If I have learned anything over the years that I have been repairing doors, it’s that not all doors are created equal. For sure, there are doors that are decidedly more costly to purchase and have installed. There are custom-made doors that can also cost a pretty penny and have unique features. There are doors made from materials that are more durable than others, with doors positioned at the top of the heap here. Then there are hollow-core doors, and they also have a feature that sets them apart from the others. That feature is that they tend to be the most affordable.
Some hollow-core doors cost more than others, but if you have already taken a stroll down the door aisle at your local Lowe’s or Home Depot store, then you may have noticed that price tags on hollow-core doors are for sure easy on the eye. No sticker shock there. In fact, if there is anything unusual that might strike you about the general cost of hollow-core doors, it’s how darn cheap some of them are in terms of pricing. Even so, low prices also come with compromises on strength and overall durability. Hollow-core doors don’t stand up well to abuse. So in the contest of repair vs. replacement when it comes to damaged hollow doors, it’s not hard to understand why so many homeowners opt for replacement.
Hollow-core doors are also a popular choice for low-income rentals. They might not take a beating very well, but they are cheap, light to transport, and easy to find in standard door sizes. Then, as if rock-bottom pricing isn’t enticing enough, in recent years, manufacturers have done a great job of duplicating the high-end look of more costly doors in hollow-core doors. Be aware, though, that low-cost hollow-core doors won’t work well as exterior doors. In fact, they won’t work at all. They are hollow, after all. They can be used as bathroom doors if the bathroom is vented. It’s the moisture that will be the problem.
COMPANIES THAT PRODUCE HOLLOW-CORE DOORS
One of my most-used go-to plugs for clients and callers placing low cost as their top priority when shopping for doors is to suggest they check out hollow-core doors. Most door manufacturers produce them in one form or another, and for sure, a custom door maker will be happy to make them if that is what you want. Then there is always the door aisle at your local Lowe’s or Home Depot. But are there reasons other than low cost that would have a home or business owner considering hollow-core doors? As it turns out, there are. Hollow-core doors are much lighter than solid-core doors, so for replacement on pocket door systems, they are often the first choice.
Hollow-core doors, because they are light, are also quiet when opening and closing. So in a situation where noise reduction is a priority, here again, they are often the first choice. Folding closet doors are also often made using hollow-core doors for obvious reasons. They are light. So while they are the perfect fit in certain applications, you just aren’t going to find them with a top-notch guarantee. Look to steel doors for the best guarantees, and there is a good reason for that. They are made of steel. This doesn’t mean that there aren’t any manufacturers out there that will guarantee the hollow-core doors they produce. It’s just that the doors that they do are for sure not going to be found with the cheapest doors on the door aisle at your local big box hardware store.
the early days of making a living doing home repairs, I was taken aback by how many of the calls I fielded revolved around door repairs. Over time, though, as I learned how to repair them, I was made aware of the reasons for this. First of all, there are a lot of doors in a home, and they get a lot of use. Then, secondly, they are also subject to abuse in some homes more than others. Then, through it all, doors are expected to not only look great but function well.
So it’s asking a lot then when you toss in the occasional hothead who makes the snap judgment that putting his fist through a door is a good idea; door repair specialists like myself are kept busy. Door repair calls for special tools and materials to be done right, and some are surprising. For starters, they all can be found at your local Home Depot and Lowe’s hardware stores, but you need to track them all down. Auto body bondo, for instance, is found in the automotive section and is used for patching holes and dents.
Standard wood patch just takes too long to cure or dry, often taking up to two days before it can be sanded, and a door can’t be taken out of business that long. Auto body bondo, on the other hand, is ready to go in about an hour. A couple of flat bars are a must-have item to shove doors around, and door wedges can be found in the door section. Lowe’s sells small four-ounce cans of paint for match testing at home, and that sure helps a lot. After all, when the patching and sanding is done, the area has to be painted, and that is hit and miss with a lot of misses, and buying four-ounce cans of paint is a lot cheaper than buying quarts as you search by trial and error for a match.
PROFESSIONAL DOOR REPLACEMENT SERVICES
One of the primary forces inspiring homeowners to try their hand at DIY door replacement projects is that they are around and use doors every day. They turn their knobs and swing them open and closed as needed, so it only stands to reason that they would, by way of this day in, day out contact over time, be door installation experts. Or should it? As it turns out, if this were the case, a person who owns and drives a car long enough should, after a period of time, become a competent mechanic. Doors, it turns out, are tricky to install, with some being more troublesome than others.
