T&T: Plastic Door Material Needed

[Chang, Po]

The proper plastic to use is UHMWPE.  It has the proper low friction, abrasion
resistance, and toughness for exactly the type of application you are looking
for.  They are not very expensive, plus you don't need much at all to do your
job.  I bought a nice board 1/2" thick by 2 feet by 4 feet approximately, and
it must have cost less than $15.  You can cut it like wood.

To my knowledge, you never want to slide two similar materials against each
other.  You should always use a hard material to slide over a soft one.  In
the case of a door, I kept the original 1/4" brass square rod on the deck, and
cut a strip of the UHMWPE with a groove in the center that fits around the
brass square rod.  Then, I made the width of the plastic strip fit snuggly
into the existing groove in the bottom of the door.  I think I had to route
the old wood out to make it smooth and square with a carbide tip router bit.
The final touch is to slip the plastic strip into place, and nail it down in
two or three spots with a small finishing brad to keep it from sliding away
from the door groove.  It won't pop out because the pressure of the door will
keep it in place.  It has worked well for several years now, and no sign of
excessive wear.

An alternative is to buy rolls of UHMWPE that are thin and come with a
pressure sensitive adhesive on one side with backing tape.  They come in a
variety of thickness and width.  I have always been curious what adhesive they
use, since nothing sticks to UHMWPE, or I guess almost nothing.

Po Chang
Albin 33' 1979
Baltimore, MD