Hi I have a very large built in cupboard which I used 18mm MDF for the sliding doors. I used 18mm MDF for shelves and etc also. I papered the doors and I have found that the doors are bowed. I also need to keep tightening the track to the support above as I believe the weight of the doors is causing the screws to loosen when the doors are used. The doors are very heavy as they are 18mm thick and 1230 x2220mm times 2. When they are opened they make an incredible rumbling noise which I believe is due to the weight. I have considered changing the doors to three doors with a thinner sheet material . I just don't know what to go for as I know it is a bad idea to paper the sheet material, I think this caused the MDF to bow, but I don't want to have plain painted doors. I considered MF MDF and even Shower boards which come in a variety of finishes but are quite expensive. I have also found that MDF is not good for holding screws and this is why I am not sure of what material to use. Any ideas would be appreciated.
If the doors are just hanging from the upper rail, then I'm not surprised you are having issues, as you have realised it's heavy and if you screw into the end "grain" there is no strength to it. You would be better creating a thin frame and cladding it with thin MDF/ Plywood in the same way then now make interior doors. They will weight next to nothing. If you think 3 doors would be an option, you could probably get interior doors around the correct size anyway if you don't fancy making them yourself, but they would be thicker, so may cause other issues depending on how you have it setup.
You could try to counteract the bow by papering the inside! Apart from that, try to make sure they are neither hanging nor standing, in other words hanging but touching at the bottom. If you don't have gliders/rollers at the bottom, fit some(or design some). Hard plastic against hard plastic glides, for example, especially if rubbed with a clear candle! Mr. HandyAndy - Really
Frales, Mr Ha has hit on how to tackle the warp . But, full sheets of 18mm MDF are bludy heavy - no wonder your poor rails are suffering. Alternatives? Depends on what tools and skills you have. Do you have a bench saw and/or router? If so, it's easy to make up your own doors using a thinner MDF sheet, say 12mm. Essentially you use a flat 12mm MDF panel the size of the door, and then cut strips around 90mm wide from more 12mm MDF, plane the edges, bevel them, and then PVA them on top of the main sheet to make an outer 'frame' and central/top/bottom stiles. For more interest, cut some vertical V grooves into the central panels - again around 90mm spacing - to give more character. If your screw issue is as Craig says - screws loosening from the end 'grain', then use metal brackets instead - screwed into the backs of the sheets and coming over flat on top of the top edge - use small nuts & bolts to secure to the rail. Or, modify/replace your existing rails to take folding doors - almost the same setup, but have bi-fold doors on either side - either 2 pairs or else one pair and a normal hinged door on t'other side. These will also need floor guides. Do you have a floor guide or rail at all with your current setup?
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