Doors Dictionary

Hardwood, such as Meranti, is a widely used wood in the manufacturer of wooden doors which can be used internally or externally. It is very popular choice of wood used for the main entrance door, patio doors, French doors and internal doors. If properly maintained these doors will last for many years. 

A stain finish on the hardwood door either, factory applied or on site, enhances the grain of the wood, producing beautifully finished hardwood doors. The factory finish is by far the more superior as a brilliant high standard finish is achieved for external hardwood doors. The stain finish is applied under controlled conditions producing a smooth glass like feel to your door. A good quality finish can be achieved on site, but a lot of work is required with many coats applied and lots of sanding in between. The factory finished external hardwood door is undoubtedly more expensive to buy in the first instance but could be cheaper in the long run, when you take into account the cost of labour to achieve a good quality finish. 

Nowadays, most manufacturers of hardwood front doors, hardwood patio doors and exterior French doors use a process called “engineered”. This manufacturing process produces a door that is stable throughout the life cycle. Traditionally made doors of solid wood such as oak doors or mahogany doors used externally have a tendency to warp and twist due to changes in environmental conditions, and as a result become unstable. An ill fitting door can be draughty and cause heat loss. Even internal doors can warp and twist due to temperature changes inside the house.

A few examples of beautiful external doors

A few examples of internal hardwood panelled doors

Purchasing Doors 

A door fitted into an existing frame – most door styles come in a variety of sizes (see table below) and there is probably one in the range that will suit your existing door frame size. Buildings over the years move and settle and you may find that some door opening have moved slightly, putting the door frame a bit off square. You need to check the squareness of the existing door frame. Most doors incorporate an allowance in the edges of the door of around 12 mm or so that can be shaved off when fitting, without exposing the inner core of the door. If the door frame is off square by more than 12 mm you may have to consider installing a new door frame. 

Door pre-hung in a hardwood door frame – these are generally more expensive to buy but if you can afford them they are by far the best option, especially the factory prefinished doors. The hardwood exterior door and frame is supplied with the door pre-hung into the frame in the factory. With modern machinery the fitting of the door to the frame is carried out with precision and the end result is a perfect fitting wooden exterior door. The package can also incorporate the locks and handles. Weather stripping, if required, can be factory fitted for a hardwood front door, patio doors and hardwood French doors. The fitting of the door and frame on site is easy. If care is taken when removing the old frame without damaging the existing decoration, then the new unit can be slipped into position, lined up and fixed. You end up with new, perfect fitting doors, without the need to redecorate the whole room. 

Typical Dimensions of Doors

Internal door thickness – can be either 35 mm (1³/₈”) or 40 mm (1⁵/₈”) 

External door thickness – usually 44 mm (1¾”)

Click on an oak front door for further reading on engineered doors.

If you have concerns for home safety and security then installing a steel door could prove to be good solution.  

The choice is yours……