DIY Large Internal Sliding Door

[ultramods]

The house has a large internal flush white sliding door 3200mm wide by 2400mm - 2700mm high. I have been quoted £4k for one to be supplied and fitted, so I have decided to make it myself.

 

I have found a top hung mechanism that requires the door to be between 35-55 mm thick.

 

Can anyone give some advice please on how I should construct the door?

 

I was thinking about 2 or 3 35mm thick birch plywood sheets vertically jointed in situ, however I am struggling to find a company that sells plywood over 35mm thick

 

The two other options I have thought of are:

1: Make a 35mm thick timber frame and then clad it with thinner plywood

2: Glue two sheets of 18mm plywood together, however i'm not sure easy it is to effectively glue sheets together, especially when then top hung mechanism will screw into the centre of where the sheets meet.

[Dudda]

I've almost the exact same. I call it a sliding wall as it’s too big to consider a door. Mine is 3.2 meters long and 2.5 meters high. I purchased a track from PC Henderson. I got was the Soltaire 180 with the low headroom kit which supports 180kg. You can also get the larger 250. The reason I’m mentioning this is the weight of the door and a track that can support the door is important. I was fixing it to the underside of a timber truss roof so didn’t want to put a huge weight on it. I’ve made up a timber frame with battens and facing it with ply. You’re looking at 13.7kg for a sheet of Oak veneered ply and about 13.5kg for MDF. I need just under 8 sheets so 8 x 13.7 = 109.6kg and allow another 20kg for the battens brings me up about 130kg. 

 

If you took gluing two 18mm sheets together you’d need 5 and ⅓ sheets total and at about 41kg a sheet that’s a door weighing about 220kg for the 2400mm high. If it’s 2700mm high it will weigh 248kg which is a bit close to the max weight of the larger Soltaire 250 track. Now you can get larger tracks but I don’t think they’re as elegant or slimline.

 

What I’m getting at is I think the solid is just to heavy. It’s going to get harder to construct, open and close and put a serious weight on the structure above. What track did you get and do you intend to paint or use a veneered ply finish like birch or oak?

[ultramods]

Thanks @Dudda 

 

I think a frame might be the best way to go. Are you going to make the whole door as one piece and than mount the whole thing or are you doing it in sections?

 

The mechanism I was looking at is: https://www.coburn.co.uk/product/straightaway-180/

 

What sort of ply would you recommend if I am painting it white?

 

Also how are you fixing the ply to the frame?

Edited June 20, 2018 by ultramods

[Dudda]

10 minutes ago, ultramods said:

Thanks @Dudda 

 

I think a frame might be the best way to go. Are you going to make the whole door as one piece and than mount the whole thing or are you doing it in sections?

 

The mechanism I was looking at is: https://www.coburn.co.uk/product/straightaway-180/

 

What sort of ply would you recommend if I am painting it white?

Looking at the spec sheet and CAD drawings that's the exact same track I have just sold under another name. I'm making it in one piece. I've the track installed but haven't the door made yet. Still plastering and painting here. Not sure what type of ply I'll use yet. I was also considering mdf as it's smoother finish for painting. Whatever I use it will be 6mm thick.

[ultramods]

3 minutes ago, Dudda said:

Looking at the spec sheet and CAD drawings that's the exact same track I have just sold under another name. I'm making it in one piece. I've the track installed but haven't the door made yet. Still plastering and painting here. Not sure what type of ply I'll use yet. I was also considering mdf as it's smoother finish for painting. Whatever I use it will be 6mm thick.

Thanks.

I thought the mechanism looked very similar.

[ultramods]

@Dudda have you made the door now? Just wondering how you constructed it in the end as I will need to make my one soon.