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Wood Interior Doors: Solid Wood vs. Soild Core

16 years ago

We really like wood doors, and the pricing available online isn't so scary. So I'm thinking along the lines of doing wood as much as possible. But I see there's solid wood, and veneered doors. Veneered are $30-$35 a door less.

What are the pros and cons either way? Do solid wood doors tend to warp over time? Are solid core better at sound insulation? I'm looking at poplar.

Many thanks!

Jodie

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Comments (5)

sierraeast
16 years ago
If you are staining/finishing the doors, veneered doors have to be re-finished carefully. Once the finish is stripped, the veneer has to be carefully sanded so that you dont cut into the laminated layer beneath. Veneers are a series of laminated plys similar to ply wood w/ the last layer being the desired species.

veneered doors can pull lose at the veneer, but is rare i would think. It all comes down to the quality and reputation of the door mfgr.

Warpage on solid wood doors shouldn't be an issue if sealed/finished properly, but can happen, again, i would think it would be pretty rare for interior.

As far as sound control, no advise there.
worthy
16 years ago
Solid core doors can make a big change in the feel of a home. At more than twice the weight of hollow doors, they increase the STC to 30+, close to the average wall construction STC. Their heft also endows a substantial feel to your home.

To get the full value of the sound deadening qualities of solid core doors, try to undercut them as little as possible and spray foam around the frame before the casings are installed.
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Ah! Thanks. So cutting through it would ruin the stability of the door. Makes sense. Are the sides of a hollow-core door about 2 inches thick as well? Or thinner? Since it's to be a sliding door, I also thought about cutting off one corner, cutting up from the bottom, and then in from the left side. This would be on the advancing edge. This would not be flapped, just open. I thought if then we buy the door a little oversize, we could pull it more closed to seal off this small opening if needed. It's to be a surface mount system, like a barn door, mounted on the side away from the kitchen, so door would be oversize on the pantry side and overlap the doorframe by whatever we decide. The hardware is from Johnson Hardware, that makes sliding door systems. We haven't bought the door yet. We could go with a solid door: I looked at some that were oak veneer with a particle board interior, and edges in pine. The door/hardware company was urging a solid core door on me, but I am concerned about the weight with a sliding door. I have had nothing but hollow core doors in every house before. (We did not discuss the cat-flap issue!) Thanks for your help: suggestions are welcome. Both on the door in general and the cat-flap.
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I feel for you, and may be in the same boat someday if ours gets wet. We had hollow core doors from the 70's that were not taking the paint well, so the contractor went and bought new. I know he got the cheapest he could find. I once was about to order some cabinets from a local shop (forget the brand). The sales guy happened to mention a new subdivision where they were installing the same thing. We were able to just go into the houses - they were wide open, windows and all. Now why they had installed these cabinets before putting the flooring in is beyond me! And, being a very rainy season here -- many had paper veneers that were bubbling and already peeling. We went back and thanked him for telling us to look at them, and said thanks but no thanks.
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mightyanvil
16 years ago
You need to identify the design (material, finish, configuration) of the doors so others can help you compare them.
jodierd
Original Author
16 years ago
I was looking at 4-panel doors from Baird Brothers, poplar, and saw that they have the veneer ($170) and the solid ($202). Then I found 1- and 2-panel doors at Homestead Interior Doors, in veneer for $165. I so like the look of them. But without seeing them in the flesh--I mean wood--it's difficult to get a feel for what the venner doors are like.
We'll be staining them.
timwalker69
16 years ago
Keep in mind there is more to any door than just the slab. Most builders want them pre hung, so add another 40-60 bucks to the internet price. If you wnat casing to match the wood of the door, addd another $100 so now you have a approx $350 door. Just food for thought as we are going thru same thing.

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