French doors, for example, require two able-bodied individuals to install, and both of them need to be competent and experienced in door installation. The good news, however, is that there are door replacement services out there manned by individuals who are happy to pick up where a homeowner threw in the towel on a DIY installation project. They see it all the time. What they can’t undo, though, is damages incurred while transporting from where it was purchased to the home it is to be installed in.
Doors are heavy and cumbersome and prone to dents and scratches as they are loaded, moved, and unloaded if the task is undertaken by someone who doesn’t have the experience. Getting a DIY door install project to open and close correctly is also, more often than not, a learning experience. Some of the best door replacement services are staffed by craftsmen and women who commonly have a decade of experience in the building trades and even longer before they advance to door installation. It’s just one of those things that’s better left to professionals if you are looking for professional results.
PROFESSIONAL DOOR REPLACEMENT SERVICES
If I had a dollar for every time I got the third-degree grilling by a new client regarding my skills and qualifications after arriving at a job to do a door replacement, I would be a millionaire. Turns out people don’t call a door replacement service because their door or doors are doing just fine. Rather, they ring me up because they are having a problem and they want the door replaced to end it. Too often, though, and this applies to pretty much all areas of home repair, after the work is complete and the worker is gone, they are left less than satisfied. Doors are tricky. If installed by a true professional, they must function smoothly, and they need to also look great with even edges or margins, or what is referred to in the industry as the reveal. No sticking or dragging either. So, just like a good door replacement service should be staffed by seasoned professionals with years in construction, I worked as a framer for over fifteen years before I ever installed a door.
So, I have a complete understanding of how important the bones of a home are to the function of a door. Then, a true seasoned pro working for a door replacement service must be able to deftly trim a door to fit on the spot using a standard skill saw. Homes commonly settle over time, so it’s not uncommon for a door to require that it be cut to fit and have the cut edge be perfect. Then finally, a truly qualified employee of professional door replacement services must be ready and willing to stick it out and deal with any problems that might crop up. There is just no hiding a problem that is hindering proper function and/or appearance of a newly installed door. So this means that when his or her tools are packed up and they are ready to go, the completed job should be something you both can be proud of.
DOOR REPLACEMENT SERVICE VS DIY: The Top 4 Deal Breakers
There are many reasons why a door would need to be replaced. Most of the calls I get for door replacement are due to damage. A door has been kicked in, a building has settled, or exposure to water on an exterior door are just a few of the most common of them. But every now and then I get called on for an upgrade. That is, that someone has decided that the existing door needs to be replaced by a better door.
So then, what are the most common reasons that they decided to scrap the idea of taking the DIY route and doing the work themselves and instead called me to do the install for them?
Reason #1 is they looked the job over in its entirety and decided that it’s beyond their skill level. It turns out that door replacement requires some previous construction experience and a few specialized tools.
Reason #2 is it’s an exterior door, and they need the door replaced that day. It’s not hard to understand that while a bedroom door replacement can go on for even a few days with no problem, an exterior entry door can’t be left open overnight into the next day.
Reason #3 is they found out what I already know all too well.
That is, that doors in general are large and cumbersome to transport. That includes the existing door after it has been removed. You just can’t go driving across town with a huge door hanging out the back of a compact car. Then the old door needs to be dealt with after it’s been removed. Garbage pick-up services all have a rule regarding construction debris; they won’t pick it up. Then reason #4 is that clients I deal with, without exception, are anticipating professional quality final results when the job is done, and that can only be achieved if a door is installed by a seasoned pro.
DIY REPAIR GUIDES: Online Tutorials 101
There was a time not too long ago when a lack of information stood in the way of most DIY repair projects. Sure, folks back then could get things started, but all too often the final results were lacking. Hardware store staff just wanted to make a sale, so they gave you just enough information to get you started, just enough rope to hang yourself. So that was then and this is now, so now becoming an instant home repair expert is just a mouse click away, or is it? I operate a door repair and installation company, and every now and then, I call on DIY repair guides, but I do make a point of keeping a few things in mind.
Things like that most DIY repair guides are part of a promotional strategy for products and/or services. That is, the creators have an agenda, so, for instance, they don’t like to cover areas where you can likely run into problems. Perhaps you have noticed already that so many DIY repair guides make it all look too easy. Then another thing some DIY guides are guilty of is not pointing out that some things just take practice if you are expecting professional results. Decorative painters are for sure guilty of this. They pick up a brush and swish it around, and lo and behold, the flowers they created look just like a professional artist did them. Then when you do it, they look like an amateur did them.
