Among all the numerous offers on the construction products market, veneer doors occupy an important place, as they allow you to bring the warmth and aesthetics of wood into the interior at an affordable price. How to choose the right veneer doors?
First you need to understand some of the features of this material, namely:
What is veneer and veneered interior doors? How are they produced? What varieties are there? How to care for such products?
Veneer and its varieties
Veneer is a kind of cover for the unpresentable base of the door leaf, just like the upholstery for a sofa, which gives the final appearance of the furniture.
There are two types of veneer used for doors. One of them is of completely natural origin, the second is synthetic.
Natural veneer for interior doors consists of thin plates cut from a piece of wood using planing machines.
The thickness of the cut ranges from a few millimeters to half a centimeter. From one square meter of wood with a thickness of 5 cm, up to 50 square meters of veneer can be produced. Thus, veneer also helps solve the problem of economical use of natural resources, in particular timber.
Typically, natural veneer is made from valuable wood species: deciduous or coniferous.
Eco-veneer is a partially artificial material, essentially a polymer film interspersed with wood fibers on the surface of an MDF or chipboard panel, imitating the texture and pattern of wood.
Eco-veneer is several times cheaper, but the completely natural material has some advantages that are not available for plastic products.
First of all, it is the environmental friendliness and safety of natural wood. Doors whose veneer does not emit harmful fumes under the influence of elevated temperatures are recommended for use in children's rooms and bedrooms.
A small organism is most susceptible to various secretions emanating from low-quality plastic, and we spend most of the time of our lives in the bedroom. Therefore, the need to ensure the most comfortable stay is what drives the desire of many people to buy veneered doors made of natural wood.
An important factor is that veneered doors have a different structure and wood pattern. Unlike the monochromatic and uniform “stencil” of laminated structures, products made from natural veneer have a unique charm and uniqueness.
Veneered doors can last more than 10 years (or even more than 15 with proper care). So another advantage is the durability of veneered products.
One of the main advantages of natural material is a wide selection of different types of wood. Cherry, oak, wenge, maple and other valuable species provide the opportunity to enjoy a variety of colors and wood textures.
What is better than pine doors or eco-veneer and PVC?
We compare exactly these segments, because their prices are comparable. In general, this is similar to comparing an artificial bouquet with a living one.
Pine doors exude their naturalness; they even smell like pine needles. Yes, their surface may not be ideal, marks from all impacts accumulate on it, cracks appear, but this does not make them worse. After all, this is a real tree, with a beautiful pattern that is not repeated on neighboring doors, with character and its own charm.
In addition, when you close them, you feel that the doors are entirely made of wood , and the natural properties of pine give them excellent insulating properties.
Door finished with snow-white PVC film
All this is not present in film doors, but there is only an impeccable appearance, like a carbon copy, repeated from canvas to canvas. And also the surface, which is like a plastic bouquet, will never wither.
Non-natural veneer
Variations of natural veneer are:
- Fine line veneer or modified veneer;
- Multispon.
The so-called fine line is an interesting type of veneer. It is made by peeling wood and then painting it. Sheets of wood from inexpensive, fast-growing trees, such as poplar or alder, are given the shade required for the production of the door, thanks to which the material takes on the appearance of valuable wood. In this way, interesting color combinations and combinations are created that give an unusual look to the surface texture of the product.
Multi-veneer is a type of veneer similar to fine line, with the only difference being that its surface bears little resemblance to wood. It is an imitation of various decorative patterns: stripes, checkered patterns, and you can also imitate the texture of fabric.
Fine-line production
After peeling, wooden sheets with similar texture and pattern are selected, then they are glued and pressed with a hydraulic press and painted. When the material is ready and formed into blocks or slabs, it is cut into sheets of the required thickness for veneering.
The advantages of fine-line veneer are that:
- The material is safe and environmentally friendly;
- Excellent resistance to temperature changes and humidity changes;
- There are no characteristic irregularities or defects in wood;
- The flexibility and plasticity of such veneer allows it to be used for gluing curved surfaces.
The resulting product is not inferior in characteristics to natural veneer and contains: 94% wood; 0.3% coloring and 7% adhesives.
The disadvantages of modified veneer include a large porous surface and fragility, as a result of which an increased amount of adhesives is consumed for its production.
Features of the production of veneered doors
Veneered interior doors are a fairly popular product on the domestic construction market, consisting of a structure made of a frame, filler and slabs covered with valuable wood veneer.
Most often, veneered structures are produced in two variations: solid wood or MDF.
The production of veneered doors is possible from solid wood as a base. It looks like this:
- Various pieces of natural wood are selected and glued together;
- The product is pressed, calibrated and other manipulations are performed to obtain the effect of a solid canvas;
- Any wood veneer is applied to the surface;
- The finished door is varnished.
There is also an economy option with a different production technology. There is a special cavity inside the canvas, which is filled with corrugated cardboard, and MDF sheets and finishing are attached on top of it.
The structure of an economy class door is:
- The frame is made of cheap wood, most often pine;
- Filling in the form of corrugated cardboard;
- MDF panel attached to the frame;
- Natural veneer on top;
- Protective varnish coating to create a waterproof surface.
The MDF panel is the connecting link between the base and the coating. It is attached to the frame so that the space between the two plates can be filled with corrugated cardboard (a special material that creates the structure of the door and also serves for sound insulation). Cardboard fills the cavity inside the door like a honeycomb to make the structure strong and withstand mechanical stress.
Natural veneer is applied on top of the finished MDF sheets using a cold or hot method. After this, a paint coating is applied to the door to protect the surface. It allows you to protect the door leaf from damage and makes it possible to use veneered doors in rooms with high humidity.
