If you’re wondering whether it is worth it to replace interior doors, the answer is almost always yes. Wood interior doors add a great deal of value to a home. They’re aesthetically pleasing, modern, and timeless, and because you can have them custom-made if you can’t find the right size or look, you can design them to be cohesive to tie a space together.
They’re also very functional; their weight and breadth make them good at securing rooms and regulating temperatures. But what makes these simple home essentials so valuable? Aside from design, it’s all about their craft. In this article, we’ll give you a look into how interior doors are made to help you understand the work that goes into them and to help you get better insight when choosing which doors are right for your home.
The Anatomy of Interior Doors
To understand how interior doors are made, you must be familiar with their anatomy. There are different types of doors, but most consist of three basic parts: the stiles, rails, and panels. They may also have a core and a veneer, particularly if they’re not solid doors. Here’s a quick breakdown of each part:
Stiles
The stiles are the outermost portion of interior doors, providing their main structure. Since they’re on the exterior, they experience the most wear and tear, so it’s crucial that they’re aligned and stable during assembly.
Rails
The rails are two portions in the center of the door that connect the stiles. They also offer support to the panels.
Panels
The panels fill in the gaps in the door. They can vary, and can even come as other materials, like glass or screens.
Veneer
The veneer is an outer shell that acts as the front and back of a door. This isn’t common in solid wood doors, but they’re often a part of hollow-core doors.
Core
The core is the inside of the door. Hollow-core doors, as their name suggests, don’t have a core. These types are lighter and cheaper, however, they don’t offer great insulation. Other doors have a solid inside but may be different from the veneer. For example, a door may have a redwood veneer but a pine core.
How Interior Doors Are Made
Making interior doors is a simple process, but it does require a lot of specialized tools and technical skills, which is why it’s often done in factories with complex machinery. Here’s an overview of how they’re created:
Selection
The process of making interior doors starts with the selection of material, which heavily depends on the type of door. For wood interior doors, this involves choosing the specific type of wood to be used. Popular choices include cherry, walnut, or maple.
Cutting
Once the material has been chosen, the maker cuts the wood into the necessary parts. This step involves taking measurements, then processing the wood through calibrated cutters that carve them out into exact shapes and sizes.
Joining
Once the wood is separated into stiles, rails, and panels, they’re joined together. Glue is spread across the pieces and they’re attached to place. Some makers secure the door even better through staples.
Assembly
When the doors are assembled, they’re put onto pressers over a few hours. This ensures that the pieces stick properly and that they come out as a solid piece. After this, the door is prepared for the addition of fixtures, such as handles, doorknobs, and hinges, which are attached in the last step of the process.
Can I Make My Own Interior Doors?
It may be difficult to find interior doors that look exactly how you want them to. And this may prompt you to consider creating custom doors yourself to idealize your vision. You can definitely make your own interior doors. However, it’s not an easy feat. You’ll need a lot of technical know-how. Plus, you’ll have to have some specialized tools on-hand; you can’t make doors with regular tools at home.
Many home improvement brands like 27EStore offer interior doors that you can customize. This way, you get the door that you envision without going through the work of making it yourself.
Customized Wood Interior Doors from 27EStore
27Estore crafts high-quality wood interior doors made from premium materials. Check out our mega catalog of styles and designs or reach out to get custom-made interior doors for your home!