Well, guess what? They are a professional artist, and you are an amateur. So I like to advise my clients to practice on something other than their project before they go all in on whatever it is they are doing. So for instance, if you are taking on decorative wall plastering, then swing by your local grocery store to gather a few cardboard boxes to plaster on to get the hang of it before you start on the walls of your home.
INTERIOR DESIGN CONSULTANTS: Door Styles
There was a time, a good handful of decades back, when I, like so many other people, felt that interior design consultants were overhyped. What did they do that a homeowner couldn’t do themselves? I was a carpenter back then, working primarily on tract homes north of Sacramento.
Then the level of affluence in the area took off. In layman’s terms, that means that rich folks invaded. So fast forward a few years, and there I was hammering away on giant homes for famous sports figures and A-list celebrities with a sprinkling of tech millionaires tossed in for good measure. It was there that by peeking through windows on finished and partially finished homes that I got my first glimpses of genuine interior design consultants’ work. So it turns out that interior design consultants really do know a few things that set them apart from DIY interior designers. Without going into specifics, I can say that a good analogy would be someone who has given themselves a haircut versus a person who has gone to a top hair stylist for a clip job.
Wealth can buy a lot of things, but it can’t buy good taste in interior design. Being on the receiving end of growing wealth can be a great confidence builder, though. So I got to see interior design work where qualified interior design consultants plied their trade next door to homes where someone with money to burn did their own DIY interior design work. No doubt about it that seeing the work of the best interior design consultants in the area was absolutely impressive. As it pertains to door styles, it was an experience I will never forget.
That was then and this is now, and today with a guard at the gate and twenty-four-hour security guards on constant patrol, there is no way someone like me would be allowed to wander about the neighborhood peeking in windows, so it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS RECYCLING CENTERS
There are several factors driving the popularity of construction materials recycling centers, and civic-mindedness is not at the top of the list. Rather, the top reason is that municipal waste disposal services won’t pick up construction waste. So even if you cut it up and load your can with it, the cameras on the truck will detect it. So then why not simply load it up and take it to your local dump and pass it on to them for a few bucks? The answer to that is reason number two: your local landfill just isn’t cheap anymore, so taking construction debris and waste there now comes with some sticker shock.
Appliances are even worse, with some landfills charging upwards of one hundred dollars to unload an old oven or air conditioner on them. Unwanted paint is even worse. Put cans of paint in your garbage can to be picked up, and you could be facing legal problems. Take it to the dump, and they won’t accept it. So today, construction materials recycling centers are hopping, and it sure helps that so much of what goes into building a home is recyclable.
Copper wire is for sure salvaged and used to manufacture more copper wire. Then scrap wood is composted or chipped and used to manufacture oriented strand board. Even cardboard is ground up and used to produce cellulose insulation after it has been treated with fire retardant. So construction recycling centers are saving people money as they allow them a convenient opportunity to rid themselves of renewable waste produced during home construction. It just makes good sense, so they are projected to become more popular long into the future.
DOOR HARDWARE SUPPLIERS: Sources for Door Hardware
By far the fastest and easiest places to pick up door hardware are your local Home Depot or Lowe’s hardware store. While they are limited in some respects, sticking to popular brand names like Schlage and Kwikset, just to name a couple of them, you are guaranteed that everything will match and line up. So for instance, the door hinge designs and shapes are configured to match up with the doors on their door aisle. Their door hardware is also reasonably priced. One area they are lacking though is odd-sized and shaped doors and hinges. So if you are doing remodeling work on an older home that was built before door sizes and door hardware sizes were standardized, you may be out of luck. Of course, you can go online, as it goes without saying that the options there are broad. Be aware though that you may be left dealing with odd-fitting door hardware that requires routing to attach it. As for me, I like to take as much with me when I go shopping for door hardware, and that is something that can’t be done online. So for instance, if I’m going to be replacing old worn or rusty door hinges, I like to take the old hinges with me when I head out shopping so I can hold them up to each other to make sure they fit. I have even been known to lug an old door along with me and wheel it into a Home Depot on a cart for a side-by-side size and shape comparison to make sure I get it right the first time. The final chunk of information I want to pass on about door hardware suppliers is that if you are working on more than one door, don’t make it too hard on yourself. One door is easy to shop for, but shopping for five or six doors carries with it a much greater risk of delays and problems.
