Advantages of Engineered Hardwood Doors

Are engineered doors solid wood?

Yes, the solid timbers used in the construction of an engineered wooden door are layered with alternating grain and are designed to work against each other to create a more stable and longer lasting product than 'traditional' doors.

Do engineered doors last longer?

Engineered doors are designed to prolong the life of the product and resist warping and cupping that is found in traditional solid wood over time, and therefore last longer. This reduces the amount of maintence required with the changes in season on a new external door.

Are engineered doors better?

Modern technology used in engineered hardwood results in a far better end product. Maintaining cleaner, flat surfaces over time. They must however be sealed correctly to prevent any water ingress. This also applies to traditional doors.

Why choose engineered doors?

Although many more manufacturing processes are involved to purposely create a more superior product, the word engineered can often put people off a choosing engineered doors as it can relate to 'cheaply made' products from the past however this is certainly not the case with engineered timber products of today.

To start with, engineered doors are often still solid wood and are not one or the other but both.
The idea behind engineered doors is that the finished product is a much more stable, reliable, stronger and longer lasting product. This is because the product has been designed to be better than its predecessor.
With traditional wood working processes, the rails and styles, and even the panels of the door to a certain extent, are 'machined' from a single slab (or slice if you prefer) of tree.
Although cut, planed, joined and sanded to a flat equal calibrated finish, over time solid wood will 'breath'. Meaning it will absorb and expel moisture from its environment (especially between damp winter seasons and warm dry summer seasons)
Over time this process causes timber to 'cup', twist, split and degrade ultimately resulting in a poor fitting door.
Engineered timber is produced using many different and opposing timber grains (much like a wooden or oak worktop in a kitchen) All of these separate pieces of timber work against each other in the same way as described above, however as they are all working in the same manor this results in a more balanced and over all stable out come.

Do engineered doors last longer?

They are designed to last longer than old traditional doors. As traditional doors are made of whole intersecting pieces, there is an inherent strength that comes from the construction. They are, however, susceptible to environmental changes such as variations in humidity and temperature. Exposure to factors like these can cause a solid door to warp or bow, making it twist, split and gradually lose shape.

By having layers of timber running in different directions, an engineered core is able to evenly distribute any stress applied to it. This makes an engineered door far more stable than its solid counterpart. This modern construction technique also provides better thermal insulation than that offered by more traditional methods.

It’s highly likely that an engineered set will out-perform your solid option for less money, and, as building regulations call for better thermal insulation, your final decision could end up being a no brainer.

Are engineered doors hollow?

No. Hardwood and Oak engineered doors are often solidcore meaning the 'insides' of the door are timber throughout with no hollow sections. The lippings and surface of these doors are to provide a clean, colour balanced finish, meaning your new engineered door is not only more suitable to changes in the environment and longer lasting, but also has no unsightly shakes or knots on the faces of the product.