Hardboard for Cabinet Doors

[Frediy]

After having built 8' x 8' x 16" (D) storage shelves in the garage, I am planning to add sliding doors.  Due to space constraints and weight consideration, my plan was to make the doors, each 4' by 8',  out of hardboard cemented to 1/2" x 3" (pine, plywood, mdf?) rails and stiles.  For the tracks I thought the plastic Knape and Vogt set (3/4") might work.  However I really am not confident if this is a good plan. I worry the door might still be too heavy,  the doors won't slide smoothly and the doors would warp.   I also considered metal tracks used for closet door but figure the track will be too deep (2").

I look forward to hearing from more experienced builders on this forum.  Any and all comments/suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Thanks,

Fred

[Coop]

Have you considered something like this? https://www.realslidinghardware.com/barn-door-hardware-kits/

[Frediy]

Thanks K Cooper, I did consider barn-door but figured it would only be 4' wide, since I don't have space on either side of the shelves/cabinets.

 

Fred

[gee-dub]

It robs you of some overhead clearance but, for doors that large I would hang from above like sliding closet doors.  I have a space like this in my shop and it has worked out very well.  The doors are a frame as you describe but, skinned on front and rear (1/8") to add rigidity and reliability (resist warping).

 

[Eric.]

Just use plywood with edge banding on the sides of each door.  It's dimensionally stable, it's tough, and it's nice looking...especially compared to hardboard.  Route a shallow groove in the bottom shelf and a slightly deeper groove in the upper shelf so that you can remove the doors if needed.

One word of warning...if you plan to use an upper and lower track system of ANY kind, you'll need to make sure that both tracks are perfectly square and in line with each other, otherwise you'll get all kinds of binding.

[TerryMcK]

I would just use 1/4" plywood or acrylic sheeting (plexiglass, perspex or if I'm feeling particularly rich lexan) for sliding doors in the shop. However if you like the look of hardboard it will still slide in a 1/4" groove - no fancy glueing to anything else.

+1 what Eric said about tracks too. Make sure the upper groove is routed deeper than the lower, give some clearance to the panel at the top and it will lift in and out of the grooves with ease. No handles, pulls or knobs needed just drill a 1" hole.

[Hurricane Dry]

I just got done making upper wall cabinets with KV plastic sliding tracks for 1/4" thick doors.  The cabinets are mounted over a work bench.

The cabinets are built and installed.  I have not made the doors yet as I want to buy 1/4" Melamine 1 side in 4 x 8 sheets and home depot doesn't carry full sheets of that material ( they have 2 x 4 sheets).  I will be going to a place that carries it in a few weeks when I am on that side of town.

When I designed my cabinets, I was concerned about the width and height ratio.  A door that is wider than it is high will slide nicely.  As the width to height ratio decreases, at some point, I think the door will want to cock and not open easily.  I think that the ratio at which this occurs will be dependant on where the door handle is.  On overhead cabinets, the handle will be closer to the bottom of the door.  On tall cabinets that go to the ground, the door handle will be closer to the middle of the door.  I think this will allow a narrower width to height.

I could not find any design information on this subject.  So, I think we are on our own to figure it out by experimentation.  You might want to build a test door first.  If you find sticking is a problem, then making wider cabinets and/or having upper and lower doors will allow you to alter the width/height ratio to something that works.

Japanese Shoji doors work off of a sliding track similar to the KV plastic sliding track principal.  Perhaps a book on Shoji doors will offer guidance on this issue, if it even is an issue. 

[wdwerker]

For a 4' x 8' door to be sliding you need more than a plastic or aluminum track. However you build a door that size it needs to be hung from above on wheels.

A frame made of 5/4 wood with at least one center cross rail could have 1/4 hardboard panels to keep the weight down.

 http://jhusa.net/111sd.aspx

 

I have used this companies tracks for many years. Look around on the site I am sure they have what you need. Get the track & wheels first then read the instructions carefully before you build doors to fit your cabinet.

Bypassing sliding doors usually have an overlap in the center. Allow for this when you size the doors. Make them 3/8 to 3/4 wider than half of the opening.

[Frediy]

Thank you all for your detailed suggestions and comments.  I am really glad I checked with this forum before buying the materials.

I will look into hanging the doors on wheels next to see what is the minimum thickness allowed.   As the primary goal for the door is to keep dusts away and hide the clutters, I think Shoji door is an interesting idea.  At least weight should not be a problem but take more effort to build one.

Couple more questions:

Will a 1/4" hardboard door (4'x8') warp at all without a "frame"?

To gee-dub, who makes the track/wheels in the photo you shared?  

Thanks Again!

Fred

[Eric.]

6 minutes ago, Frediy said:

 

Will a 1/4" hardboard door (4'x8') warp at all without a "frame"?

 

Absolutely.  That stuff is no good for nothin'.

I totally missed the fact that these doors are huge.  I'd do exactly what Steve suggested with the wheels like a barn door.  Forget my plywood idea...I was thinking these were standard cabinet sized doors.

[Frediy]

I was able to find the track hardware which gee-dub shared.

http://jhusa.net/2204f.aspx

Thanks,

Fred