I need to make a cupboard door. Size is 990mm x 915mm with a maximum thickness of 37mm. It will be to replace two existing hollow doors on a large bedroom cupboard. The idea in having a single door is so that a TV can be mounted on it.
The door fits into a conventional door frame as installed by the builders so is flush with the front of the frame.

Initially I thought about making a hollow door with lap joints at the corners and a vertical rib to take the TV mount and then cover it with MDF which will be painted. Then I wondered if I was over complicating things and I should just use a sheet of 18mm MDF. MDF would be about 12Kg and the TV about 5Kg so heavy but not massively so. The problem with this solution would be the hinges - I don't like the idea of screwing into the edge of the MDF. Googling shows that other people either do it without a problem or set dowels into the edge and then screw into these. So anyone have any thoughts?

Peter.

PAJ wrote:

Initially I thought about making a hollow door with lap joints at the
corners and a vertical rib to take the TV mount and then cover it with MDF
which will be painted. Then I wondered if I was over complicating things
and I should just use a sheet of 18mm MDF. MDF would be about 12Kg and
the TV about 5Kg so heavy

Are you sure about those weights? I've never measured MDF weight, but a 12
KG door seems heavy to me, especially if the TV is going to be less than
half the weight...

If you make the door with an outer frame, but no diagonal bracing bar
mightn't the thing tend to skew into a trapezoidal shape? The (presumably)
thin MDF you think of covering it with would need to be strong enough to
resist that.

Still, if you're planning to hinge it only on one side I'd think it might
put quite a strain on the hinges and frame on one side - is the door frame
strong enough for that?

If it were me I think I might abandon the idea of a hinged door and instead
plan to lift the TV and door into place, and lift it out when not required.
But that would only work if you planned to keep nothing you wanted access to
often in the space behind it.

Or, I might use an articulated TV wall bracket to support the weight of the
TV and make a very lightweight fill-in panel to cover the void behind it and
allow the arm out of it.

--
Jeremy C B Nicoll - my opinions are my own.

Email sent to my from-address will be deleted. Instead, please reply
to replacing "aaa" by "284".

On Wednesday, October 22, 2014 8:27:26 PM UTC+1, PAJ wrote:
8

I need to make a cupboard door. Size is 990mm x 915mm with a maximum thickness of 37mm.

which will be painted. Then I wondered if I was over complicating things and I should just use a sheet of 18mm MDF. MDF would be about 12Kg and the TV about 5Kg so heavy but not massively so. The problem with this solution would be the hinges - I don't like the idea of screwing into the edge of the MDF.

I dont like the idea of mdf sheet a bit, but if you do it you can get very long hinges, historic style.


NT

If you hang things on the mdf door, sooner or later it will twist and close
at the bottom, but not at the top.

Not sure if any door will be imune to lop sided weight in the way you
describe.
Brian

--
From the Sofa of Brian Gaff Reply address is active
"PAJ" wrote in message
...
I need to make a cupboard door. Size is 990mm x 915mm with a maximum
thickness of 37mm. It will be to replace two existing hollow doors on a
large bedroom cupboard. The idea in having a single door is so that a TV
can be mounted on it.
The door fits into a conventional door frame as installed by the builders so
is flush with the front of the frame.

Initially I thought about making a hollow door with lap joints at the
corners and a vertical rib to take the TV mount and then cover it with MDF
which will be painted. Then I wondered if I was over complicating things
and I should just use a sheet of 18mm MDF. MDF would be about 12Kg and the
TV about 5Kg so heavy but not massively so. The problem with this solution
would be the hinges - I don't like the idea of screwing into the edge of the
MDF. Googling shows that other people either do it without a problem or set
dowels into the edge and then screw into these. So anyone have any
thoughts?

Peter.

Or over sized piano type hinges of course. I've done this on a kitchen
cabinet door with a waste bin on the back side which completely knackered
the original hinges and ther mounting.
Brian

--
From the Sofa of Brian Gaff Reply address is active
wrote in message
...
On Wednesday, October 22, 2014 8:27:26 PM UTC+1, PAJ wrote:
8

I need to make a cupboard door. Size is 990mm x 915mm with a maximum
thickness of 37mm.

which will be painted. Then I wondered if I was over complicating things
and I should just use a sheet of 18mm MDF. MDF would be about 12Kg and
the TV about 5Kg so heavy but not massively so. The problem with this
solution would be the hinges - I don't like the idea of screwing into the
edge of the MDF.

