|
|
 |
|
|
| |
 |
|
|
by
Gord Graff
photos by Christopher Campbell |
MAKING A SOLID-CORE DOOR |
| Building
your own custom door is easier than you think |
The
Oxford dictionary describes a door as “a hinged barrier,
for closing or opening an entrance to a building or room.”
To interior designers, architects and DIYers, interior doors
are much more than simply “hinged barriers.” In
fact, the design-savvy know that doors are one of the most prominent
elements of a home’s overall interior design theme. The
upgrade from run-of-the-mill builder’s doors to solid-core
Colonial-style doors in this project made a dramatic improvement
in the look of a house.
 |
| Before
(ABOVE) and after |
 |
|
 |
| A
1/2" x 4" solid carbide spiral router
bit (right) is specifically designed to plunge into
stock without predrilling. The carbide bit produces
a fast and clean mortise with very little effort
compared with a straight-cutting bit (left) |
 |
| CLICK
ABOVE TO ENLARGE |
|
Door-making is not as difficult to master as you might think,
and this project will give you all you need to know to build
a simple interior door.
For Openers
Making your own doors is not as difficult as you might imagine,
and the design possibilities are almost unlimited. I make a
number of doors each year in different styles for clients whose
homes range in age from brand-new to more than 80 years old.
Material Matters
I chose knotty pine for this painted door project. Knotty pine
is inexpensive, easy to work with and the knots can be sealed
to prevent them from bleeding through the painted topcoat easily
by applying two coats of shellac-based primer.
I cannot emphasize enough the
importance of using dry, straight-grained lumber for a project
such as this. When I began this project, the moisture content
of this material was approximately seven per cent, which is
just about the perfect level for making doors and means future
dimensional changes of the frame should be minimal.
The materials list shows the material
required to make one 30" x 80" door, a common size,
but it can easily be adapted to suit doors of other dimensions.
Finishing Up
Before the gluing and clamping operations are complete, check
the door for square by measuring across its diagonal lengths,
ensuring they are equal. Leave the door in the clamps for 24
hours to ensure a solid glue bond.
Once
the glue has dried, remove the door from the clamps, sand thoroughly
and fit into its opening. For fitting techniques, see the September
2002 issue of Canadian Home Workshop, “Hanging the Door,”
page 28.
Trim it Out
Hang the door in the opening and trim it with new casing, plinth
blocks and baseboard as desired. Be sure to prime the door with
two coats of shellac-based primer to prevent the pine knots
from bleeding through the paint. Finish with two coats of oil-based
semi-gloss paint. |
| You
Will Need |
| Part |
Size |
Qty. |
| Stiles |
1
3/8" x 5" x 80" |
2 |
| Upper
rail |
1
3/8" x 5" x 25 1/2" |
1 |
| Middle
rail |
1
3/8" x 5" x 25 1/2" |
1 |
| Lower
rail |
1
3/8" x 7" x 25 1/2" |
1 |
| Upper
centre stile |
1
3/8" x 5" x 36 1/2" |
1 |
| Lower
centre stile |
1
3/8" x 5" x 26 1/2" |
1 |
| Upper
raised panels |
1
3/8" x 8 1/2" x 37 1/2" |
2 |
| Lower
raised panels |
1
3/8" x 8 1/2" x 27 1/2" |
2 |
|
| NEXT |
|
|
|
|
| FREE
NEWSLETTER |
Subscribe to our newsletter. Every few weeks, you'll get a behind-the-scenes
peek at the magazine, the web site and the folks who put it all together.
CLICK HERE |
|
|
PROJECTS
