Making Plywood Slab Cabinet Doors

A banded edge door may have a rough seam that may show through the paint stain when the door is finished.

Making plywood slab cabinet doors.

Probably the most inexpensive and versatile style of a cabinet door is the slab. For a base cabinet less than 4 wide you can cut all the parts except the back and toekick from one 3 4 4 8 sheet of plywood or mdf. While slab style cabinet doors can be built from plywood or melamine with the edges banded it is relatively simple to build slab doors from solid wood. Extra tall so you can trim their ends after gluing.

Make a list of the parts of your diy shaker cabinet doors before you begin. Edge banding is of a matching wood species. Start by ripping two side pieces to the. Then cut the door out of a sheet of plywood or your chosen material with a circular or table saw.

Solid hardwood too if properly sealed with stain or paint should not warp. Make a no fuss case using your tablesaw. Warping plywood cabinet doors cabinetmakers agree that plywood is not suitable for making doors because of its tendency to warp. Slab plywood doors slab plywood doors are real wood veneer over plywood with a banded edge.

Nearly every major cabinet manufacturer will offer cabinet lines that feature slab doors. This series offers a consistently inconsistent look to your design. Sources for slab doors. Here s a classic way to put together a strong good looking door without making any unsightly holes.

To make a simple slab door start by measuring the dimensions for your door. Plywood core doors are dimensionally stable and even raw mdf will resist warping as long as the laminate or thermofoil covering remains intact. If you want a woodgrain look use medium density fiberboard on a painted or covered surface. It s a good idea to make your doors 1 8 in.

Columbia s appalachian traditions line answers the need for the edge glued lumber or plank matched look perfectly. For flatness and stability mdf core material is a better choice. Question i ve made some slab doors out of fir plywood for a small kitchen and i m concerned about the doors warping as some have started.