10 Things To Consider When Purchasing Internal Oak Doors
If you’re looking to spruce up your home ready for spring, your first thought might be to purchase that garden furniture set you’ve had your eyes on, or perhaps your living room could do with a fresh lick of paint.
However, one huge, often overlooked change is updating your internal oak doors. The chances are, any guest in your home is going to come into contact with an internal door at some point or another.
Doors are a huge part of your home and so if it’s an oak door you have opted for, you need to make sure they’re of the highest quality. They need to not only leave a great impression among guests but also give you peace of mind that you’ve invested in something that both looks great and lasts.
But with doors being a once, or perhaps a twice in a lifetime purchase, what exactly do you need to consider when you look to purchase them?
Here, we’ll dive into what key features to look out for before you buy.
- Take Note Of The Door Construction
It is a common opinion that solid oak is the best type of door to invest in. Whilst on the surface it may sound like a higher quality door, there are actually issues that arise when doors are made of solid wood. The main one being warping.
Because timber is a natural product, it reacts to the atmospheric conditions of a property, allowing heat, air and damp to penetrate into the wood. The adverse effect this has, causes the wood to expand and therefore warp, allowing the door to bow.
It is therefore best to opt for a veneered door with an engineered construction. This means the door has been manufactured to be structurally sound, ensuring stability and performance. This way you can be sure your doors will remain perfectly fitted in your home.
- The Quality Of The Veneer
People’s perception of veneers, is that they can be cheap. Whilst some on the market can look poor, others are done exceedingly well, due to the quality and cut of the veneer.
It’s important to know where the wood from your veneer originates. Look out for the FSC® certification, as this ensures it is derived from carefully managed forests.
The highest quality cut of veneer is A-grade and the best species of tree for oak doors is the American white oak, as it has fewer knots and disturbances.
- Consistency Is Key
When looking for a quality oak door it’s important to look for consistency in the wood throughout the whole door. Some doors can have lippings and features that are slightly mismatched in colour. In order to overcome this and ensure a consistent look throughout, keep an eye out for suppliers such as XL Joinery who have hand matched veneers, lippings, grooves and mouldings. Hand matching is the best method to signify a quality door aesthetic.
- Look For Sustainability
As the world moves towards a more sustainable future, it’s becoming more important than ever to make sure we purchase products that are better for the environment and from companies who care.
When purchasing your internal oak doors, sustainably sourced varieties will have a full chain of custody. This means that there is a full documentation trial about where the wood has come from and how it has been replenished.
FSC® certified doors ensure the forests have been managed to strict environmental, social and economic standards. It is therefore the benchmark to look out for when purchasing timber doors.
As mentioned, it’s not just the product that is important, but the ethos of the company too. Companies with strong ethical and sustainable policies are moving towards net carbon zero and ultimately towards achieving lifetime carbon neutral.
- Proper Heat And Sound Insulation Is A Must
As energy bills have increased to unprecedented rates, homeowners are looking at any and every activity that might reduce their heating bills. Doors being no exception. Whilst closed doors often act as a draft excluder, you can optimise the performance of the door by ensuring it is of a higher quality.
A dense and compact core, born from an engineered construction, allows for heat loss to be transferred at a slower rate, ultimately keeping rooms warmer for longer.
The same dense and compact qualities of the door, offer dual purpose, as it will absorb sound, ensuring a quieter living environment.
- Range Availability
If you are buying just one door, perhaps this isn’t much of an issue, as long as the size of the door is a standard size. If you are looking to purchase a house full of doors from the same suite however, the depth of a product range will come into consideration.
Homes over two floors, or with a garage attached direct, require fire doors, as specified by Building Regulations. It’s therefore important to look out for door designs that offer fire doors as an option.
For buildings that require mobility assistance, wider doors are required as per Building Regulations. Again, if you are wanting a consistent look, it’s a good idea to look for ranges that offer larger door sizes.
Another thing to consider is if you want glass doors installed at any point throughout your property. Glass is great, and let’s light flood in, but if the sister glass door isn’t available in your favourite door design, you may have to choose a different design.
Older properties often require obscure door sizes. If you want a complete look throughout, you need to look for a door range that delivers on all size requirements.
In summary, when it comes to purchasing new internal doors, different sizes are required for different specifications and finding a company that has your favourite oak styles in a vast range, is therefore very important.
- Take Note Of The Grooves
Did you know that on grooved doors, the depth of these grooves can tell you a lot about the quality of the door?
As a general rule of thumb, usually the deeper the grooves, the higher the quality. Deep U-grooves offer the most premium aesthetic, so look out for these when you are inspecting oak doors.
- Warranty
Most manufacturers will offer a full warranty, providing your doors are installed as per the installation instructions. The going average across the industry is 10 years.
- Colour Is Key
Whilst you can’t beat oak in its natural state, as it is simply stunning; it’s not your only option.
Some companies offer in house oak staining, allowing you to personalise and elevate the look of your door.
Be sure to look out for companies, such as XL Joinery, who truly invest in the process. A door cannot simply be stained. It has to go through multiple sanding and spraying procedures in order to achieve a high quality, furniture grade finish.
Whether it’s a luxurious dark coffee stain or the ever-popular black colour, customising your doors to suit the feel of your home can take what could be ‘just a door’, to be the most luxurious element of your property.
- Buy Cheap, Buy Twice
As the old saying goes about false economies, buy cheap, buy twice. You get what you pay for.
Some doors may look the same online, with only price points differing. If you are looking for a quality door you need to see and feel the difference in person. Quality doors carry weight, and feel and look premium based on the attention to detail in the design and construction of the door.
Conclusion
Ultimately, it’s important to know what you’re looking for when purchasing internal oak doors, so that you make the right investment. From sustainable options to assessing the quality of the oak, through following our tips in this guide, you’ll be well on your way to finding the ideal doors for your home.
If you’d like to find out more about our internal oak doors here at XL Joinery, contact us today to speak with our friendly team.
