Whether you’re designing your dream home, home office, local store, or a torn-down hunk of garbage you bought on the cheap to flip for a profit, you will always look to save money wherever possible. But should the doors be one of those? Keep reading along and see why you may or may not want to cheap out on the doors for your house and why wooden solid core doors may be your best option despite the price.
What types of doors are there?
There are three distinct types of doors, solid core doors, hollow core doors, and solid wood doors. All three are completely viable options for a home but they do have differences and can meet different needs.
Solid Core Doors
Solid core doors are doors that are made of a mix of real wood and synthetic wood composites. They are engineered and built to imitate solid wood doors in terms of durability and sound insulation but at a cheaper price.
Hollow Core Doors
Hollow core doors are doors that are made out of thin wood or fibreboard that surrounds a honeycomb-shaped support structure of cardboard or plastic. As you probably expect, this means that these doors are significantly lighter but less durable than wooden solid core doors or solid wood doors. Another downside is that hollow core doors don’t insulate sound very well compared to the other two types.
Solid Wood Doors
Solid wood doors are exactly what the name suggests, a door that is one solid piece of wood. Unlike solid core doors, however, a real solid wood door is made from 100% natural wood.
In terms of quality, it could be said that a solid wood door is the best of the best. They are the most durable, the most soundproof, and usually the best looking and feeling. However, solid wood doors are the most expensive and the heaviest.
Pros & Cons of each type
Solid Core
Pros
- Cheaper than solid wood
- Lighter than solid wood
- More durable than hollow core
- More sound-insulating than hollow core
Cons
- More expensive than hollow core
- Heavier than hollow core
- Less durable than solid wood
- Less sound-insulating than solid wood
Hollow Core
Pros
- Cheaper than solid core and solid wood
- Lighter than solid core and solid wood
Cons
- Less durable than solid core and solid wood
- Less sound-insulating than solid core and solid wood
Solid Wood
Pros
- More durable than solid and hollow core doors
- More sound-insulating than solid and hollow core doors
Cons
- Much heavier than solid and hollow core doors
- Much more expensive than solid and hollow core doors
Now that you have some background on the different types of doors that you could use have you come to a decision? Are wooden solid core doors the right choice for your needs?
Need custom doors and/or windows for your home or project in New Jersey or any other area of the Northeast? Look to our team at Northeast Architectural that has been serving the area since 1994. Learn more at our website at northeastco.com/architectural/.