How can homeowners assess the extent of damage to a hollow core door?
One of the most noteworthy aspects of hollow core doors, in general, is they tend to be the least expensive to purchase. So often it’s the labor that makes up the greater percentage of cost when it comes to replacement. So the first step is to assess the level of damage to determine if repair or replacement is in order. Hollow core doors get their name from the fact that they are hollow. So as doors go, they tend to be the most vulnerable to sustaining holes in them from being hit. The good news is that a hole in a hollow core door is relatively easy to repair.
You very rarely find holes in a solid core door because if someone hits one, it is their hand that will be damaged, not the door. But this is not always the case. Hollow core doors are manufactured by way of a laminating process. That is, thin sheets of plywood or other sheet material are glued onto a framework with one sheet going on each side. So they are light, quiet, and affordable, but they don’t take abuse too well.
So while holes are easy to fix, damage that involves the laminates or the framework is considered to be a greater problem that usually requires replacement. Keep in mind that the cost of repair juxtaposed against the cost of replacement is the deciding factor. Is it cheaper to simply pick up a new hollow core door from a local hardware store than it is to pay for the cost of repair given the affordability of hollow core doors in general?
How does the cost of repairing a hollow core door compare to the cost of replacing it?
While at first glance it may appear that the cost of replacing may win out over the cost of repairing a damaged hollow core door, this isn’t always the case, and this is for a few sensible reasons. For instance, pocket doors often use a hollow core door because they are light. They open and close with ease and don’t make a banging noise when they slide shut against the wall. The most common damage to pocket doors is scratching and gouging from sliding against metal or screws inside the wall when they are pushed open and pulled closed.
So while on the surface it may appear that a simple replacement is in order, in truth, it’s not that simple. Pocket doors are difficult and time-consuming to dismantle. Also, there is the issue of whatever is causing the damage inside the wall. Whatever it is inside the wall can often be fixed by poking a metal rod or blade inside the wall area. Then the actual damage can be repaired with wood patch. I also like to remind clients that pocket doors and other doors come with just a primer coat of paint. So they will need to be painted with a finish top coat, and that can take time and money.
So here again, a simple matching touch-up with matching paint is a lot faster and easier than painting a brand new door. In the case of a standard swinging hollow core door that has sustained substantial damage, though, complete replacement is often in order.
What about DIY possibilities? Can I do it myself?
When it comes to pocket doors in general, I like to point out to callers that hollow core doors have the best DIY possibilities. This is good news for homeowners looking to do the job themselves. To start with, hollow core doors are among the least costly doors you can buy. Now there are exceptions, but a quick trip down the door aisle at your local big box hardware store is all that it takes to see this is the case.
So for do-it-yourselfers, this means that mistakes and miscuts aren’t as traumatic as they would otherwise be. So if you damage a hollow core when transporting it (and it’s easy to do), it’s not near as huge a deal as it would be if an expensive solid core door was banged up. Then the second thing going for do-it-yourselfers is that hollow core doors tend to be light and easy to handle. Solid core doors can be surprisingly heavy, often requiring two sets of hands to install correctly.
Even for a seasoned professional like myself, wrangling a heavy solid core door can be problematic on my own. But hollow core doors are light and maneuverable, and that eliminates the weight aspect. So all in all, if you had to pick the best door for beginners to start in learning to install doors on, it would hands down be the light and affordable pocket door.
IMPACT ON HOME AESTHETICS AND VALUE
How does repairing or replacing hollow core doors affect the overall look and value of a home?
After over two decades in the door repair and replacement business, I can easily say that hollow core doors are among the easiest and least costly to work with. They are light and affordable, so it just makes good sense that if a home has damaged doors and they are hollow core doors, repair or replacement is the smart thing to do. In areas of a home where water is an issue, such as bathroom doors, delamination is often an issue.
That is, the hollow core doors start to show their age by coming apart, usually around the bottom edges. In this case, simply regluing and clamping is an effective fix. But hollow core doors can also take a beating in a rental unit. In cases like this, some patchwork and touch-up paint is usually the fix. But in cases of complete replacement, the big benefit held out by hollow core doors is that finding doors that match perfectly is usually no problem.
So in general, problems with hollow core doors tend to appear a lot worse than they are. Ignoring them or passing them on to the next tenant or buyer just doesn’t make good sense considering how effortless and affordable they are to replace or repair. Hollow core doors are easy to cut to fit as well. So for a landlord or seller looking for ways to boost value and overall aesthetics, often hollow core doors are a sensible place to start.