I dont like the idea of mdf sheet a bit, but if you do it you can get very
long hinges, historic style.


NT

On 23/10/2014 08:43, Brian Gaff wrote:
If you hang things on the mdf door, sooner or later it will twist and close
at the bottom, but not at the top.

Not sure if any door will be imune to lop sided weight in the way you
describe.
Brian


+1

Brian Gaff wrote

If you hang things on the mdf door, sooner or later it will twist and
close at the bottom, but not at the top.

Not sure if any door will be imune to lop sided weight in the way you
describe.

A very rigid one obviously would be.

"PAJ" wrote in message
...
I need to make a cupboard door. Size is 990mm x 915mm with a maximum
thickness of 37mm. It will be to replace two existing hollow doors on a
large bedroom cupboard. The idea in having a single door is so that a TV
can be mounted on it.
The door fits into a conventional door frame as installed by the builders
so is flush with the front of the frame.

Initially I thought about making a hollow door with lap joints at the
corners and a vertical rib to take the TV mount and then cover it with MDF
which will be painted. Then I wondered if I was over complicating things
and I should just use a sheet of 18mm MDF. MDF would be about 12Kg and
the TV about 5Kg so heavy but not massively so. The problem with this
solution would be the hinges - I don't like the idea of screwing into the
edge of the MDF. Googling shows that other people either do it without a
problem or set dowels into the edge and then screw into these. So anyone
have any thoughts?

Peter.

Thanks for the suggestions, I think my 12Kg MDF weight is correct. Wickes quote 40Kg for a large sheet and I worked it out from that. Also Ikea wardrobe doors I recently fitted were 13Kg and they did not seem excessive for the 3 hinge arrangement provided. A Wickes veneer internal door is 30Kg.

However, as Rod says rigidity is the key and I am leaning back towards a hollow construction (with diagonal brace) using 3" wide timber skinned with 6mm MDF on the front and 3mm hardboard on the back. The TV weight on the front will now to some extent be counterbalanced by a DVD rack for 200 DVD's on the back!

PAJ wrote

Thanks for the suggestions, I think my 12Kg MDF weight is correct.
Wickes quote 40Kg for a large sheet and I worked it out from that.
Also Ikea wardrobe doors I recently fitted were 13Kg and they did
not seem excessive for the 3 hinge arrangement provided.
A Wickes veneer internal door is 30Kg.

However, as Rod says rigidity is the key

Yeah, I'd personally start with a 19mm RHS frame covered
with whatever you like appearance wise. Solves the hinge
attachment problem too, just pop rivet the hinges onto that.

But you do need to be able to weld and
have a welder to be able to do it like that.

and I am leaning back towards a hollow construction
(with diagonal brace) using 3" wide timber skinned with
6mm MDF on the front and 3mm hardboard on the back.

I'd personally do that with 19 or 25mm RHS instead.

The back gate is done with 19mm rhs and its plenty rigid
enough even when you climb on it. The front gate is 38mm
and is very rigid indeed and trivial to weld the hinges too
in both cases. Those have lasted fine for 40 years now.

The TV weight on the front will now to some extent be
counterbalanced by a DVD rack for 200 DVD's on the back!

Yeah, that's part of the trick to make it work well
with something that isnt that light in total weight.

Sorry, that should have be 50 DVD's.

On Thursday, October 23, 2014 9:51:06 AM UTC+1, PAJ wrote:

Thanks for the suggestions, I think my 12Kg MDF weight is correct. Wickes quote 40Kg for a large sheet and I worked it out from that. Also Ikea wardrobe doors I recently fitted were 13Kg and they did not seem excessive for the 3 hinge arrangement provided. A Wickes veneer internal door is 30Kg.

However, as Rod says rigidity is the key and I am leaning back towards a hollow construction (with diagonal brace) using 3" wide timber skinned with 6mm MDF on the front and 3mm hardboard on the back. The TV weight on the front will now to some extent be counterbalanced by a DVD rack for 200 DVD's on the back!

Lots of internal diagonal bracing could really help. And nice thick wood on the hinge side.


NT

Thanks NT.
I am thinking along those lines now.

