Plywood doors falling apart

[TJM889]

So we bought our coop from a friend of ours, and it seemed pretty well done, made mostly of plywood. The doors did okay for about the first year but are all warped and falling apart now.

I think the edges got water inside which caused the layers to separate.

I cut some plywood replacements and the paint supplier told me any good latex paint should do the trick as long as I was sure the edges got thoroughly covered.

Has anyone else had a similar issue, or have techniques/materials/methods to prevent this from happening again? I will try to post pictures soon.

Thanks

 

[PapaChaz]

sounds like you figured it out pretty well. the edges are the weakest point of plywood. seal them well and support them. A 1x3 or 1x4 frame around it inside and out will also help, but you have to seal those edges

 

[TJM889]

I hadn't thought about putting a frame around it... that's a really good idea. I'd have to resize everything but if this one doesn't work I'm doing that next. Thanks!

 

[JackE]

Building a door with a piece of plywood, is just a bad idea. Buy some deck boards from Lowes or H/Depot, cut and screw together, and you'll never have to give a second thought to the door. It will be much stronger, and last near forever.

 

[TJM889]

Building a door with a piece of plywood, is just a bad idea. Buy some deck boards from Lowes or H/Depot, cut and screw together, and you'll never have to give a second thought to the door. It will be much stronger, and last near forever.

Yeah, I get what you're saying, but it's already built, so I don't have much say in the materials for the doors. I need them to fit the openings that are already there. So, plywood it is. We'll see how it works out.

It's not really a door, anyway, just 1.5'x1' and 2'x2' hatches.

 

[JackE]

If you are talking about the pop-door (ChickenEntrance), I used a 14" piece of 2X12" board. That's very quick and easy to make, and will last a looooong time.

 

[TJM889]

Well, I think that might be what I'm talking about, but I'm replacing a door on a pre-built coop, not building a new one, so the size is predetermined.

 

[aart]

Can you post a pic?