This set of images illustrates a custom finish applied to a standard overhead garage door. It’s a painstaking work, but well worth the effort. The exterior grade MDF paneling ends up being flush over the garage door, the man door and the adjacent fixed walls.
garage door niche
overhead garage door installed next to the man door
view from outside
strapping and shimming over Tyvek membrane
MDO panels
finished product
door detail
(image source: http://lumberjocks.com/reviews/965)
MDO – Medium Density Overlay, aka “Signboard”. It is made up of phenolic resin coated paper laminated between layers of ply (11 layers of wood in 3/4”) and twice again as many of the phenolic- resin impregnated paper. A 4×8 sheet of 3/4” MDO is (in the range of) $65.00 (source: http://lumberjocks.com/reviews/965)
MDO Plywood – The Paintable General Purpose Panel
Characteristics: An EXTERIOR type plywood with a weather-resistant resin overlay bonded to the wood by heat and pressure. This process fuses the molecules of the overlay with the fibres of the wood to form a bond as strong as the wood itself. MDO has all the advantages of regular plywood as well as additional properties. The overlay, which has 28% resin content, resists water, weather, wear and degradation. It has texture that paint can grip with remarkable tenacity. Paint finishes on MDO are up to three times more durable than the same finish applied to ordinary plywood.Ideal for Painted Signs: In many instances, overlaid MDO plywood has proven a more durable sign material than metal. MDO plywood is resistant to the elements with no danger of rust or corrosion. (source http://lumberjocks.com/reviews/965)
