How do you build...

[Katy]

The door we built is made out of 1 x 10s or 12s. You could use any boards that come out to the width you need for your door. Here's the pictures...I hope the shadows don't make it too hard to see.

 

[patandchickens]

The easiest fastest cheapest thing would be to beef up the existing door by trimming it out with 1x6 or wider pieces of Actual Real Lumber all around the edges and possibly a couple across the middle too. Important: clamp or temporarily-screw the plywood down to something flat (like, F-L-A-T really truly dead flat, not jsut sorta) while you do this. Screw 'em on in many places. *Hopefully* you can get the warp out of it sufficiently well that way.

Then prime and paint it; helps vs warping as well as durability.

Or, build a door out of 1xwhatevers (ideally tongue and groove) with a Z of battens across it to hold 'em together. The slanty batten that goes diagonally across the whole door has to to from the lower hinge corner to the upper free corner, not the other way 'round. This will be a bit heavier than your plywood door (translation: need bigger stronger hinges, bigger stronger longer screws, and a bigger stronger post to screw the hinges onto) but it will warp less and generally be stronger and more durable.

Or you could find a salvage door (EXTERIOR, not a hollow-core interior door!) and retrofit your coop for it.

Good luck,

Pat

 

[Chicabee19]

I think if you had the same door as before and painted it really well - several good layers of maybe oil-based paint, it might not warp. But, I could be wrong too!

Oh yeah, and bracing with 1 x 2's or something like that would help.

 

[SSO202]

I think you've got some good replies to your question. The bracing and trim along with primer and several good coats of paint will solve you problem. Good Luck!

 

[PAChickenChick]

Quote:
Ok...see this picture from Katy...see how it looks like it has a "Z" on it...those pieces of wood are there to support the main door. If you want to still have a door similar to what you have now..get new wood a little thicker than what you have now, cut it the same as your current door and use STRAIGHT pieces of 1x2's to make the "Z" supports on BOTH sides of the door. (you can do an "X" inside of a square, called "crossbuck", if you like that design better than the "Z")...prime and paint...realign your hinges...and that puppy should not warp for at least 10 years.

If you're using OSB, pressboard, or particle board (which are all kinda the same) then you might want to cut the door a tad smaller all around and cover the ends with ferring strips to keep water from seeping in from the tops or sides...which would make the wood separate.

 

[2manyhats]

I agree with the others that you need to trim out the plywood with a 1x2 frame and an x or z. Then seal the edges with primer and paint to keep the plywood layers from separating.

 

[Lanissa86]

Oh wow! Thanks so so much for all the replies! I think I got it now! You guys are all great!!

 

[NRacine]

http://picasaweb.google.com/call.me.t/Coop#

There are step by step pics for the door we built. Ours was for the run, but you could replace the hardware cloth with plywood.

 

[Chicabee19]

let us know what you decide to do! with pics of course

 

[my first peepers]

If you are going to use and of these great suggestions with trim or an X/Z you should at least prime (if not prime and paint) all of the sides of all of the pieces BEFORE you screw them together.