Back up filler for veneer

[Sam Murdoch]

This is a what would you use question. Thanks in advance for offering advice.

I have been asked (as a favor for friends) to remove a mid rail from 2- 49" tall X 17" wide red oak cabinet door. The placement is at the 1/2 way mark and now that the owners see it they would prefer it to be more a 1/3rd:2/3rd. They don't want to buy 2 new doors. The company built them, as asked - owners now just don't care for it.

A production shop product so I wasn't certain if it was an true mid rail or simply applied to the face front and back between the stiles. There was enough of a gap in the panel slot to leave the question and the back has pins though the stile obviously locating the rail. I couldn't tell, therefore, if the panel was one piece or 2.

SO - I removed the face mid rail and discovered that in fact it was a true rail and that the panel (1/4" veneered MDF) is in two pieces. My plan is to apply some paper backed 10ml veneer to the full height face and leave the rail only on the back of the panel. Adding a new mid rail at the preferred height is obviously out of the question as the 2 piece panel won't allow it.

BUT - to my question. The rail was slotted for the panel and now I have the slot on both edges that needs to be filled and smoothed flat before applying veneer. WHAT TO USE to fill the gaps? Bondo is too hard (difficult to sand smooth without compromising the flatness of the adding panels, still in the door). Spackling too soft.

Is there a wood filler product, that you could recommend, that would bond well and permanently to the wood in the gap and that will sand better than bondo or spackling and perform well as a substrate for the veneer?

I'm into it now

Thanks for your help.

Sam

[John TenEyck]

Sam, I would take a different approach. I would carefully cut the rails away, but leave the sticking profiles. That means cutting away the tenons by whatever means necessary. Then rip off the sticking molding and glue it onto new rails. One of the panels you removed will be long enough for one of the panels you need so you just need to make one new one. To put the door back together you can use jack miters and loose tenons. I recently had a posting in the Projects forum on "Cutting Down and Interior Door" that shows that technique.

John

[Sam Murdoch]

Hi John,

Yes I saw your post and was impressed with your clean and clever solution. Here though - simple tenon - no sticking. Yes I could cut down the door and reassemble but I would need to buy a 1/4" thick veneered panel - actually, big enough for the 4 new panels in order for the grain to relate one above the other (some what less of a concern side to side.) I thought that I could simply veneer a new face on the 2 doors with a sheet I have. Good grain match up and down and side to side. Minimal risk as I eliminate the take apart and rebuild.

The challenge will be to fit the veneer and lay it in perfectly. I need to bridge that middle gap though and so my question.

Sam

[John TenEyck]

Sam, I think you are going to have great difficulty fitting veneer into the already framed door. Personally, I think there is less risk taking the door apart and rebuilding it but you should do what you feel most comfortable with. So to address your original question, I would use Bondo despite your misgivings. I've never had any trouble sanding it after it has cured, or scraping it. But if you are dead set against Bondo, you might consider Rockhard Putty.

John

[Wayne Lomman]

I agree with John but if you are going to fill the area, an auto body filler is the best by far. To avoid the hard work of leveling, fill in 2 stages. Mostly fill it first and then skim coat to bring it level. It means minimal sanding and is actually the correct technique for this type of product. The other thing to do is to pare the excess off just after it has set and before it is fully hard. A sharp chisel or plane blade save a ton of sanding. Cheers

[Sam Murdoch]

OK - thanks. Bondo it will be and if I fail in my mission I can cut the door apart and reassemble & refinish using new panels. That will be plan B.
Hopefully I can make Plan A work just fine.

Sam