# Making interior doors



## AxlMyk (Jun 13, 2006)

Build or buy? That's my dilemma right now. We want 6 panel doors.

The present doors were built in 1972, so they are 1 11/16" thick. The only ones we can find in stores are 1 3/8" thick. I can foresee problems where the hinges are concerned. Would have to re-rout for them, unless we went for pre-hung doors. Position of the door knobs/latchs would also present problems. Menards has a good sale on pre-hung right now.

If I decided to build, would I be better off using doubled up 3/4" plywood, or MDF? Cut the rails and stiles, rout with R&S bits, make the panels, and put them together.

Looking for personal experiences from you, and suggestions.


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## jlord (Nov 16, 2009)

Store bought doors usually come 1-3/8" for interiors & 1-3/4" for exterior. I have made doors for some of the sets I have built. It's a lot of work & would not suggest it if you were trying to duplicate store bought doors unless your building a custom door or doing it for pure satisfaction. If painted I usually use sugar pine to build the door & mill the parts down to final thickness. I would not go the route of doubling up material to achieve final thickness. If the doors are using a standard interior hinge that is 3-1/2" long then you can buy your doors mortise for the hinges & just move the stop for the new door thickness.

If you are leaving the original door jamb in I would buy a blank door & mortise out the hinges with a inexpensive door jig to match existing hinge locations unless you know someone with a commercial unit you could borrow. I would also drill out for the door knob with a door boring jig to match the location of the original lockset. If the door jambs are hacked from years of use then you could buy a pre-hung unit & replace the jamb. You would just have to trim the bottom of door for flooring, carpet, etc.

Even though your original doors are 1-11/16" thick it's no problem just move the stop after you hang the new door. For a new door I would trim it to be 1/4" narrower than the door opening so you end up with a 1/8" reveal around the two sides & top.


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Mike

Buy pre-hung doors 

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AxlMyk said:


> Build or buy? That's my dilemma right now. We want 6 panel doors.
> 
> The present doors were built in 1972, so they are 1 11/16" thick. The only ones we can find in stores are 1 3/8" thick. I can foresee problems where the hinges are concerned. Would have to re-rout for them, unless we went for pre-hung doors. Position of the door knobs/latchs would also present problems. Menards has a good sale on pre-hung right now.
> 
> ...


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## Duane867 (Oct 25, 2008)

Hell yeah buy pre hung doors. 
You are in for a big enough head ache as is brother. Making your own doors would be like torchering your self just for fun, when you are already stressed.

Unless....... are your original doors solid or hollow core ? flat or some sort of raised panel design ? If they are solid core then you could probably reuse them and revamp them with a little molding and frame your self false panels. Sort of like wayne scoting. Just strip, sand apply the molding and stain or paint as you like. ( I'm talking about shallow molding here mind you. Nothing taller then say 1/2"-3/4".)


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

Mike, if you're like me, always something on the go, not the least of which is being an active member of the forum, I'd certainly have to give the forum away or choose from the vast range of ready made doors. This is in fact a decision that I'm soon going to have to make as Marlene has been gently chipping away at me to either remake or rout shallow patterns into all but two of the internal doors or replace them.


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## Hamlin (Dec 25, 2005)

I guess I'll the be the "odd" one out here... I say make them. Reason being, What was made 10yrs ago is no longer being made the same now. The dimensions will have changed. Extra work will be involved just to make it look right. Building them yourself, well, it's a custom fit. BTW, building a door really isn't that difficult folks. There's a simple formula for it and readily available.

Just my $0.02 worth.


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## jlord (Nov 16, 2009)

Hamlin said:


> I guess I'll the be the "odd" one out here... I say make them. Reason being, What was made 10yrs ago is no longer being made the same now. The dimensions will have changed. Extra work will be involved just to make it look right. Building them yourself, well, it's a custom fit. BTW, building a door really isn't that difficult folks. There's a simple formula for it and readily available.
> 
> Just my $0.02 worth.


Hi Ken,
The doors that Ken wants to make are a 6 panel door to replace doors that are from about 1972. That's really not that long ago as far as doors are concerned. The door openings on the houses I've remodeled come in standard opening sizes even back to the 1950"s, 24", 28", 30", & 36" with 30" average for interior doors & 36" for an exterior door such as the front door & back door. Those are the standards most builders used & still use today. 

Door construction itself has changed as far as stock doors available off the shelf from the home centers. Hollow core doors have prefab panels to mimic the texture of wood paneled doors with a cardboard ribbing inside. Solid core doors have a hard foam insulation inside. Both types of doors in these two categories do not experience the expansion & contraction that solid doors experience with season changes. You would probably have to special order for solid wood paneled doors. In my opinion hollow core doors look good but they are noisier & feel light & cheep compared to a solid core door. 

