# Does anyone have a good way of permanently adhering wood to steel?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-have-a-good-way-of-permanently-adhering-wood-to-steel/654148>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 28, 2013, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-have-a-good-way-of-permanently-adhering-wood-to-steel/654148 "2013-03-28T01:56:36Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 8\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Ficer67](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c57346/32.png) [@Ficer67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ficer67)\
**Post date:** [March 28, 2013, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-have-a-good-way-of-permanently-adhering-wood-to-steel/654148/1 "2013-03-28T01:56:36Z")

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I am making one or more doors for my study. I would like the doors to be wood on the outside and steel on the inside. So are there good ways of making wood adhere to steel?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions

Ficer67

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**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\
**Post date:** [March 28, 2013, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-have-a-good-way-of-permanently-adhering-wood-to-steel/654148/2 "2013-03-28T01:59:13Z")

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Glue advice. [This To That](http://www.thistothat.com/)

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**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\
**Post date:** [March 28, 2013, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-have-a-good-way-of-permanently-adhering-wood-to-steel/654148/3 "2013-03-28T03:01:10Z")

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There are such doors commercially available  
one such line (quick google):

> **[Window Roller Shutters Sydney Inner West | Roller Grilles - Advanced Shutter...](https://www.advancedshutters.com.au/)**
>
> Manufacturers of window roller shutters and roller grilles.

Otherwise, I’d tend toward 3M Super 77 - it lists steel and paper, but not wood.

Or google for laminating cement

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**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\
**Post date:** [March 28, 2013, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-have-a-good-way-of-permanently-adhering-wood-to-steel/654148/4 "2013-03-28T03:14:45Z")

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Can you drill holes in the wood, and run bolts through them and into the steel?

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**Author:** ![Mongo\_Ponton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Mongo\_Ponton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mongo_Ponton)\
**Post date:** [March 28, 2013, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-have-a-good-way-of-permanently-adhering-wood-to-steel/654148/5 "2013-03-28T03:15:11Z")

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I would use 3m 5200.

I’ve used it on the boat and it has survived 25 years of extreme use.

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**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\
**Post date:** [March 28, 2013, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-have-a-good-way-of-permanently-adhering-wood-to-steel/654148/6 "2013-03-28T03:23:38Z")

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CTE mismatches makes it especially challenging.

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**Author:** ![Ficer67](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c57346/32.png) [@Ficer67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ficer67)\
**Post date:** [March 28, 2013, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-have-a-good-way-of-permanently-adhering-wood-to-steel/654148/7 "2013-03-28T03:41:51Z")

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Thanks for the good advice - I should have remembered about 3m products. I have used them before…

Of course, I could buy a door like the one that I want, but they are all way too pricey, which is one of the reasons that I want to make a door. And, I thought about drilling through the steel into the wood. This is still a possibility. I still have to consider how I want the door to look and whether I want to go that route or not.

Thanks again guys

Ficer67

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**Author:** ![busterpickle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@busterpickle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/busterpickle)\
**Post date:** [March 28, 2013, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-have-a-good-way-of-permanently-adhering-wood-to-steel/654148/8 "2013-03-28T23:33:57Z")

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You’d also have to consider the coefficient of expansion. Steel has a range depending on the alloy. Wood also has a range depending on the species and the type of cut. Interesting!

However, people put tile on wood and on steel all the time. You just have to account for the expansion and contraction. I wonder if a type of intermediate layer that would allow the two materials to expand and contract at their different rates would work?