I am making a vanity for my bathroom and the center of
it has 2 doors. I was just wondering how much space I need
to leave between the doors for expansion so that they will
close properly? Also, I know that they will still expand and contract
no matter what finish I put on, but will they expand and contract less
after the finish is put on as opposed to having no finish on at all?

In article , "Richard J Petruso" wrote:
I am making a vanity for my bathroom and the center of
it has 2 doors. I was just wondering how much space I need
to leave between the doors for expansion so that they will
close properly?

Could be anywhere between 1/32" and perhaps as much as 3/8", depending on:
- the species of wood
- whether it's quartersawn or flatsawn
- how wide the doors are
- the difference between winter and summer humidity levels

You might also consider designing the cabinet so that this will not be an
issue, for example by using overlay doors with a center stile.

Also, I know that they will still expand and contract
no matter what finish I put on, but will they expand and contract less
after the finish is put on as opposed to having no finish on at all?

Definitely. It's hard to quantify how much difference there is, but a good
ballpark estimate IMO is about half as much.


--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

"Richard J Petruso" wrote in message
t...
I am making a vanity for my bathroom and the center of
it has 2 doors. I was just wondering how much space I need
to leave between the doors for expansion so that they will
close properly? Also, I know that they will still expand and contract
no matter what finish I put on, but will they expand and contract less
after the finish is put on as opposed to having no finish on at all?
Richard,

In order to get a good answer, You need to tell us what kind of doors. Are
they solid? Raised panel? Also, what species of wood are you using? If
they are solid, what are the dimensions? If raised panel, what are the
stile widths? Is there a center stile on the cabinet between the doors?
Also, what kind of hinges are you going to use? Some allow you to tweak the
fit which may solve your (possible) problem.


jc

They are a raised panel door made from Knotty Alder.
There is no center stile. The width of the stiles are 2-1/2".
The hinges don't allow for any slight movement.
Thanks
Rich


"Joe" wrote in message
. net...

"Richard J Petruso" wrote in message
t...
I am making a vanity for my bathroom and the center of
it has 2 doors. I was just wondering how much space I need
to leave between the doors for expansion so that they will
close properly? Also, I know that they will still expand and contract
no matter what finish I put on, but will they expand and contract less
after the finish is put on as opposed to having no finish on at all?
Richard,

In order to get a good answer, You need to tell us what kind of doors.
Are they solid? Raised panel? Also, what species of wood are you using?
If they are solid, what are the dimensions? If raised panel, what are the
stile widths? Is there a center stile on the cabinet between the doors?
Also, what kind of hinges are you going to use? Some allow you to tweak
the fit which may solve your (possible) problem.


jc

"Richard J Petruso" wrote in message
t...
They are a raised panel door made from Knotty Alder.
There is no center stile. The width of the stiles are 2-1/2".
The hinges don't allow for any slight movement.
Thanks
Rich


Leave 1/8" and you should be fine.

You can help hide the space between the doors by putting in a false stile
between the doors. The false style would be attached to and behind one of
the doors so that it closes the gap between the doors.

Richard J Petruso wrote:
They are a raised panel door made from Knotty Alder.
There is no center stile. The width of the stiles are 2-1/2".
The hinges don't allow for any slight movement.

Given that it's a frame and panel door, you really only have 5" over
which expansion will be an issue.

The Shrinkulator gives a bit over 1/8" variation over 5" in red alder,
using a wood moisture range of 4% to 14%.

Chris

On Thu, 08 Nov 2007 15:17:11 +0000, Doug Miller wrote:

Also, I know that they will still expand and contract
no matter what finish I put on, but will they expand and contract less
after the finish is put on as opposed to having no finish on at all?

Definitely. It's hard to quantify how much difference there is, but a good
ballpark estimate IMO is about half as much.

Best results are with a few thin wiped-on coats of dewaxed shellac under
the final finish. Shellac slows water vapor exchange better than any
other common finish. I'd suggest poly as the final finish for durability.

On Thu, 8 Nov 2007 08:41:00 -0600, "Richard J Petruso"
wrote:

I am making a vanity for my bathroom and the center of
it has 2 doors. I was just wondering how much space I need
to leave between the doors for expansion so that they will
close properly? Also, I know that they will still expand and contract
no matter what finish I put on, but will they expand and contract less
after the finish is put on as opposed to having no finish on at all?


