Engineered, solid core or hardwood door?
There is much debate in the market place about which type or entrance door performs best in the Western Australia Climate. Each retailer will assure you that they have the best product, so let’s look at the advantages and disadvantages or each type of entry door.
DoorStop engineered – individual pieces of hardwood timber laminated together with meranti veneer
Advantages
- 7-year warranty
- Can be trimmed 10mm from any side
- Stable in the heat – not likely to shrink or warp
- Will not blow out with moisture like MDF solidcore
- Can be painted or stained
- Still solid hardwood but laminated
Diadvantages
- Off the shelf only, not available in custom sizes
- Completely flat finish cannot be achieved with painting.Grain will show through.
- Only available in meranti finish
- Veneer lifting – rare and covered under warranty
Solidcore – this is a door constructed using MDF (medium density fibreboard)
Advantages
- Can be routed in many styles and can be supplied in special order sizes
- Can be bought in a timber or paint finish
- Less prone to shrinkage
Disadvantages
- Can be easily damaged by water, door expands and typically blows out at the bottom / sides
- Can only be trimmed 3mm on any side
- Very strict warranty conditions regarding the amount of weather protection above the door
- Glazed doors are only beaded on one side.MDF chamfer on the other side
- The rout on the design will stain differently to the main part of the door
- Only 5-year conditional warranty
Solid Hardwood door – made from one-piece hardwood
advantages
- Can be stained or painted
- 5-year warranty
- Will not blow out in water
- Can be customised to different styles and sizes
Disadvantages
- Door is only as good as the quality of timber used in manufacture
- Likely to shrink and expand with changes in weather conditions
- More likely to warp in the heat
- Splits and shakes are common with high temperatures
- Quality hardwood doors are expensive and required significant maintenance
Based on the three available options we believe the Doorstop engineered door to be the most stable for the Western Australia Climate which is why we give the longest warranty period in the industry.
