Stuart Noble wrote:
KJR wrote:
Looking for some advice re internal doors.

I want to get some internal doors, 8 glass pane type which I will
paint white.

I can get one from Homebase, £45, in pine. Or I can get a hardwood
door, from any number of independant firms, for £200 + fitting.

Anyone care to explain the properties of a hardwood door which make
it 4x better than a knotty pine door ?

TIA,

KJR

There's no guarantee that any wooden door won't shrink, hardwood or
softwood.
As you're painting, I'd go for the pine, but I'd also get them
supplied and fitted by a door shop. That way you get a chippy who
does nothing but fit doors all day. I wouldn't recommend d-i-y or,
for that matter, a chippy who hangs the *occasional* door.

Why not get a "chippy who hangs the *occasional* door"? This is a bread and
butter job (even for a poorly trained carpenter) and should cause no
problems at all - especially a 'pine' internal door - and a painted one at
that! They are even relatively easy for a competent DIY'er with a decent
tool kit!

I had one of the last, true, five year apprenticeships back in the mid to
late sixties, haven't touched the tools in anger for over twenty years, but
can still hang a door with 'penny' joints, slightly bevel the leading edges
for a 'sweet fit', know how to resolve problems with twisted and out of true
frames etc - and can probably hang a hardwood door better than many of those
'door shop' fitters - I've seen some of their work over the years!

With regards to any 'internal' door - softwood or hardwood and even flush
ones - buy the best that you can afford. Go for ones with through mortice
and tenon joints (not dowelled) and leave them in the area where they are to
be fitted for a couple of weeks to get acclimatised to reduce shrinkage and
twisting after fitting.

With flush doors, ensure that you buy 'em with a generous 'lock block' on
both sides and with a good quality plywood face rather than hardboard. If
you are doing a D-I-Y fit as an amateur, check for any bevelled leading
edges already on the door before starting AND take your time fitting them.


Brian G