OK, so this style is a track mounted in the header of the opening, and then two rollers are attached to the backside of each slab. The door (by the rollers) hangs on the track and slides left to right. None of that modern thing where the door slides across the wall. So only one side of the closet can be open at any one time.
As I’ve been going through the house, I’ve been doing all the floors in either maple or cherry. The living room is cherry with maple inlays, and the dining room is maple with cherry inlays. This room in question is maple, so I was considering getting some cherry plywood, sandwiching it around some kind of core to get to the 1 7/16" thickness of the originals, and urethaning it. It would look nice, I think, but finishing exposed the edges nice is where I worry I’ll make a hash of it, and if I try to dress it up at all it’s likely to look like Fisher Price First Woodworking Project. I know my strengths (electrical, framing, hardwood floors) and my weaknesses (anything finished; I get the moldings done, usually after fucking up 1/2 the pieces and having to redo them; fortunately moldings are cheap)
And regarding the 1 7/16 thickness, there’s definitely a 1/4" +/- on that. Meaning, I could go up or down a bit and I’d be OK. I don’t have to get it exact.
ETA: Due to one side of the closet being in a corner, and the other side having light switches, I’m not sure I could do one of the outside wall sliders.
I seriously advise you hire a pro to do this. Your house sounds nice.
Don’t screw up finish carpentry, over a closet door.
It’ll cost more. But it will be worth it.
Fair, but the way it works is that if my work looks like shit, I go with the pro. I don’t display my shame.
Since someone asked for a pic, here it is
The base moldings aren’t tacked up yet, so they won’t be so sloppy, they’re just resting in place at the moment.
You can see the hardware that hangs the door resting in their tracks at the top of the opening.
Love your color. First. Looks nice with the flooring.
Yeah, I see where you’d have an issue with the barn type sliding door thing.
Is there some manufacturer stamped on your existing hardware?
Nobody asked, but the room is done, save for getting some closet door slabs. We’re going to move in there and then I’m taking the sledge hammer to the bedroom
Coming back for an update because I’ve decided to try my hand at making some doors. I’m handy, but I ain’t no finished carpenter. We’ll see how this goes.
I’ve settled on my design, and I’m going to use some 1/4 or 3/8” finish Maple and Cherry plywood. All the floors are cherry or maple, so I thought bringing them together would be a nice touch.
I need some help, though. I need to bulk the doors to 1 1/2” thickness. Solid plywood will probably approach 80lbs. I don’t want to make a frame with a completely hollow center, because that would be flimsy, I think. I also don’t want the doors to weigh too little- nothing says “cheap” like a weightless door. I’ll also need enough bulk around the edges to take some kind of handle/pull.
So I’m asking the carpenters/woodworkers/cabinet makers out there what I can use for a core. It needs to be nice and flat, ala Baltic Birch, not prone to curls and curves like (say) BC pine ply. Something between 3/4 and 1” thick would work. The best I’ve come up with so far is poplar plywood. That’s about 40lbs for 3/4”, and I could face it off with 3/8” finish ply, but that might be a bit heavy (I really wish I hadn’t tossed the old doors during demo; I bet I could have used them as cores, but I didn’t want to trip over them while I was doing the room). By my math, I’ll be cutting the plywood down by 30% or so, which will take significant weight out. Maybe a finished weight of 40lbs is OK?
Mods, is it possible to update the title to reflect a renewed call for help to the woodworkers/carpenters out there?