Hi There,
I am doing up a storage unit which has a ‘roller door’ on the front. The door is constructed of half round lengths of wood glued side-by-side on to a backing piece of material (looks like a thin canvas) to form a flexible door.
The canvas has split on one of the joins between adjacent pieces of wood.
Are there any ‘gotchas’ I should watch out for when gluing a new piece of material on? What is the best glue to use? What is the best application technique?
Looking forward to your input.
Thanks
Replies
Heya, Short—
The technical term for what you’re looking at is tambour door. Individual slats, or tambours, are glued onto a canvas backing, typically with contact cement. The cement stays flexible, allowing the canvas to flex as the door moves along its curved track. Sometimes yellow or white PVA glue (regular woodshop glue) is used, although it won’t stay as flexible as contact cement, which can be a problem if you get too much glue between tambours during construction.
I would try patching on a piece of canvas across the split joint using contact cement. Brush some on the back of the new canvas, brush some on the old canvas, then wait until the adhesive skims over (it should look dull, not shiny) and doesn’t stick to your finger when touched. Press the new piece on, and rub it down hard with a block of wood. That should do it.
The only ‘gotcha’ to watch for is that you don’t place the patch where it might interfere with the cabinet track (or any protruding shelves or case dividers), or the door may bind. If you have to patch an area that’s in the track, you’ll have to cut away the old stuff and piece in a new piece of canvas, using the same gluing technique I’ve described.
You can pick up canvas at an art or craft supply store.
Good luck!
—Andy
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