Choosing most suitable door material: solid wood or veneered doors?
Contents
Before giving preference to any of them let’s admit — they are blood relatives. They are both natural, they have a lot of common features, however, they differ a little bit. Let us highlight these differences with reference to price, production technology, design etc.
Composition
They are similar if viewed in general. Except that their structural design and production technology are different.
Veneer coated door. It is typically based on solid wood frame coated by MDF sheets. Wafer-thin natural wooden layer i.e. veneer is glued to the door leaf and finished by varnish.
Solid wood door. Natural solid wood doors are famous for their durability, quality and eco-friendliness. High price – this is their manifestative weak point.
These are doors made either of single-piece or glued woodblock.
Woodblock representing a mix of different species may have uneven texture because - it’s understood - different species (like pine, alder, oak, ash etc.) have different varnish absorbency features.
And, by the way, this should not be considered as a reject.
Finishing layer is also varnish in this case.
Appearance you would prefer
As far as we are concerned, we would rather prefer veneer coating.
Arguments:
- Natural wood veneer offers much more shades and textures if compared with solid wood – that’s a given. If you are dissatisfied with shade range - forget about naturalness and enjoy “fine-line” veneer which is mighty rich in design.
- in order to fabricate veneer coating you will need much more wood species than for solid wood products. This is exactly what provides diversification of colors and textures.
- door leaf may be therefore decorated by glazing of various size and design.
- fine-line veneer may be the substrate for paintings.
More details about solid wood products
Finishing exterior depends on wood species features. Take, for instance, cheap pine wood or expensive oak (beech or ash) and treat both of them. If you call pine wood a massive wood door you will obviously overreach yourself.
More expensive solid wood material gives better coating quality and, therefore, better renders material naturality than wood veneer.
Interior stylistic is also an essential issue whilst selecting the door design. Below are our recommendations regarding door material and interior style compatibility.
|
Coating material |
Style |
|
Natural veneer |
Any |
|
Fine-line veneer |
Modern |
|
Solid pine wood |
Minimalism, Provence |
|
Solid alder wood |
Classic, modern |
|
Solid hardwood (oak beech, ash) |
Classic, modern, contemporary |
Technical characteritics
Veneer and solid wood have almost identical characteristics. You can hardly find any difference between them:
- Both coatings hate direct sun light because of potential discoloration. If you need a door which will be exposed to sunlight you better select alternative coating
- Both are manufactured of natural wood material. They are eco-friendly and not hazardous for health.
- Strength rating from high to lowest: hardwood → veneer and solid alder wood → solid pine wood.
- Mass. Veneer coated doors are easier to open. Some manufacturers, in the rush to provide a feather-weight door leaf, are using honeycomb core.
- Noise and heat insulation – both solid and veneer coated products are on the same level, provided however that veneer coated door leaf doesn’t use honeycomb core and there is a packing in the frame.
- Being natural materials, veneer and solid wood are sensitive to sudden temperature-humidity variations. Veneer hates excess of moisture, solid wood hates excess of moisture and exposure to dry air. The only option for those who selected these products – provide adequate temperature-humidity environment whatever the selected material might be. These parameters are typically mentioned by the manufacturers in the product datasheet.
- Bruise resistance. Chips and scratches (irrespective – veneer or solid wood) may be eliminated with the use of respective repair paint. If you grapple with cracked massive or peeled-off veneer - accept it as a given. This is unimprovable.
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