Desperately Need Carpentry Advice! (CLOSED THREAD)

Beverley75

Bendy_House said:

Beverley75 said:

Excellent points!!

My main concern is that, in the space, having MDF painted white wouldn't look good? 

I'm really bad at DIY - and as a "working poor" single Mum, I just can't afford to not get it right, first time. 

These are the pictures of my staircase:

If that photo of the pine stringer is a true reflection of the actual tone, then I think it looks yummy.

Everyone has different tastes, of course, but I feel that to also have pine doors underneath it would be too much - it would take away from the staircase, and just make it a large expanse of wood.

I'm not at all suggesting that the alternative is 'white', but a soft shade that would compliment the wood.

Have you checked out 'under stairs cupboards' on Google images? Very few of these - if any - are actually 'white', at least not 'brilliant' white. If you keep 'clicking', you'll get to all sorts of options, including examples of it in all-wood. Eg: https://www.cabinetmaker-leeds.co.uk/gallery?108

Again, before you go 'pine', you need to KNOW what style of door this fellow will/can make up for you. Creating a 'door' is not easy, at least not one of any style. 'Flat' pine panel doors will, I fear, look pretty hellish, imo.

To look good, they'll need to LOOK like actual doors, so will require frames, panels, stiles, rails, mullions, whatevs. In real, solid wood, that is not a straight-forward task. It is not something I'd attempt, for instance. Whereas, MDF is a far more compliant material that can be layered, grooved, cut and stuck to make it resemble pretty much anything you want.

Has the joiner shown you any photos or ideas of the sort of thing he has in mind? If not, then may I suggest you need to show him? And the best way is an image of something you want to replicate.

This HAS to be your taste and YOUR choice, but I really feel that filling that space with pine panels will not look good, and will seriously distract from what is a lovely staircase.

Keep Googling!

The second one up - the wood doors framed in a bit of wall - looks pretty good, I think, but then the other doors are also timber, as are other features.

If the top two are what you are looking for, then great - that's clearly what you should go for. Just be absolutely clear in your mind what it is you want, not just in terms of material, but also of style. And have a way of putting that across to the joiner.

These are fantastic tips!

Thank you so much for such a detailed response. 

I really like the doors in your top two images - but the third image (with the doors framed in white/wall) is perfect!

If the trim is white, it breaks up the 'wood overload' - and I could even get away with the pine effect plywood panels cut into doors (I like the inlay type doors in your last picture - I don't know what the style is, but I like the extra narrow panels on the doors)

Thank you, thank you, thank you! :-) 

Beverley75

FreeBear said:

All the timber I've had from B&Q has twisted and cupped badly - Some of it to the point of being only good for firewood. If I need planks of wood, I now go to a local independent timber merchant. They are able to cut & plane to size which can be an advantage for some jobs.

Great tip! 

Thank you

Beverley75

Martin_the_Unjust said:

It’s possibly worth getting the doors priced up online to get some ideas of costs (and styles)

e.g. https://doors2size.co.uk/angled-door-guide/understairs-doors/

(I’m not recommending them as I’ve not used them)

Great tip! Many thanks :-)

greensalad

White painted MDF generally looks really good. Splash out for decent primer beforehand and a good quality paint. I had built-in shelves in my house in white painted MDF and it looked fab. It's probably one of the best types of wood to paint actually. Use a sponge roller and sponge brush.

ChasingtheWelshdream

Beverley75 said:

FreeBear said:

All the timber I've had from B&Q has twisted and cupped badly - Some of it to the point of being only good for firewood. If I need planks of wood, I now go to a local independent timber merchant. They are able to cut & plane to size which can be an advantage for some jobs.

Great tip! 

Thank you

Definitely go to a timber merchant if you can. As above, ours will cut to size for no charge, which is so much easier for sheet wood. Give the measurements of what you are making, they plan out how to get the most from the sheet and we end up almost with a semi flat pack kit. 

Beverley75

ChasingtheWelshdream said:

Beverley75 said:

FreeBear said:

All the timber I've had from B&Q has twisted and cupped badly - Some of it to the point of being only good for firewood. If I need planks of wood, I now go to a local independent timber merchant. They are able to cut & plane to size which can be an advantage for some jobs.

Great tip! 

Thank you

Definitely go to a timber merchant if you can. As above, ours will cut to size for no charge, which is so much easier for sheet wood. Give the measurements of what you are making, they plan out how to get the most from the sheet and we end up almost with a semi flat pack kit. 

