How to Build a Closet Slab Door

A slab door is a simple solid or hollow door that does not have a window or panels. It is unadorned with any router or inlaid designs. This is a good door for a closet because a closet door does not need special windows and panels, but rather a straight-forward door made simply for privacy and separation of two areas.

2 80-by-36-inch plywood sheets, 1/4-inch thick
3 2-by-5-inch pine boards, 26 inches long
2 2-by-5-inch pine boards, 80 inches long
Planer
Tape measure
Pencil
Table saw
Dado blade
Wood glue
Paintbrush
Long clamps
Short clamps
1-inch brads
Hammer
Cordless drill
1/2-inch screws
Door handle

Instructions

- 1
  Push three 26-inch, 2-by-5 pine boards (rails) and two 80-inch, 2-by-5 pine boards (stiles) through a planer set at 1 3/4 inches to thin the boards from 2 inches thick to 1 3/4 inches thick. The rails are the top and bottom horizontal support boards and the stiles are the vertical side boards of a door frame.
- 2
  Place a dado blade into a table saw. A dado blade cuts a thin groove in a board that holds the end of another board, creating a dado joint.
- 3
  Mark two places on one 80-inch edge of each stile with 4 1/2-inch marks, starting the first at 1/4 inch from the end and the second at 30 inches from the same end. Mark a third 4 1/2-inch mark at 1/4 inch in from the opposite end of the stiles.
- 4
  Cut 4 1/2-by-1-inch dadoes into the two stiles, at the marks, using the dado blade.
- 5
  Cut a 1-inch tongue -- a deep ridge cut into a board -- into the center of each end of the three rails. The size of the tongue must match the dadoes on the stiles.
- 6
  Drip wood glue into the dadoes on the stiles and insert the tongues on the rails into the stiles.
- 7
  Place clamps on the stiles to hold the rails in place -- this is the frame of the door. Allow the glue to cure for two hours.
- 8
  Paint glue on one entire side of the door frame -- this will be the back of the door.
- 9
  Set a sheet of plywood on the glue, aligning the corners to prevent overlapping the plywood past the frame. Clamp the plywood to the door frame with short clamps. Allow the glue to cure for two hours.
- 10
  Hammer brads into the plywood, 1/2-inch from the edge of the door at 2-inch intervals.
- 11
  Flip the door over and paint wood glue on the open side of the door frame.
- 12
  Set the second plywood sheet on the door frame, aligning the corners to prevent overlapping. Clamp the plywood to the door frame with short clamps and allow the glue to cure for two hours.
- 13
  Hammer brads into the second plywood sheet, 1/2 inch from the edge of the door at 2-inch intervals.
- 14
  Measure the door 32 inches from the top. Mark this spot.
- 15
  Drill a door handle into the plywood at the mark using 1/2-inch screws and a cordless drill.

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