Sliding cabinet doors are a great way to update the look of your home. They can be used in any type of room and can create a modern, industrial, or rustic look. In this tutorial, we’ve put together a step-by-step guide to building sliding cabinet doors using plywood, hardwood, and pine boards.
Sliding doors work well in a design aesthetic that is minimalist or modern.
Sliding doors work well in a design aesthetic that is minimalist or modern. In this project, we’ll use sliding doors to create a wall cabinet with spaces for shelves. Sliding doors are more efficient than hinged ones because they don’t need to be opened fully and clear of obstructions. This makes it easier to access the contents of your cabinets without having to move everything around every time you want something from them.
You’ll need basic woodworking tools such as a router bits, table saw, bandsaw or hand drill with countersink bit, and small power sander (optional). The cost of this project is about $200 using pine boards purchased at Home Depot or Lowes. If you have some scrap plywood laying around then you can make this even cheaper
Sliding doors are more efficient than hinged doors, because they don’t need to be opened fully and clear of obstructions.
Sliding doors are more efficient than hinged doors, because they don’t need to be opened fully and clear of obstructions. That’s why we recommend sliding doors for wall cabinets.
How to build cabinets with sliding doors? The steps are:
- Assemble cabinet boxes and doors.
- Cut cabinet boxes and doors.
- Install cabinet boxes and doors.
- Attach cabinet boxes and doors
This instructable will show you how to fabricate and install sliding doors.
- In this instructable I will show you how to fabricate and install sliding doors.
- The steps are as follows:
- Step 1: Measure the opening in your wall cabinet where the door will be installed.
- Step 2: Cut out a plywood panel with dimensions that match those of the opening.
- Step 3: Make sure that the plywood panel is thick enough for your hardware and hinges to attach properly (I used ¾” plywood). If it needs to be thicker than ¾”, add another layer of ½” MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard) or particle board overtop of it before attaching the hardware. This will give you an extra ¼” of thickness for added stability when installing everything together later on.
- Tools required include:
- A tape measurer/ruler, pencil and marking device; circular saw with blade designed specifically for cutting wood (a miter saw also works well); drill bits sized appropriately for drilling pilot holes through all materials’ thicknesses at their respective depths from flush with surface edges; jigsaw equipped with metal cutting blade made especially for cutting steel (optional).
It is not the only way to build cabinet doors that slide – but it is the best way I’ve found so far
This is a DIY project, but it’s not the only way to build cabinet doors that slide. This design is not complicated, but it does require careful attention to detail during construction.
If you are looking for something simple and straightforward, this guide may be perfect for you. It will take some time and effort to get the job done right—but once your sliding cabinet doors are installed, they should serve your needs well for years to come.
This project uses plywood, hardwood, and pine boards.
This project uses plywood, hardwood, and pine boards.
Plywood for the face frame and the drawer sides
Hardwood for the drawer faces
Pine for the drawer bottoms
The most expensive part of this project is the drawer slides; use a good quality hinge so that your doors don’t jam or fall off when you open them. You can save money by buying less expensive plywood (grade D or E) but if you are going to be making furniture, we recommend using at least grade A plywood for your projects because it will hold up better over time than lower grades. If you’re not sure what kind of wood to use or which type of wood will work best in your climate conditions then check out our guide on choosing cabinet materials here: Choosing Cabinet Materials
Sliding doors are easier to make and use than hinged ones.
Sliding doors are easier to make and use than hinged ones. They require less space, do not need to be opened fully and clear of obstructions, are more efficient in their use of materials and can be made from plywood, hardwood or pine boards. This instructable will show you how I built sliding doors for my wall cabinet – but it is not the only way to build cabinet sliding doors
Conclusion
Our job as a DIYer is to make our lives easier, and that means finding ways to make the tasks we do more efficient. In this case, sliding doors are clearly better than hinged ones – at least when it comes down to storage space. But there are some drawbacks too: for example, they’re harder to install and might not always work for your home’s decoration style. If you can live with these disadvantages though (or if you think maybe they won’t be an issue), then sliding doors might just be the solution you’ve been looking for