Okay, I will do. 

Thank you

Beverley75

greensalad said:

White painted MDF generally looks really good. Splash out for decent primer beforehand and a good quality paint. I had built-in shelves in my house in white painted MDF and it looked fab. It's probably one of the best types of wood to paint actually. Use a sponge roller and sponge brush.

Really? I'll look at some images online - many thanks 

Bendy_House

Beverley75 said:

These are fantastic tips!

Thank you so much for such a detailed response. 

I really like the doors in your top two images - but the third image (with the doors framed in white/wall) is perfect!

If the trim is white, it breaks up the 'wood overload' - and I could even get away with the pine effect plywood panels cut into doors (I like the inlay type doors in your last picture - I don't know what the style is, but I like the extra narrow panels on the doors)

Thank you, thank you, thank you! :-) 

You are welcome. Sounds like you've found what the style you want :-)

The top three pics appear to have doors which are either made from plywood (good quality ply, which has a nice surface finish) or possibly a board such as MDF or chipboard which has been veneered to give the desired wood finish. The large flat central panels will not be 'solid' wood, as they'd simply not remain stable, but would warp to an alarming degree.

The only issue with using plywood is that it has an unfinished edge, so this would be visible when the doors are opened. To hide this, they can either be lipped, or it just ignored!

The raised surround around the doors are the 'stiles' I mentioned before, and give these doors the appearance of being of 'proper' construction, but - like my MDF jobbies - they will likely just be a stuck-on wood strip on to flat panels.

Interestingly, the third 'wood' pic has completely flat doors, with no raised trim, and somehow manages to get away with it! I suspect it's down to the large hinges and handles, which match the other doors.

I know it won't be done overnight, but please come back to show us the result :-)

Beverley75

Bendy_House said:

Beverley75 said:

These are fantastic tips!

Thank you so much for such a detailed response. 

I really like the doors in your top two images - but the third image (with the doors framed in white/wall) is perfect!

If the trim is white, it breaks up the 'wood overload' - and I could even get away with the pine effect plywood panels cut into doors (I like the inlay type doors in your last picture - I don't know what the style is, but I like the extra narrow panels on the doors)

Thank you, thank you, thank you! :-) 

You are welcome. Sounds like you've found what the style you want :-)

The top three pics appear to have doors which are either made from plywood (good quality ply, which has a nice surface finish) or possibly a board such as MDF or chipboard which has been veneered to give the desired wood finish. The large flat central panels will not be 'solid' wood, as they'd simply not remain stable, but would warp to an alarming degree.

The only issue with using plywood is that it has an unfinished edge, so this would be visible when the doors are opened. To hide this, they can either be lipped, or it just ignored!

The raised surround around the doors are the 'stiles' I mentioned before, and give these doors the appearance of being of 'proper' construction, but - like my MDF jobbies - they will likely just be a stuck-on wood strip on to flat panels.

Interestingly, the third 'wood' pic has completely flat doors, with no raised trim, and somehow manages to get away with it! I suspect it's down to the large hinges and handles, which match the other doors.

I know it won't be done overnight, but please come back to show us the result :-)

I certainly will come back and show everyone the finished product. 

Thanks again (especially about the plywood edges!)  :-) 

Gavin83

Bendy_House said:

Beverley75 said:

These are fantastic tips!

Thank you so much for such a detailed response. 

I really like the doors in your top two images - but the third image (with the doors framed in white/wall) is perfect!

If the trim is white, it breaks up the 'wood overload' - and I could even get away with the pine effect plywood panels cut into doors (I like the inlay type doors in your last picture - I don't know what the style is, but I like the extra narrow panels on the doors)

Thank you, thank you, thank you! :-) 

The only issue with using plywood is that it has an unfinished edge, so this would be visible when the doors are opened. To hide this, they can either be lipped, or it just ignored! 

To hide the edge of plywood you’ve essentially got 3 choices as far as I can tell:

1) Just leave it. The edge of plywood can look quite beautiful but then you’ll need a quality plywood. This will of course push the price up.

2) Get iron on veneer. Not really a fan of this as it’ll eventually peel off but it’s an option none the less.

3) Use ‘proper’ wood to hide the edge. If you’re really clever and you own a router you can completely hide the join as well. Best option would be something resembling a Y shape. Issue with this option is it requires the most skill and tools.

Interesting topic this as I’ll need to build my own cupboard doors soon. Will see how it goes!