Hidden Chalkboard Door – How to attach trim to door directly to hide the gap
I’m a homeowner and not an experienced fixer-uper, but I could use some help from all of you who are a lot smarter than I am!
We’re finishing our basement and the door to the maintenance area is located in an odd place. It needs to stay there, so I’ve been looking for hidden door ideas. I know there are other forums out there and trust me, I’ve read them all. I haven’t seen anyone cover my issue though.
Here’s what I’m wanting to do – flat slab door, painted with chalkboard paint, and trimmed to look like a frame. I’d like for the ‘door’ to look like a framed chalkboard on the wall and not to look like a door. This means concealed hinges and no door knob. I’ve read all about Soss and the other invisible hinge companies. I’ve also read all about the latch and ball catch options. Here’s my real issue/question. I want it to look like framed art (or in this case a chalkboard). Can I attach the trim directly to the door to hide the gap between the door and the wall? I am hoping to create a notch to grab onto the trim and pull the door open if I use the ball catch. If I attach trim directly to the door, do I need any trim on the wall? How would you attach the trim to the door? The contractor that is helping us with drywall doesn’t think this is possible. There has to be a way, right?! Any thoughts would be appreciated!
Replies
Jenny
To totally conceal this door might be more costly than it's worth.
But take a look at this:
http://www.garymkatz.com/TrimTechniques/hidden_pivot_bookcase_install.htm
Yes, attach the trim to the door with finish nails just like you would attach it to the walls. I'd start at the bottom and get the bottom piece fitted to the door while it's open and then while shut. You may have to compromise a bit there if the floor isn't level. I'd also install a door jamb as per usual and trim it on the other side. Because of the trim on the door you'll have to use hinges that move out as well as swing so the hinges will clear the jamb. Sounds like fun.
What kind of hinges would you suggest that move out as well as swing?
The thing you have to consider very carefully is how the hinges and the hinge-side trim interact. As the door opens the hinge-side trim will want to move towards the wall, and with many hinges you won't be able to open the door without ripping the trim off.
The standard Soss hinge is not well-suited for this situation, but some "cup" style cabinet hinges (those designed for "overlay" vs "inset" use) will handle the task quite easily. See http://woodworking.rockler.com/c/face-frame-overlay-hinges for example.
Which 'cup' style hinges are you referring to? This is for a doorway, not a cabinet. It'll be a solid slab, so could be 40-50 pounds. Thank you for the suggestions!
I missed the point that the door would be quite that heavy, but the better quality cup hinges can handle quite a bit of weight. And they do make a few styles in a larger (40mm cup) hinge. (Unfortunately, I can't find any listing of hinge weight capacity on the net. It used to be fairly plainly stated, but they seem to have hidden that sort of info.)
Basically, the hinge needs to be "double jointed" a bit like a power lift gate on a truck -- the hinge first allows motion away from the wall before it begins to actually "hinge". Standard Soss hinges do that only a very little, whereas your cup hinges are available with a lot more of the effect.
Your other option is something like a car door hinge, with a single-joint hinge but with the pivot point several inches to one side of the opening (and a curved hinge "strap" to keep from interfering with the edge of the opening).
The hinges DanH recommends will work nicely, just be sure to use at least 4 of them to carry the weight. The hinge maker will have a chart that shows how many are needed, depending on the width and weight of the door.
The problem your drywaller probably foresees is the gap between the jamb and the drywall edge, which is normally covered by the casing.
You could deal with this by installing a flat, wide (say, 3" or 4") casing around the sides and top of the opening to create the appearance of a frame-under-the-frame that is applied to the door. Have the vertical casing pieces run thru on the top, so that the horizontal top piece fits in between the vertical casings. Then, to make the casing frame appear continuous across the bottom horizontal piece, attach it to the back side of the bottom frame piece that is applied to the door itself. This means that the bottom casing piece will swing with the door assembly.
Also, to make fitting of casing frame easier, the joints where the vertical casings meet the horizontals should be rounded over on their edges so that you don't have to try to make a perfectly flush, tight-fitting joint at the top or bottom, because that bottom horizontal piece will swing with the door. Roundovers on the edges tend to hide any imperfections in the fit.
Instead of having a hinge, why not do either a pocket door or a surface sliding door?
I've seen a commercially available door that has a chalkboard surface on it. I think it was made by Masonite.
I know that's not exactly what you want. But if your other idea gets too complicated it might be worth considering.