Choosing the Right Door for the Project

Doors come in many different styles and are made out of a variety of materials. If you're involved in a project that requires a door, here's a guide to some of the more common door types and when you should use them.

Prehung doors come mounted to the frame that will hold them, which makes installation much easier.

With the door and frame already connected, you don't have to worry about mortising the two together. This is the process of adjusting the frame and door so that they're properly aligned and have the correct tension on each hinge. Getting everything right requires attention to detail, and you need certain tools. Most people use a set of sawhorses, and chisel or drill.

Doing all of this on-site can be challenging, as everything must be carefully measured and precisely cut. Even a small error could throw off the tension or cause a misalignment. In a factory where the door is initially assembled, it's easier for skilled technicians to mortise the door and frame together.

Given the benefits of prehung doors, they're a good option if you're inexperienced with home improvement projects and when an entire frame is rotted out. If you have experience and don't need to change out a frame, you may not need the door-and-frame combination. In many other situations, however, prehung doors will make installation faster and easier.

Steel doors are primarily used in larger buildings, such as commercial complexes and hospitals, but they can be purchased for single-family homes as well. These doors are steel casings filled with a lighter-weight and insulating material, and they're painted to look nice.

Because steel is stronger than wood and doesn't burn like wood does, steel doors are often used in places where security and safety are major concerns. For example, they're frequently used as exterior doors on large buildings, and many fire exit doors are made from steel.

A steel door may be necessary to meet fire codes in certain areas, and it's a suitable choice anywhere you want more security and fire resistance. Consider this type of door if you're building or remodeling a nonresidential space, and use them in your home only if you personally want to.

Solid core doors are so-named because they're also filled with an insulating material. These are made from wood byproducts, so they don't have the same strength and fire resistance as steel doors, but they're stronger than hollow core doors.

Many home's exterior doors are solid core doors, primarily because exterior doorways need a door that offers protection against heat and cold. The fire protection isn't as important in single-family homes' exterior doorways since most homes have multiple potential first-floor fire exits.

In a few cases, solid core doors might be used on interior doorways because they also provide some sound insulation. This is an uncommon use, though, and most people don't need this level of sound insulation in their home.

Hollow core doors are the standard for homes' interior doorways. These doors are made from wood or wood byproducts but have no filling in them. The construction makes them lighter and more affordable than the other door options, and they still open and close just fine. The doors provide the privacy that's needed without any unnecessary features that add to their cost.

For help selecting the doorthat is right for your project, contact us at Mikro Corp. We have lots of doors for a wide variety of projects.