They will expand and contract. How much depends on the kind of wood,
how the doors are constructed, humidity changes, etc. A sealing finish
on all sides will help stabilize the wood. Also, install a wall timer
switch on the bathroom fan and use it set at least 15 minutes after
bathing.

"Chris Friesen" wrote in message
...
Richard J Petruso wrote:
They are a raised panel door made from Knotty Alder.
There is no center stile. The width of the stiles are 2-1/2".
The hinges don't allow for any slight movement.

Given that it's a frame and panel door, you really only have 5" over which
expansion will be an issue.

The Shrinkulator gives a bit over 1/8" variation over 5" in red alder,
using a wood moisture range of 4% to 14%.

Which ought to be good, given that adsorption doesn't happen
instantaneously. Just use a bit more if your cabinet's in the sauna.

On Nov 8, 8:41 am, "Richard J Petruso"
wrote:
I am making a vanity for my bathroom and the center of
it has 2 doors. I was just wondering how much space I need
to leave between the doors for expansion so that they will
close properly? Also, I know that they will still expand and contract
no matter what finish I put on, but will they expand and contract less
after the finish is put on as opposed to having no finish on at all?

You don't say where you live, and that matters too. Down heah in the
Deep South, my wood shrinks quite a bit when I first take it indoors
and it doesn't move much after that. I could leave a tiny gap while
it's in my shop with confidence that the gap will only grow when I
take it indoors. That's because the relative humidity in my shop is
the same as outdoors, which hovers around 75%. The relative humidity
in my house stays around 40% winter and summer. If you live in
Arizona, and use a humidifier year round, you could have the opposite
experience.

The relative humidity in your bathroom may vary from one part of the
day to another, but I'd guess that it averages out to a fairly
constant number unless your climate has huge swings in ambient
relative humitity from one season to another. The finish on your
doors will slow the absorption/rejection of moisture so that they
eventually reach an equilibium with your average daily humidity
level. They won't be swelling up everytime you shower and shrinking
later in the day. Given that you're using floating panels, the amount
of movement you'll experience should be limited to the growth in width
of your stiles. Be sure a nickle fits between the doors in your shop,
and I'll bet you won't have a problem.

DonkeyHody
"In theory, theory and practice are the same, but in practice they are
not."

I live in the Chicagoland area, so plenty of humidity in the
summer time


"DonkeyHody" wrote in message
oups.com...
On Nov 8, 8:41 am, "Richard J Petruso"
wrote:
I am making a vanity for my bathroom and the center of
it has 2 doors. I was just wondering how much space I need
to leave between the doors for expansion so that they will
close properly? Also, I know that they will still expand and contract
no matter what finish I put on, but will they expand and contract less
after the finish is put on as opposed to having no finish on at all?

You don't say where you live, and that matters too. Down heah in the
Deep South, my wood shrinks quite a bit when I first take it indoors
and it doesn't move much after that. I could leave a tiny gap while
it's in my shop with confidence that the gap will only grow when I
take it indoors. That's because the relative humidity in my shop is
the same as outdoors, which hovers around 75%. The relative humidity
in my house stays around 40% winter and summer. If you live in
Arizona, and use a humidifier year round, you could have the opposite
experience.

The relative humidity in your bathroom may vary from one part of the
day to another, but I'd guess that it averages out to a fairly
constant number unless your climate has huge swings in ambient
relative humitity from one season to another. The finish on your
doors will slow the absorption/rejection of moisture so that they
eventually reach an equilibium with your average daily humidity
level. They won't be swelling up everytime you shower and shrinking
later in the day. Given that you're using floating panels, the amount
of movement you'll experience should be limited to the growth in width
of your stiles. Be sure a nickle fits between the doors in your shop,
and I'll bet you won't have a problem.

DonkeyHody
"In theory, theory and practice are the same, but in practice they are
not."

On Thu, 8 Nov 2007 08:41:00 -0600, "Richard J Petruso"
wrote:

I am making a vanity for my bathroom and the center of
it has 2 doors. I was just wondering how much space I need
to leave between the doors for expansion so that they will
close properly? Also, I know that they will still expand and contract
no matter what finish I put on, but will they expand and contract less
after the finish is put on as opposed to having no finish on at all?


I agree with Leon leave 1/8".
We build our double door cabinets with 1/8" reveal between doors and
have never had a call back because the doors expanded too much. Back
in the old days, with surface mounted hinges, we would use an 8d nail
between the doors to get the proper gap.

Mike O.