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Fri Oct 21, 2005 11:51 am

what is the best and easiest material available at a home depot/lowes to use to make new interior panels. looking for flexability, ease of construction, and durability. eventually these will get covered.

oh and trying to keep it cheap.

i think that fiberboard? hardboard? has been mentioned before, is this correct.

thank you for any input.

david a.

Fri Oct 21, 2005 11:57 am

I've been looking at that door skin called Luan?? It would definately need to be treated, front and back but it looks nice. It is thin but sturdy, flexible, nice wood finish. It seems like it would be good to cover with fabric too. I don't know how it would react to the elements though.

Fri Oct 21, 2005 12:04 pm

I recently rebuilt my front door panels with HDF (high density fiber) board. It's available in 1/8" and you can can get both doors out of a 4'x4' sheet. The HDF is smooth on both sides and takes almost any fabric with 3M super 77. I suppose you could water proof it with a coat of polyurithane or spar varnish.

I think the 4' x 4' sheet cost me $5

I traced the old panels onto the HDF and used a combo of jig saw, roto-zip and drill to cut it out. Any sander will smooth out rough edges.

good luck

Fri Oct 21, 2005 12:08 pm

is the HDF felixable? can kickpanels be made from it?

Fri Oct 21, 2005 12:24 pm

It's pretty flexible. The kick panels do require a lot of technique and flexibility when removing and replacing. I actually re used my original kick panels and recovered them in the same fabric as the doors so I cannot say with any authority that the HDF will be flexible enough to do what you have to do to get them in and out.

If flexibility is key there are some great bendable plywoods out there. Do a search and you will find some interesting things not available at lowes or home depot. They are more readily available to cabinet makers and wood workers. They also offer some nicer finishes like birch, mahogany and oak.

If you are going to cover it maybe consider something like acrylic or plastic. you can glue anything to that.

Sat Oct 22, 2005 7:19 am

If you're going to cover it, 1/8" masonite worked for both the door panels and kicks. Covered in naughahyde with a lining. Flexible to conform to curves. Strong; cheap, $15 for enough to do both kicks and doors.

Sat Oct 22, 2005 7:48 pm

thank you, very helpful. ill let you all know how it works.

david a.

Sat Oct 22, 2005 10:13 pm

The baltic birch plywood looks really good you can stain it or just put a clear coat comes in 5X5 sheets in 1/8 - 3/4 thickness and most use a exterior grade glue so it hols up pretty well. In California Ganahl Lumber has it in most thickness'
http://www.ganahl.com/

Sun Oct 23, 2005 3:26 am

Quote: I recently rebuilt my front door panels with HDF (high density fiber) board.

tjon90, is this material you are speaking of also called masonite?... or what home depot calls masonite- "hardboard". OR, is this a material that is less dense than masonite , yet more dense than MDF? i find that it is not easy to get masonite to bend enough to make good kick panels. i used to be a woodworker, but wasnt tuned into the sheet stocks cuz all i made was tables and chairs

Sun Oct 23, 2005 6:01 am

I miss Ganahl. :(

If you're just going to stain/finish the panels, you can get away with any thickness within reason except for the front doors. The handles and cranks won't be happy with panels too thick.

Watch out for Lowes or Home Despot. They want serious money for any kind of Birch.

Sun Oct 23, 2005 8:25 am

Just did mine this summer, I have yet to write up a report on it though with all the specs and materials. I should do that.

Anyway I purchased the cheap 4x8 sheets of compressed board with white on one side from Home Depot. Bought a huge roll of 1/4 inch foam from the fabric store and about 6 yds of tan vinyl type material made for ship interiors from the same place. I think the sheets were 12 each, the foam was 60 and the fabric, on sale was like 70.

I cut the panels to shape making sure the waterproof white side was facing the bus, then glued on the foam with some 3m adhesive which was expensive, $8 each. I used 2 and have a 3rd left over. Then with a razor blade I trimmed the excess foam off beveling the edges. Finally we cut the fabric to shape leaving about 8-10 inches excess. I sprayed its backing with 3m jus to get it to kinda stick in the middle, then we used contact cement as recommended by an uphostry guy. That part was the hardest, but it stuck. Pieces look really good and I don't think they'll warp. Easier than working with the wood ceiling I put in last year, much more forgiving when you wrap it in the fabric.

Let me find and post some pics. I had enough material to do every panel inside my bus. Back hatch, just in front of that by the wheel wells, the sliding door, the large panel on the other side and both front doors (not done yet) and the kick panels. Took about 3 weekends solid.

Sun Oct 23, 2005 9:07 am

anyone ever use a hard wood for the floor???

Sun Oct 23, 2005 11:52 am

vw_72camper wrote: anyone ever use a hard wood for the floor???

I was thinking the same thing. How about bamboo? How much do you need? 9 feet?

Sun Oct 23, 2005 1:13 pm

Maybe it's obvious to all, but make sure you glue in a plastic sheeting "vapor barrier" between the new panel & the door frame, primarily to prevent the door panels from taking on water from the windows. It can also keep a bit more of the humidity out if the vehicle's interior.

Sure wish someone had told me that before my first door panel work years ago.

J.R.
69 Westy

Sun Oct 23, 2005 1:31 pm

david a. wrote: is the HDF felixable? can kickpanels be made from it?
Check out these baywindow kick panels made from masonite (MDF):

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=130069&highlight=masonite

Mon Oct 24, 2005 11:57 am

David A.

sorry to get back to you so late.

Masonite is a brand that makes MDF and other products.

Looks like Ratwell has done what your proposing allready and I obviously look great.

good luck, Tjon90

Mon Oct 24, 2005 11:58 am

David A.

sorry to get back to you so late.

Masonite is a brand that makes MDF and other products.

Looks like Ratwell has done what your proposing allready and It obviously looks great.

good luck, Tjon90

Mon Oct 24, 2005 12:57 pm

Hi David, As per your PM, I do remember offering to do that for you, however at this time Elwood is torn apart for many things mechanical and I would be unable to do it right. Best of luck with this project, been following myself for future needs. Thanks from me board members for great tips.

Mon Oct 24, 2005 1:19 pm

Hey Everyone ,
The Idea of hardwood flooring is not hard. The floor needs a subfloor 1/8 inch ply and you can glue any kind of flooring you want like bamboo. If you are trying to to do headliner panels try looking at a cabinet shop for 3mil plywood 12$ for a 5x5 sheet.

Tue Nov 29, 2005 10:58 pm

i'm kinda late to this, but...

i just bought panels from tmi through mid america and i noticed that the panel have rows of holes drilled in them spaced a few inches apart along the width and probably about 6 inches apart along the height. it helps them flex and with a cover of some kind they are not visible. it wouldn't work if you want a nice finish in a plywood.

now if i could just figure out these f'n clips to mount them i'd be in great shape.