the birch panel needs to be very thin. At this time my birch ply panel (that I have in the house) is 3/4" and it is 69$. I cannot use one on top of each other because way too heavy. You are suggesting light MDF because you are concerned about the 3/4 ply warping? I think that the glue will be necessary because when I make the 20mm holes there will be a void between the thin birch and the MDF. If warping is at stake, I might abandon the idea of peg holes because the additional layer of ply would drive the cost to $150 for a door. Thanks for your help

  10. #10
    I must have been thinking the birch was thin and with the light mdf would make a door of reasonable weight. Since the door is not symetrical I would consider making the door out of light mdf and painting it. Even though the birch is a feature
    IMO it will not be improved by being covered. The hollow doors do have enough perimeter frame to allow some trimming.

  11. #11
    Thanks to all for the suggestions. Trapped with my real work and need to postpone this project.

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