Selecting a wood door for your commercial space needs to address more than aesthetics, from sound to heat loss, we came up with some tips to help you select doors that fit your needs. Continue reading to learn everything you need to know about commercial wood doors for your building!
What Kind of Core Do You Want for Your Doors?
There are basically three kinds of cores for your doors. They are solid core, hollow core, and stile and rail.
Stile and rail doors contain solid lengths of wood usually dowelled together to create a frame for solid wood panels that are then held in place with decorative moulding. In place of wood panels, glass thermal units can also be installed should viewing to the outside be required. Stile and Rail Doors, are the most expensive selection of wood doors but are a better option when it comes to exterior wood door applications. Not often the choice for everyday offices but you will see a stile and rail wood door appear in high-end office settings, heritage buildings, and other spaces where aesthetics outweighs budget.
Hollow core doors are slightly misnamed. They are not actually hollow in the middle at all! Instead, they have a light cardboard honeycomb inside. The reason they are called hollow core is that the core is so light. A hollow core door offers very little in sound protection or temperature control. This type of door is also not suited for high traffic areas and as such is used more for residential purposes.
Solid core doors are much more complicated. They come in various types, including mineral core, agrifibre wheat core, particleboard core, and structural composite lumber core. Here you find the middle ground between the expense of the stile and rail wood doors and the cheapest less effective hollow-core door. The solid core door replicates the look of a solid piece of wood and depending on the core structure, you can control the sound and meet fire rating requirements without breaking the bank.
Mineral cores create lightweight and fire-resistant doors. On the other hand, they are complicated and require wood blocking to function correctly. They are also much less cost-effective in comparison to agrifibre wheat cores. Mineral core wood doors and reach a fire-rating of up to 90 minutes though, whereas an agrifibre core Door can only reach 60 minute ratings.
Particleboard core is one of the most common choices for wood doors. Particleboard is popular because it is sturdy and cheap. It's a good default choice for most commercial applications
On the other hand, structural composite lumber core doors can be a higher-end option. They are heavier than particle board and they last longer. They are bound together by resins rather than simple glue.
What Kind of Door Surfaces Are Right for You?
Generally, you can choose between laminates, veneers, and fiberboard.
Laminates are designed to look like wood. Actually, they are made of plastic but are the more expensive option.
Veneers look like solid wood, but in fact, are just thin pieces of wood attached to the outside of the door core.
Fiberboard can be a low-end or high-end option. The denser the fiberboard, the more expensive it will be. Regardless of which type of fiberboard you buy, it will make your business doors easy to paint.
Find the Best Commercial Doors for Your Building!
Hopefully, you learned something helpful about commercial doors in this brief article. Choosing the right doors for your building is an investment that will pay off for years to come. To find out about the types of options available, get in touch with us!