The production of veneered doors of economy class is almost no different from the production of laminated doors, the difference is only in some technological processes.
In laminated doors, the top layer consists of an artificial film that imitates wood. In veneered products, the top layer is a cut of wood with a protective varnish coating.
Enamel
Sometimes this coating is confused with regular paint, which is only partly true. The composition of the enamel and the methods of its application to the base provide the amazing strength and beauty of this facing material. Previously, such doors were installed in palaces and houses of the nobility, as they were very expensive. Modern technologies have made a product with excellent characteristics available to a wide consumer audience:
- absolute moisture resistance;
- ability to withstand high temperatures;
- resistance to abrasion and scratches;
- wide palette of colors according to the RAL scale;
- chic appearance.
This coating does not peel off during operation and does not crack. Enamel interior doors can be additionally decorated with gold or silver patina. Among the conditional disadvantages, it is worth noting the peculiarity of the enamel to break off in pieces during strong directed blows. However, you need to try very hard to achieve such an effect.
Applying veneer to the surface
There are two methods of veneering a door structure:
- Hot;
- Cold;
Hot pressing
For gluing veneer onto an MDF surface, formaldehyde-based glue is most often used, which is not very safe for human health, but is cheaper than the adhesive used in the “cold” method. The gluing process occurs at temperatures above one hundred degrees.
Cold pressing
PVA glue is used, which is safer, although more expensive. The temperature at which the surface and veneer are bonded is from 30 to 35 degrees.
At the initial stage, the front part of the door leaf is pasted, then the sides. After the adhesives have dried and hardened, the surface is sanded, removing dried adhesive residues and other blemishes. The last step in processing the door block is varnishing.
You can also decorate metal doors using veneer. A veneered metal door is finished on the outside with eco-veneer or other artificial analogue, and on the inside with natural veneer. To do this, an MDF sheet is attached to a metal sheet using glue and self-tapping screws. And then the gluing technology is repeated the same as that used for wooden doors.
What are PVC coated doors and what is better PVC or eco-veneer
Doors with PVC coating are doors covered with PVC film, everything is logical here. If you show anyone, even a door specialist, two pieces (rolls) of film, one PVC, the other polypropylene (eco-veneer), then no one will find the differences. They may even have exactly the same decor.
The horror story about chlorine in PVC film probably hasn’t scared anyone for a long time, because... Everyone understands that chlorine is bound there at the molecular level and can only be released during combustion. And the most harmful substances, in both films, are used specifically for applying decor. Therefore, there are no visual or tactile differences.
But there are differences in properties and this is why the doors are different.
Door coated with glossy PVC film
PVC film stretches under the influence of temperature and pressure, so it is applied to the doors using a thermal vacuum press . The film is heated and imprinted into the MDF base, covering all the relief decorative elements of the door leaf and moldings.
Eco-veneer (polypropylene film) does not stretch, and it is impossible to cover anything with a voluminous relief. It is thanks to these properties that PVC coating can imitate enamel, the now fashionable “Concrete” or SoftTouch, even leather. Doors can be made with real three-dimensional panels, with decorative elements, with carvings.
This allows you to make doors finished with PVC film much more interesting in design than those made of eco-veneer. Not everyone is interested in wood flooring when there are many other options. This is why doors with PVC coating remain leaders among film doors.
Three-panel door with carved platbands in PVC finish
You probably have a question: why do manufacturers use polypropylene film at all? The fact is that it is applied to the doors using other equipment, this allows you to reduce the price of the final product.
As for purely household properties or testing in a store, everything said about eco-veneer is also true for PVC film.
Tsar door in PVC film
This material was prepared jointly with the employees of the interior doors store “V Dom”. The photographs of the doors taken by the craftsmen after installation were especially useful. But this is only a small part of what is presented on the store’s website. Therefore, if you need to choose interior doors, follow the link, there you will definitely find the required options.
Choice of veneer doors
Veneered doors have somewhat conflicting customer reviews about their characteristics and practicality. In most cases, this is due to the fact that there are many fakes and unscrupulous manufacturers of door structures on the market. How not to make a mistake when choosing a door for your home?
First of all, it is necessary to purchase doors from trusted manufacturers who have considerable experience in this field. It is desirable, of course, that the company does not produce everything at once (furniture, doors, etc.), but specializes only in one market segment.
When purchasing veneered doors, it is important to pay attention to what pattern is present on the doors of the same model. If it is exactly the same and the texture does not change, then the frame and door leaf are covered with laminate or artificial veneer.
In addition, the surface of the product must be smooth, without irregularities and abrasions, cracks and chips. Also check how tightly the veneer sits on the door; there should be no peeling anywhere. It’s also important how the interior door smells. If the door block emits an unpleasant smell of glue and other foreign odors, it is better not to buy such a door.
Veneered doors come in various configurations and colors; you should not rely entirely on the photo from the manufacturer; at a minimum, you should ask for a sample of the texture and color of the veneer.
Door care
Wooden structures require regular preventive maintenance and veneer products are no exception.
Where to start caring for veneer doors? First of all, it is necessary to provide the products with partial shade and indirect sunlight. Because in direct sunlight, the veneer coating fades and loses its original qualities.
It is necessary to avoid getting a large amount of moisture on the veneer. Wooden veneer doors cannot be washed or rubbed with abrasive powders; for this you need to use soft cleaning wipes without alcohol, as it may cause white stains.
Care for a veneered door is carried out using a simple, slightly damp cloth (microfiber, as an option) and wood polish. In case of severe contamination, use a regular soap solution.
Wax-based polish has dirt- and dust-repellent properties and the door surface will remain clean for a long time after treatment.