The one big change on manufactured pre-hung doors have been hinge location. The old standard used to be 7-11 for top & bottom hinge locations. Now they come with even measurements top & bottom. 
That's why I suggested buying a blank door if not changing door jamb so he could route out for pre-existing hinge locations. Building 6 panel doors is not that difficult but still time consuming. Cabinet doors are much easier to build compared to passage doors & I would not put them in the same category for skill level. Now if they were flat doors & not a panel door that would be a different deal. It's mostly comes down to skill level, confidence, personal choice anyways.


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## AxlMyk (Jun 13, 2006)

These are hollow core doors, but made a heck of a lot better than they are now. My reason for considering making them is precisely because new ones sound so darned cheap when you close them, unless you want to spend the big bucks for solid core. I've seen new doors, in the showroom, warped.
Keep your thoughts coming.


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## jlord (Nov 16, 2009)

AxlMyk said:


> These are hollow core doors, but made a heck of a lot better than they are now. My reason for considering making them is precisely because new ones sound so darned cheap when you close them, unless you want to spend the big bucks for solid core. I've seen new doors, in the showroom, warped.
> Keep your thoughts coming.


Very true. I have solid core doors in my house. I think the only good thing about a hollow core door is price & looks till you have to use it every day. I find it is worth the extra expense on my personal residence for an upgrade. I replaced all jambs & bought blank solid core doors, not solid wood. They make a big difference in transmitting noise & insulating each room. They have a good feel like solid wood has without the seasonal warping. 

The only door that I have that is solid is the entry door which is a solid mahogany with glass that I bought blank & unfinished that I finished & hung myself. I like to hang the doors & make sure fit is good & hardware works right then take off hinges & hardware & apply finish then install last time using long screws into hinges.


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## RLFX (Nov 20, 2009)

You can buy them cheaper then you can make them ..


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Mike

How much longer will you be in that house, if you are like me it will be the last one ,they will need to kart/roll me out the next time I move, but most move every 10 or 15 years or so the norm.

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AxlMyk said:


> These are hollow core doors, but made a heck of a lot better than they are now. My reason for considering making them is precisely because new ones sound so darned cheap when you close them, unless you want to spend the big bucks for solid core. I've seen new doors, in the showroom, warped.
> Keep your thoughts coming.


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## AxlMyk (Jun 13, 2006)

We've been here 32 years and have no plans to move. This is it baby.
We went to Menards today and checked out what they have. A foam core pre-hung door for $50. Nice doors. Looks like we're leaning toward that route.
Since Menards' website sucks big time, here's a link to the last page of their flyer, or if not, it's on page 16.
http://menards.inserts2online.com/customer_Frame.jsp?drpStoreID=1
Top left flyer. Lousy website.


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## jlord (Nov 16, 2009)

Hi Mike,
Are you planning on replacing the jamb with a pre-hung unit or just the door? If you are to replace the jamb also remember to measure the wall thickness. Most pre-hung units in stock at the home centers come with a 4-9/16" wide jamb. That's for a 2x4 wall with 1/2" drywall on each side. If your walls have any plaster on them you will probably have to make jamb extensions so your casing will sit flush. For walls with plaster I prefer to make the jamb myself using 7-1/4" jamb stock & rip to width of wall so casing sits flush without gaps.


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## Hamlin (Dec 25, 2005)

jlord said:


> Hi Mike,
> Are you planning on replacing the jamb with a pre-hung unit or just the door? If you are to replace the jamb also remember to measure the wall thickness. Most pre-hung units in stock at the home centers come with a 4-9/16" wide jamb. That's for a 2x4 wall with 1/2" drywall on each side. If your walls have any plaster on them you will probably have to make jamb extensions so your casing will sit flush. For walls with plaster I prefer to make the jamb myself using 7-1/4" jamb stock & rip to width of wall so casing sits flush without gaps.



I believe I said something similar to this fact before. Everyone seems to be making this more difficult than what it really is. A hollow door is by far easier to make than a panel door!! Everything has it's own formula, you just have to decide rather or not you want to use it. If you build the door, you change.... nothing. The only thing that is getting changed is the door itself. To install a new jamb, things will definitely need to be changed again, back to my earlier statement, extra work involved that isn't necessary. Mike has already pointed out the fact that I've been saying all along, today's standards aren't what they were 10yrs ago. Back the in the 70's, compared to today... some are subtle while others are quite noticeable. BTW, I wasn't referring to just panel doors, there is a formula for everything, just gotta decide rather or not you want to use it.

Again, this is being made into something more complicated than what it truly is. 



> I say make them. Reason being, What was made 10yrs ago is no longer being made the same now. The dimensions will have changed. Extra work will be involved just to make it look right. Building them yourself, well, it's a custom fit.


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## AxlMyk (Jun 13, 2006)

Maybe this ought to be moved to the DIY and Restoration forum. Moderators, Please feel free to do so.

Final decision has been made. We ordered the foam core doors. Made in Wisconsin and they are nice. The present jambs are 4 9/16" so no problems there. We also ordered new bifold closet doors. The ones we have are steel. They are showing rust, and Judy hates cleaning the louvers in them.
5 interior doors and 12 sets of bifolds for $650. $50 rebate on top of that. Not a bad price.

Now, I have to drive back to Lansing and pick them up. 80 mile round trip.


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## DerekO (Jan 20, 2010)

Is there a local Re-Use it center that recycles building supplies from remodels or tear-downs? I have seen the This Old House guys going into one for various stuff and other remodel shows saying they are taking the old stuff to one of the places.

So you might be able to find some nice solid core/solid wood doors there, maybe even pre-hung.

Here we have both 2 store locations for that and Habitat For Humanity also runs a store along the same lines. Never been to the Re-Use it center but I am on their email-list and see some nice old doors and stuff every once in a while. Not been on the list long so don't know if doors are a common thing as for 3 months or so they focused on the stuff pulled out of a 36,000 sq ft mansion that was being torn down some where on or near Lake Minetonka.

(I think this is the magical 10th post that gives me link and PM privs)


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Mike 

That's a great price  way to go..

It's funny that the door thing came up, the last time you stopped by I had 10 doors in the garage (see below) I just gave my son 6 of them you could have had all of them for free , long haul home I know..,,,all like new takes outs of a new home with most of the brass hardware on them.. 
4 more of the same thing but the metal type in the shop backroom..

20/20 thing
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AxlMyk said:


> Maybe this ought to be moved to the DIY and Restoration forum. Moderators, Please feel free to do so.
> 
> Final decision has been made. We ordered the foam core doors. Made in Wisconsin and they are nice. The present jambs are 4 9/16" so no problems there. We also ordered new bifold closet doors. The ones we have are steel. They are showing rust, and Judy hates cleaning the louvers in them.
> 5 interior doors and 12 sets of bifolds for $650. $50 rebate on top of that. Not a bad price.
> ...


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## AxlMyk (Jun 13, 2006)

We do have a Habitat store here, but they only have a couple doors that MAY match. 

Darn Bj. Wish I woulda known. I could have put them in the overhead for the flight home. :laugh:


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## FrancR (Mar 16, 2010)

Hamlin said:


> I guess I'll the be the "odd" one out here... I say make them. Reason being, What was made 10yrs ago is no longer being made the same now. The dimensions will have changed. Extra work will be involved just to make it look right. Building them yourself, well, it's a custom fit. BTW, building a door really isn't that difficult folks. There's a simple formula for it and readily available.
> 
> Just my $0.02 worth.


I need to build 10 interior doors, solid pine is my wood choice, and I want them to be paneled doors. Do you know where I can git the formula?


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## Roy Nash (Nov 30, 2011)

We're building interior doors for our semi-rustic mountain home as we speak. I did a sample before deciding to do the rest and everyone likes it so well we're building all of them. I'll submit a how-to video soon w/ link to youtube but for now, here's what I'm doing. The stiles are double 1x6's face glued together for stability. The rails are from 2x6's since laminating for stability seemed unnecessary. The panels are 7/8" rough-sawn siding blanks that I had specially milled (but you can use anything you wish for framing and panels). I'm leaving the doors about 1 1/2" thick but you could use a planer to make the rails and stiles thinner as desired. I'm dadoing the stiles and rails to accept the panels which I shaped via a raised panel cutter used on both sides, to leave a 1/2" tongue. Where the rails mate w/ the stiles, I simply substitute a 1/2" thick spline to give the joint strength. You can use the same technique using any wood, any thickness that you like. And your panels could be 1/2" birch, for example, if you are painting the doors, or ply of any type to match your rails and stiles if you are planning to stain. Or use hardwood for the panels. I'm using white wood (spruce) for the rails and stiles and 2-sided rough saw knotty pine for my panels (sanded lightly, stained and lacquered). Finished, my doors frames are smooth and take the pine stain lighter than the rough-textured panels. The contrast is attractive and unique. The lacquer, sanded between coats, leaves the rough-textured panels splinter free and relatively smooth feeling without hiding the rustic appeal we desired. Any way you do them, good luck w/ your project. Oh, my costs are about 1/2 what pre-hung knotty pine paneled doors would cost from the Depot.


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