Hi, I'm replacing 4 internal doors and would appreciate some advice on whether to get solid or veneered oak doors. Obviously, the veneered oak is much cheaper, but the doors are going to need adjusting to size and I know there's a limit to how much you can cut off a veneered door. I'd have to buy the standard 1981mm height, but they'd have to be trimmed, at the smallest door, to 1940mm. Is that too much to trim off a veneered door? I suspect so, in which case solid oak would be needed. The concern I have about that, is that I know they're very heavy and need 3 hinges, but I'm not replacing the pine frames, so would that mean having to chase out 3 new hinge areas, or would a carpenter use the original two and then add a third? I don't want the frames to have loads of gaps, as even though I'm painting them it's look a mess. Thanks in advance for any advice.
you have to be so carefull what seems like solid oak can still be oak veneer on a wood core descriptions like "solid timber with selected light oak for a traditional finnish" can be veneered finish unless it says " made from solid oak" it wont be
We have oak veneer doors and the outer frame of the doors are solid oak, the panels are veneer. They were purchased from B and Q a few years ago. They obviously expect you to plane them down to fit to some extent, we did. Just ask them at the place where they're for sale. I'm sure a carpenter would use the rebates already made in the frame and add another.
Baw. You really need to enquire of each manufacturer how much their door can be safely trimmed. Having said that, even 'hollow' veneered doors - ones that have solid rails on the outside edges only to a certain depth and have some sort of corrugated filling for the rest of the internals - can be trimmed beyond the recommended amount by a decent joiner; they just remove the solid timber rail and reset in inside the door edge after it's been trimmed down. After all, you don't see the top or bottom edges. I presume you are not planning to fit these doors yourself? In which case, I would find the joiner first and have a chat; you should soon work out the ones up to tackling this job and how best to go about it. "Much cheaper?" Too darned right - a solid oak door will cost you an armie and a legie. (And sorting out the existing frame for extra hinges is absolutely the least of your troubles - that's bread an' butter stuff for joiners.)
B&Q Tradepoint have a sale on their 4 panel oak veneer shaker doors (£42 exe). In my experience veneer doors are more stable due to their laminated construction.
Unless the doors are in excess of £500 a piece they will not be solid oak. The only exception being ledged and braced ones They may have solid oak lippings and beads but the core of the door will be chipboard, occasionally blockboard or occasionally MDF then veneered, or laminated up softwood veneered. Nothing wrong with it at all. Even mortice and tenon doors are usually a bit like a softwood door with the m&t then veneered.
Solid timber doors do not mean that is made from real wood, those fire checked are all solid core only, all wooden doors usually are veneered but recently bought for one of my sites doors from Distinctive Doors, really good quality: https://www.distinctivedoors.co.uk/products/615-victorian-4-flat-panel
I made this outside door for the bro a few years back.... The frame is solid mahogany joined by dominoes. The panels are wbp ply sandwiched between t&g mahogany boards glued solid to the ply. Theres always a question mark over using dominoes on a big beefy door like that. Traditionalists will always opt for tenons. Plenty of joinery companies around who will make you genuine solid wood doors. (with tenons)
Sisters partner is having his doors made by a local joinery works. The timber is Ash and consists of 7 solid planks vertical. With a 10mm x 8 mm square groove at the joints. Six tenons will be horizontal to hold them together.
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