Choosing the Right Material for Your Replacement Doors

Doors have been manufactured for centuries; over this time, experience has resulted in the manufacturing doors from interlocking pieces to form sturdy framework and cores. 

First and foremost, never use an interior door for an exterior entryway.  Interior doors are made with the understanding that they will be protected from the weather, therefore, they are manufactured from materials that are not expected to hold up against the elements.  No matter how well you protect the door with paint, stain, or sealants, the door will warp and even come apart over time. 

Hollow-core Flush Interior Door:

This type of door is often used in new construction.  Hollow-core flush interior doors are made of solid wood boards, which are usually 1¹ /₂ inches wide.  Hollow-core doors often have cardboard webbing running through the interior to provide support and prevent drumming. 

Hollow-core doors can dent and even puncture if struck hard with an object, however, they can last for years if treated well.  You should know that when shopping for a hollow-core flush interior door, doors that have a lauan mahogany veneer maybe the least expensive type but has a tendency to soak up paints, stains, and sealants.  Because of this, it is often better to spend more money on a hollow-core door that has a birch or oak veneer.

Stamped Hardboard Interior Door:

Hardboard or Masonite is a soft material that is often covered with a hard-baked paint.  Hardboard can be molded to give it a very convincing natural wood grain. Inexpensive hardboard doors are often hollow-cored, whereas hardboard doors that are more expensive are filled with foam or particleboard. 

Like hollow-core veneer doors, hardboard doors can be easily dented.  In addition, if they become wet for prolong periods, the hardboard can swell. 

Medium-Density Fiberboard Interior Door: 

Medium-density fiberboard interior doors or MDFs have increased in popularity for both remodels and for new construction homes.  MDFs are available in both flush and raised panel styles as well as a wide range of other attractive styles, making them perfect for any style of homes.  In addition, MDFs are harder and more durable than either hollow-core veneer or stamped hardboard interior door.

Solid-Core Flush Exterior Door:  

Solid-core flush exterior doors are made similar to how their interior counter parts are made, with the exception that the space between the wood frames is filled with solid particleboard. Solid-core flush exterior doors are very heavy, but are not as durable as other types and materials of external doors.  Just like interior hollow-core flush doors, exterior solid-core flush doors must be protected with paint, as the veneer can delaminate from the particleboard if not protected.  In addition, if the particleboard becomes wet, the door can swell and become unusable.  

Fiberglass Exterior Doors:

Fiberglass can be molded easily into nearly any shape and style.  Fiberglass has increased in popularity because it can be manufactured to have a wood grain that matches such hard woods as cherry, oak, mahogany, and many more.  Fiberglass exterior doors are durable, and not prone to shrinking, swelling, warping, or cracking when exposed to the elements.  In addition, these doors are available in a variety of colors so that they never need painting.  However, if you desire to change the color of your door, they are easy to paint.

Wood-panel Doors and Stave-Core Exterior Doors: 

For many people the look of a wood-panel door has a classic appeal.  Solid wood doors are strong and provide good insulating properties and hardwoods such as oak are very resistant to denting.  However, woods such as pine will dent easily, but are still durable.  When selecting a wood-panel door, there is a notable difference in price for a “Stain-grade door” and a “paint-grade door.  The reason is that a stain-grade door is made with full-lengths of visually attractive quality pieces of wood, whereas, paint-grade doors are made from smaller joins of wood that would look better painted than stained.  It is important to understand that all exterior wood doors must be protected with paint, or a protective finish to keep the wood from warping or cracking with exposed to the weather.   

Stave-core exterior doors also known as “Core-block” doors are another type of wood door that is made of several thin pieces of wood, which have been laminated together, and then are covered with a thin wood veneer to form a door that look just like a standard wood-panel door.  The laminating process involved in making stave-core doors, makes for a very stable and durable door, however, if they are not protected with paint, stain and finish, the veneer will peel and crack. 

Steel Exterior Doors: