Which door is better?

I can buy a prehung solid core wood door (birch) for $280 weather stripped. Or for $130 less per door, I can get a solid core particle board door. It's still solid core and still looks the same, but is probably less dense? Which door should I go with? Should I save the money and get the solid core particle board door?

Any idea of the weight of each door? Can you find out? If they're roughly the same, and assuming you plan to add something (either acoustic treatment or another layer of mass, or both) to the door, then I would think it wouldn't matter (i.e., get the cheaper one). Although, be aware that if you plan to add mass, you may want to hang the door yourself on beefy hinges or see if you can get the hinges upgraded (i.e., four instead of three, heavier duty hinges) and perhaps also the frame itself. Where are you considering buying? You may want to see if a custom door manufacturer can do better -- either more for the same, or the same for less. --Keith :mrgreen:

I'll have to see if I can find out the weight... good idea! I didn't plan on beefing up the doors because i'm using 2 layers of 5/8" drywall for each leaf. The door is 1 3/8". So in total, the doors will be 1/4" thicker than all layers of drywall. Also, I have to keep things in perspective. My ceiling will be my weakest link. I guess I can always get the particle board door and then beef up if needed... :wink: You're right though, i'd probably need bigger hinges in that case. But going with particle board instead of solid wood saves me $260 all together! I'm not sure what to hang on the door as far as insulation... I hadn't thought about that.. Acoustic treatment would only be on the inside of the studio. :?

If they are really truly both solid doors, I might think that the particle board could be heavier (is the 'birch' door a veneer of birch over some other wood core?)... But of course particle board cannot hold screws or nails good. What I thought was that a particle board core door had a solid wood framing surrounding the core (in order to fasten the hinges, and allow adjustments to edges); if you have to shorten or narrow the door, you may go past the framing and expose the particle board. If in a high degree of moisture, the particle board edges can swell, and even ultimately break down the material.... I have some thoughts of using a dense and stable plywood like baltic birch (some are made with exterior resorcinol glue), built up, to create a door, or to laminate over a solid core door... very much like, and inspired by, the ones in Rod's book (that sandwich a layer of lead sheet between layers of wood). If you've never worked with or seen baltic birch, it's a wonderful material (even the 1/2" stuff has NINE plys without any voids whatsoever, and rivals x-code sheetrock for density; 3/4" has thirteen plys; all plies are birch -- you can even make furniture with exposed edges that looks awesome! (think: nordic/scandinavian)). It's so stable that it's used for jigs in many industries, including machine shops; and if you're worried about strength, forget about it (this stuff is strong). Mostly it comes in 5' by 5' sheets, but the 1/4", 1/2" and 3/4" also comes in 4' by 8 ' sheets. Alas, it's not cheap, but compared to the cost of some doors, it isn't bad at all. http://www.boulterplywood.com/ K

While checking weight, check that both doors are same thickness; exterior doors are 1-3/4", while interior are 1-3/8" thick. Different hinges are used also due to difference in thickness. If you beef up your door (and even if you don't, preferably) you should use extra long screws (and more of them) when fastening the door's finish frame into your rough openings - also extra studs/blocking on the hinge side can't hurt, so the door STAYS the way you hang it... Steve

Both doors are interior 1 3/8" The solid wood door is actually filled with glued wood blocks... it's not one solid piece. I think the particle board is looking like the way to go. My money is probably better spent on a good sealing kit!

Yup; betcha the particle board one's heavier too... Steve

I was thinking about building french doors in my studio. Since this type of door uses glass, if I just wanted to make the door out of wood instead of adding any additional mass how thick would it (the wood) need to be to achieve good sound isolation? Is there a certain type of wood that's better to use? How thick would the glass need to be? And finally, is there a certain type of glass that's better to use? I'm trying to find info on the net as to the method of building a door like this. This will be a heavy door I'm sure. Soon, I will begin framing and I've seen a few post Knightfly had concerning the 2x4 construction for the door opening. http://www.johnlsayers.com/phpBB2/viewt ... c&start=15 Is this construction adequate for a very heavy door? (Sure looks like it is!) Any help would be appreciated.

WHat about the Solid wood Doors that sell at Home Depot stores. The ARE solid wood and are pretty heavy. But they are not prehung and doesnt have the holes for the door knobs and/or door locks. Last time I checked in New Orleans, a 36" door was about $50. They were usuallyin in the rear of the door section I have always thought about finding a way to fasten two of them together to make on 2-3/4 inch door. I would use brass hinges to hang it. Maybe even notch out the edge of one to make a double door seal at the jam.?? What do you folks think?

I'm not an 'in the know' person here, but I've always been led to believe that door hanging (that is, using NON-pre-hung doors) is not for the faint of heart... Then of course there is the opportunity cost factor (i.e., how long would it take to do it yourself versus buying it, versus how much money you make in your regular job)... It seems, in Rod's book, that even solid doors should/could be beefed up with added layers of plywood and lead, and the creation of double sealing areas.... in that case, the framing of the door needs to accommodate the weight... Get his book, if you ain't got it already, and see his section on doors and windows... MY question is: if there is a significant size air lock, would that mitigate the need for ridiculously heavy single doors? K

nukmusic wrote:

WHat about the Solid wood Doors that sell at Home Depot stores. The ARE solid wood and are pretty heavy. But they are not prehung and doesnt have the holes for the door knobs and/or door locks. Last time I checked in New Orleans, a 36" door was about $50. They were usuallyin in the rear of the door section I have always thought about finding a way to fasten two of them together to make on 2-3/4 inch door. I would use brass hinges to hang it. Maybe even notch out the edge of one to make a double door seal at the jam.?? What do you folks think?

P.S. I just had to stop by Home Depot here in Dallas, TX... so I took a walk to the door section. They did have solid wood slab doors but it was a newer brand name. The price was much more and they were primed(white) already. $152. for a 36" slab. new brand: Door Corridor or Masonite Doors...old brand was Steves & Sons...they have a few on clearance $65 for a 32" slad. I wonder if Lowe's still carries those magnatic door seals??

All of the magnetic door seals I've seen will only work on steel doors. If you find otherwise, please let us know. I've got a BUNCH of doors to seal up. len

len-morgan wrote:

All of the magnetic door seals I've seen will only work on steel doors. If you find otherwise, please let us know. I've got a BUNCH of doors to seal up. len

Len, I use magnetic seals as part of a 3 seal system on all of my studo doors - GM trunk rubber for the 1st 2 seals and magnetic for the last - It's easy to use the magnetic seals with wood doors - you just install a 1/2" x 1/8" steel "latch" on the face of the wood door. You can get that at any steel fabrication shop - then just prime/paint to suit your taste. Rod

Thanks Rod. Is the supplier of the magnetic latch listed in your book? I checked with the local appliance repair shop here and all they had was sets of seals for particular model of refridgerator, not seals by the foot. len

len-morgan wrote:

Thanks Rod. Is the supplier of the magnetic latch listed in your book? I checked with the local appliance repair shop here and all they had was sets of seals for particular model of refridgerator, not seals by the foot. len

Len - these are not refridgerator magnets, but are made specifically for doors. Zero International and Pemko both make products that I have worked with and approve..... Rod