I am often told by customers that they have a ‘solid’ Oak/Hardwood door.  Indeed that will be the case on some occasions, but the majority are not solid they are composite.

There’s  also the issue of builders and carpenters stating that the door they have just fitted is a quality solid hardwood door.

I hear that one from customers often when looking at repairs. 

All exterior doors apart from some ply flush exterior doors are solid so in one respect the customer is correct it is solid but it’s  made up of composite components so its in fact a Hardwood Veneered Composite door. The core is usually made up of a combination of Rubber wood , Meranti and other inferior species. I have also seen Chipboard plywood, softwood and other unidentifiable stock in the mix.

It’s perfectly ok to have a Hardwood Veneered Composite door. They are more stable than solid one species doors so tend not to twist or warp, are lighter and cheaper and they may also be a more environmentally sustainable product, something often stated on the product packaging and in the sales literature – that statement  is thrown around like confetti at a wedding. But are they ? 

The veneer envelope that protects the composite core may look great but more often than not it is in fact woefully inadequate at 1.5mm in thickness it’s just enough to give a few years of protection in exposed environments or in other words just long enough until the guarantee runs out, this is the case on virtually all exterior composite doors purchased from large retail outlets, it is not going to give you years of service, I see at least one door a month that has had the veneer compromised for whatever reason but often the weak points are glazing or a letter plate fitted without being bedded onto a clear frame sealant and the core is then soaking wet which will cause it to breakdown and become crumbly this renders the door useless.

Another weak point is where the veneer abuts at joints and sometimes I just scratch my head being clueless on how the devil did that water ingress into the core.

So what’s the answer ?

When I look at pre 1980/90s Hardwood Veneered Composite doors the one thing that is different is the thickness of the veneer envelope it’s not unusual to discover a 6mm veneer and there lies the answer its lasted 40+ years and only now is it requiring some remedial work be it a sand and paint/stain , a scarf of timber due to rot or a reassessment of the draught proofing.

So pre 1990 doors are indeed environmentally sustainable products -they can be repaired for one thing and have lasted 40 +years so far and with a birthday will last another 40+ yrs The timber may not have come from an FSC source (forest stewardship) cos it wasn’t around then but its repairable. There are also currently some questions around corruption of FSC timber from certain parts of the world.

Therefore the answer is to purchase either a quality – Minimum 3/4mm veneer envelope Hardwood Composite door  and the question  how thick is the veneer? needs to be asked because it is never stated on the sales literature and dont be fobbed off with being told that the edge is 6mm its the face veneer that’s the concern – or have made or purchase a solid one species door. 

Doors are something I make to order so please do contact me if you wish to have one made – by the way they come with a lifetime guarantee .Now that’s truly environmentally sustainable.