How to affix beadboard for front of fridge door?

[Richard08530]

I have an old Sub Zero single door fridge that came with the house I bought...unfortunately, there is no face plate (for lack of the proper term) or "front door panel" on the fridge. It looks like there might have been something at one time, but whatever was there is no more. So, I thought I might dress it up with some beadboard. I picked up some samples of tongue and groove which could work...I think. Enter my question: how should I affix the beadboard to the front of the fridge door? Something on the order of Liquid Nails? What about expansion...would an adhesive adhere through expansion? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated...including alternatives to beadboard. And yes, I've checked around (internet and local SubZero appliance store) for some sort of stock item for an old model but to no avail. Thanks for any help!

[Pat]

Richard, There are adhesives commonly available that are so strong that if the board expands or contracts too much the adhesive will hold and the board will crack or buckle.
Tongue and grove, if not assembled very tight will have room to expand.

You didn't say it your door is flat with rectangular edges and all 90 degree angles. You could veneer that easily and put trim on the edges. Alternatively you could use thin veneer plywood which will bend esily inone direction but not the other.

[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[Richard08530]

Thanks for the response, Pat. The fridge door is flat with a rectangular shape and 90 degree corners. There is also a channel around the whole door that is probably there to recieve the stock panel. I will definitely think about the veneer idea with some sort of trim. Another idea I was given was to use luan (sp?) as the backer for the bead board. Basically build the new face on luan, glue and screw from behind, then slide the whole thing into the channels. This project is probably a month away so I've got time to ponder! Thanks for the confirmation about the glue strength.

[bgott]

You're going to have a cold side and a warm side on that, big potential for condensation which could give you warping and rotting problems. It might not hurt to look for a parts breakdown for that fridge just to see if they used some kind of insulation when they trimmed them with wood.

[gates]

Richard,
The fridge is set up for what is called a panel backer (PB). Usually you would get it from the kitchen cabinet company so it would match your cabinets. I would check with the cabinet supplier, look on the inside of the doors for the name of the manufacturer. Order the PB to match the cabinets and install what ever you want on it. Most of the time we use the cabinet doors so the fridge blends in.

Ron