What is better for french dooor ( stain finish ).I’m getting a 50% + price differnce for solid doug fir ?
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I can tell you from experience that a stained and poly'd veneer door exposed to the weather will tend to delaminate after a number of years.
And I can tell you from experience that a solid wood door will warp, twist, shrink and swell from exposure to the elements.
If an ext. door is to be exposed to direct sunlight, then the best finish is a light colored paint.
UV will degrade any non pigmented finish .
with one side shaded and on exposed to direct sun ANY door will be under extreme stress.
and the opposite will be true in winter, the inside will be toasty warm and the out side will be cold.
until the sun comes up and proceeds to warm up the previously cold side.
Add a glass storm door and you got a 3'-0"x 6'-8" oven!!
Is it any surprise that door manufacturers have switched to steel and fiberglass.
solid wood door construction is very demanding application!
Use only vertical grained, well dried, slow growth wood.
happy door making!!
We always get it right!!!
the third time....
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"Almost certain death, small chance of success.... What are we waiting for???"
I can tell you from experience that a stained and poly'd veneer door exposed to the weather will tend to delaminate after a number of years."
Ralph,
I second that thought. My front door did that after only two years. So much for three coats of spar urethane.
Jon
A veneer door is very stable and has a very uniform look-no surprises.Also will finish with no surprises.
Solid wood looks like wood and some manufacturers use laminated stock that isn't necessarily matched....not bad...just more like wood and sometimes wilder grain than veneer.
Personally I prefer solid wood...however I just spent 2 weeks vacuum bagging walnut veneer to mdf...why? more stable, flat as mdf and beautifully figured grain...
silver
silver
Right now I am trying to get Simpson doors to honor warranty on two veneered door that have delaminated. The doors were used in two seperate project. Both doors were primed with Benjamin Moores long oil primer and top coated with B.M. top of line paint-2 coats. Simpson's rep response is that door were facing the hard weather side with minimum overhang--basically that their exterior doors may only be used on some sides of the house with a substantial overhang. On one job, a Marvin door installed at same time with the same exposure is performing without problem. I would choose solid doors if I new vendor who would supply them. (Marvin has limited choices of styles.) I would definately advise not to use any Simpson products. They are garbage and Simpson does not stand behind their products.
basically that their exterior doors may only be used on some sides of the house with a substantial overhang..
Thanks for your input.. I was going to get some doors from them.. Not now!
response is that door were facing the hard weather side with minimum overhang...
AND they claim it's a EXTERIOR DOOR?
Pick your own poison.....
A veneered door has two problems. It will eventually delaminate, unless you use either paint or epoxy finishes. Even then it still might. Also, since the veneers that are being used these days are so thin, you're likely to have problems with glue bleed-through.
I recently stained a set of veneered doors, and had lots of trouble with fisheyes from the glue. I ended up sanding them bare, clear-coating them, then spraying the stain on top of the clearcoat.
On the other hand, you could use a truly solid door. Costs about twice as much as you've noted. Also more likely to twist, cup, and warp.
Good luck.
Unless you're the lead dog, the view just never changes.