Can replacing hollow core doors significantly enhance a home’s interior design format?
Perhaps the most common problem that homeowners face as they approach interior design is that good results can all too often come with a high price tag. It’s just so easy to exceed a set budget while sitting at the drawing board. Then when they start pricing materials and labor, they get a rude awakening. So what I advise clients and callers is to count the number of doors in a home or rental unit.
Then the next step is to head out to the local big box hardware store and check out the prices on hollow core doors. What they find is that when it comes to overall impact, replacing hollow core doors is one of the best deals out there in terms of bang for the buck. Not only are they surprisingly affordable, but they are also easy to install, so there is savings on both labor and materials. Then hollow core doors tend to have smooth, paintable surfaces.
Then the final thing to consider is that there are more design options to choose from. So the smooth-surfaced hollow core doors of the past now share company with recessed panel doors and faux wood grain options that look perfectly real and authentic. Then the final thing to consider is that when it comes to home rental and sales, time is money. Time a home is out of commission for remodeling work is time the project isn’t generating income. So here again, hollow core doors are a good choice for someone looking for timely results.
ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS: STAYING GREEN
What are the environmental implications of repairing vs. replacing hollow core doors?
With so many home builders and remodelers looking for ways to go green, I like to point out to my new clients the benefits of both repairing and replacing hollow core doors. To begin with, repairing hollow core doors means that no trees needed to be cut to achieve a new look. The most common repair issue I encounter with hollow core doors is holes in them. They just don’t hold up well to people with anger issues.
But holes in hollow core doors are perhaps the easiest damage to fix. But even if hollow core doors are damaged beyond repair, staying green is easy for two good reasons. First, they are hollow, so there just isn’t a whole lot there after they get chipped up and converted to mulch at a recycling center. Then many of my clients are surprised to discover that hollow core doors are available that are made using recycled materials. Even recycled cardboard boxes are incorporated into creating hollow core doors.
Then the last aspect to consider is that hollow core doors weigh far less than standard wood, steel, or fiberglass doors. This means that they leave less of a carbon footprint when they are shipped. It’s the hidden environmental cost of shipping, carbon-based fuel that is burned to transport consumer products.
Then the last aspect to consider is that hollow core doors weigh far less than standard wood, steel, or fiberglass doors. This means that they leave less of a carbon footprint when they are shipped. It’s the hidden environmental cost of shipping, carbon-based fuel that is burned to transport consumer products.
How can homeowners dispose of hollow core doors responsibly?
As I’ve dealt with clients over the years, one thing I’ve found that many fail to consider is that something has to be done with existing hollow core doors after they have been replaced. Most are surprised to learn that the truck that arrives once a week to carry away their household waste and recyclables won’t take construction debris. It’s not hard to imagine why either, and there is a camera on their truck that examines the contents of their bins as they are hoisted up and dumped into the truck.
Of course, they can be hauled away to a local landfill, but here again they are surprised to discover that dumping at a landfill is no longer as cheap as it used to be. So one of the best options is to contact the local landfill and ask about their wood mulching program. Most have an option whereby wood waste from construction and remodeling projects can be brought in and dumped free of charge.
They make their money on the back end when they sell the ground wood after it has been composted into garden mulch. Another option for disposing of hollow core doors is to donate them to a charity that specializes in construction materials. They are out there, and for those that offer this option, doors happen to be one of their top-selling items.
How does the durability of replaced hollow core doors compare to new hollow core doors made from other materials?
When most of my clients consider hollow core doors, I need to point out that they are no longer just made from wood. The term “hollow core door” applies to any door that is hollow inside, and there are several. So then how do they all compare when stacked up against one another in a side-by-side comparison test? It turns out that fiberglass hollow core doors are among the most popular. The reason is they are just so versatile.
For starters, fiberglass hollow core doors work well on exterior entranceways. They are also durable, so they resist pet damage from dogs scratching to get in or out. But fiberglass doors have a downside, and that is that they can’t be cut to fit. So in older homes, for instance, with non-standard sized doors, they may not be a good fit. Then there are hollow core doors made from composite materials like melamine. These doors also stand up well to humid environments but not as well as fiberglass.
Painting them with a good quality oil-based paint is a good way to extend their service life. But the most affordable hollow core doors are made from pressed wood-based materials. They are cheap to buy but they don’t come with the lifespan of other hollow core doors.