Also, I did not make it clear but the door width is 915mm (3ft), only 6" wider than a standard internal door so it's not that massive and with three or even four hinges I don't think it will be a problem.

On Thursday, October 23, 2014 1:55:51 PM UTC+1, PAJ wrote:
Thanks NT.
I am thinking along those lines now.

Also, I did not make it clear but the door width is 915mm (3ft), only 6" wider than a standard internal door so it's not that massive and with three or even four hinges I don't think it will be a problem.




18mm mdf weighs 14.64kg /m2

On Thursday, October 23, 2014 1:55:51 PM UTC+1, PAJ wrote:

Thanks NT.
I am thinking along those lines now.

Also, I did not make it clear but the door width is 915mm (3ft), only 6" wider than a standard internal door so it's not that massive and with three or even four hinges I don't think it will be a problem.

I might use 4 diagonal timber braces forming an angled square inside the outer square. I'm sure its overkill, but will enable lighter timber plus provide a fair bit of support enabling a thinner skin, and provide plenty of fixing points for the tv & CDs.

____
| /\ |
|/ \|
|\ /|
|_\/_|


NT

On 22/10/2014 20:27, PAJ wrote:
I need to make a cupboard door. Size is 990mm x 915mm with a maximum thickness of 37mm. It will be to replace two existing hollow doors on a large bedroom cupboard. The idea in having a single door is so that a TV can be mounted on it.
The door fits into a conventional door frame as installed by the builders so is flush with the front of the frame.

Initially I thought about making a hollow door with lap joints at the corners and a vertical rib to take the TV mount and then cover it with MDF which will be painted. Then I wondered if I was over complicating things and I should just use a sheet of 18mm MDF. MDF would be about 12Kg and the TV about 5Kg so heavy but not massively so. The problem with this solution would be the hinges - I don't like the idea of screwing into the edge of the MDF. Googling shows that other people either do it without a problem or set dowels into the edge and then screw into these. So anyone have any thoughts?

Peter.


I'd stick with the "hollow" door, but I'd go for 3mm hardboard either
side so the wooden frame can be thicker. Can always use a bit of foam or
glued in cardboard if "bounce" is an issue.
Don't make the mistake I made last time I was in a rush and pin the
hardboard, rather than gluing it though - or the pins show through

Thanks NT, your square inside a square is a great idea, I was thinking one diagonal from bottom left (hinge side) to top right like a gate.

and thanks Lee, I was thinking 6mm MDF only because I have a large piece left from a previous project but you are right 3mm hardboard would be better.

One of the reasons I was thinking about the solid MDF was because of problems getting wood that is the right size and also straight. I confirmed this problem in B&Q today, ideally I would want something about 30mm thick but it's all either 22 or 34 and all as bent as a banana. I will check the local timber yard tomorrow.

On 23/10/2014 17:57, Lee wrote:
On 22/10/2014 20:27, PAJ wrote:
I need to make a cupboard door. Size is 990mm x 915mm with a maximum
thickness of 37mm. It will be to replace two existing hollow doors on
a large bedroom cupboard. The idea in having a single door is so that
a TV can be mounted on it.
The door fits into a conventional door frame as installed by the
builders so is flush with the front of the frame.

Initially I thought about making a hollow door with lap joints at the
corners and a vertical rib to take the TV mount and then cover it with
MDF which will be painted. Then I wondered if I was over complicating
things and I should just use a sheet of 18mm MDF. MDF would be about
12Kg and the TV about 5Kg so heavy but not massively so. The problem
with this solution would be the hinges - I don't like the idea of
screwing into the edge of the MDF. Googling shows that other people
either do it without a problem or set dowels into the edge and then
screw into these. So anyone have any thoughts?

Peter.


I'd stick with the "hollow" door, but I'd go for 3mm hardboard either
side so the wooden frame can be thicker. Can always use a bit of foam or
glued in cardboard if "bounce" is an issue.
Don't make the mistake I made last time I was in a rush and pin the
hardboard, rather than gluing it though - or the pins show through

Me too. Since you have the room to make it "thick" you have plenty of
meat to fit whatever type of hinges you choose. Hardboard or plywood or
thin MDF would do for the facings, personally I would screw and glue and
then you should have plenty of stiffness against "sag".