door panels

[barryr]

Hello
Does anyone know what the best material to use to replace the cardboard type material the factory used for the door panels? Mine are in not that bad shape but I am not putting speakers back in and will be recovering the panels themselves. One choice is 3mm or 1/8 inch press board but that will be a problem if it gets wet. I read somewhere that somebody was using a waterproof type material but I just cant remember what it was. Any thoughts?
Barry

[Evans, Marv]

I made mine out of plastic sheet. I went to a plastic supply company. You'd be amazed at the things they have. I bought plastic sheet material (it comes in 4 ft. x 8 ft. sheets & they cut it in half & sold the half to me) that had a spongy plastic core between smooth sheets. Easy to cut into any shape & water proof. It comes in different thicknesses too.

[barryr]

Hi Marv
Did it have a product or brand name? Have you seen anything similar at a nation chain store?
Thanks
Barry

[Srwilliams]

Marv:

I too am interested in the plastic you purchased becausse I am making door panels as well

What was the name of the exact plastic you bought, I wan to go to a plastic store and purchased exactly what you got

[sc_rufctr]

The plastic sheet sounds good. How well do the staples secure the trim?
I would be concerned they wouldn't be very secure. (Low friction)

Maybe something without the spongy plastic core would be better.

You can get "un blown poly styrene" in sheets. It's flexible and is solid all the way through...

[RWebb]

get them from Bob at appbiz - he uses a special material specifically made for this function & is very helpful too

[E Sully]

Using the old one as a template, I cut mine out of masonite and then coated it with spar urethane. With a new plastic vapor barrier on the door, I think it will hold up well.

[sc_rufctr]

Great Job!

[jtfreels]

E Sully, I'd like to know the weight difference (guess is ok) between the original and the masonite panel, what thickness massonite?
Also how the stapeling went.

Jay

[E Sully]

Unfortunately I didn't take pics of the door during installation. I had to install a new window regulator and replace the window seals and it seemed like a good time to repair the door panel.
I used 1/8" masonite. The panel weighs about 3lbs with the spar urethane. I didn't check the original, but I'd say it added a couple ounces, not worth mentioning. The staples were the tough part. I couldn't find any 1/8" staples, so I took my Arrow staple gun staples, put some tape across them, and cut them 1/8" with my dremmel cut off wheels. I used the 3M spray adhesive with the staples. The staples seemed to hold well with the 3M adhesive.
The vapor barrier is just thin plastic sheeting from home depot, attached with 3M spray adhesive to the door before installing the finished panel. I used this shelf liner material from home depot to replace the factory foam backing between the masonite and vinyl. All done on a warm summer day when the vinyl was soft and strechable.

[RWebb]

masonite will fall apart with water intrusion or even "heavy" moisture - it adds some wt. as well if you care about that

luan plywood is what was used decades ago, but modern foamed plastics are impervious to water & are used in modern cars

appbiz cuts them perfectly to size out of the modern materials

I understand if you are not enthralled about paying shipping half way around the planet, but there must be something similar down under one could use.

[E Sully]

I understand your concerns about moisture, but the spar urethane on the masonite offers excellent protection. It only costs a couple dollars for a small container at the hardware store. The treated masonite worked great for me. It cut easily with a jig saw. I like the rigidity when stretching the cover, and with the spray adhesive and staples it held the cover well. I personally like it more for this purpose than the foamed plastics. As for weight, it depends on whether a pound matters to you.

[jtfreels]

Thanks for the info.

Jay

[RWebb]

the problem with a coating like urethane is that it will eventually wear off as the installation flexes - less likely on a house

but do whatever you want

[shnewberry]

Auto upholstery suppliers use a product called panelboard. It is a waterproof (or water resistant), heavy paper-based stock about 1/8 in thick. That is what they call out for door panels. Do not confuse it with chip board which is more like heavy construction paper.

[barryr]

Thanks for all the good idea's!
Barry

[Evans, Marv]

Barry,
I couldn't tell you any exact name of the plastic I used for panels. I was just looking around for ideas like you are and got the idea of checking out a place that sold plastic sheet along with other plastic products. They also fabricated large orders of plastic items like those clear plastic display holders you see on the tops of counters that have things like advertising brochures in them - actually about anything in plastic you wanted to order made to your specs. It wasn't a retail place - more of a wholesale and fabricating place, but I walked in and asked to look at the kinds of plastic sheet they sold. It turned out they had all kinds and were completely happy to sell me anything I wanted in any quantity. Sometimes it pays to think out of the box, because you end up developing resources that work for lots of different needs. Just start looking & checking around & good luck.

[barryr]

OK
Thank You. I was starting to think that is what I would have to do.
Barry

[rw7810]

I used a product called "gorilla board", a very light foam sandwich material found in art suppply stores.

Gorilla Board | Matte textured foam PVC | Foamacell USA Inc.

[vwbobd]

Ive got a great source for panel board. Im afraid ill break the rules by posting the link though. But heres the details


PANEL BOARD - WATERPROOF




Use these for a variety of applications including: door panels in cars, rear hat trays in cars, on the outside of furniture and the inside of furniture arms. You can sew these with any commercial sewing machine. They are 100 point or about 1/8" thick. These are sold with a minimum of 4 sheets.




QTY:
(Each)
32" x 48" - 0475 : $6.98