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Modern smooth face on exterior doors

11/21/19       
JL

So as the trend is shifting to painted or even veneered modern doors we are seeing more and more request for exteriors that may have horizontal or vertical square or v grooves. Any thoughts on face product(s) that will keep sharp lines, can be painted, and will hold up outside? Medex, Hardboard, marine ply, or ???

And please no opinions on how bad it looks or that it contradicts all that is sacred to the centuries old craft of building stile and rail doors :)

11/21/19       #2: Modern smooth face on exterior door ...
Fred

Website: http://www.rivercity.ca

Hi JL,

This Entry is maple jamb, door panel is exterior grade MDF with 1/8 maple edges for protection on panel edges. All on an LVL core.
We mostly build stile and rail door but we
do see a trend and demand for more modern lines and styles.

Fred


View higher quality, full size image (2988 X 2805)

11/21/19       #3: Modern smooth face on exterior door ...
JL

Looks good Fred, appreciate the info.

11/22/19       #4: Modern smooth face on exterior door ...
David R Sochar Member

We have seen the trend also. Coming with it are requests for pivot doors, tho those have slowed down.

We lay up veneers with epoxy and bond to a cross band, then we use Baltic Birch or similar. That goes onto a core of 'egg crate' with rigid foam in the openings. Durable, but the core and faces just under the veneers are not defined as 'waterproof'.

11/22/19       #5: Modern smooth face on exterior door ...
Fred

Hi David,

I really like to learn more about the egg create core we have never used anything like it so far. Some of our exterior flat door entries are exceptionally heavy. The door slab pictured was 50" X108" X 3"1/2 thick.
Basically an 1"3/4 exterior slab on the inside with 2 separate 1"3/4 exterior slabs on the outside with a custom powder coated aluminum pull between them. We estimated its weight around 540 ponds.
So the egg create core looks very attractive.


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11/23/19       #6: Modern smooth face on exterior door ...
Adam

Those doors are so big and heavy that it might be time to consider building a internal stringer door with a structural foam core like CoreCell. They use it to build composite boats. This is not Homie Dopie blue & pink insulation.

CoreCell

11/25/19       #7: Modern smooth face on exterior door ...
David R Sochar Member

'EggCrates' are good for those monstrous doors. The egg crate is made from any hard or softwood, within reason. The ribs can be as thin as 3/8". I like to get them within .030 of the final thickness, then dado everything, then plane to fit. A drop of glue in the dadoes as they go together, knowing the skins will hold it all. I glue the skins on with yellow glue on all surfaces, and the skins get pressed on in a vacuum bag. A couple of brads holds it all together. Don't forget blocking for locks, latches, etc.

Cheap foam is not that cheap, and since it does not contact any water, matters little who made it or from whom it was purchased. Cheap or not, make sure it is the exact same thickness, or just shy of the egg crates. Just shy = .0150". Size it to be snug on all four sides. Add edge bands to match with the face species, then add the faces. Label for the door crown and for the stile that gets the latch.


View higher quality, full size image (4032 X 2268)

11/25/19       #8: Modern smooth face on exterior door ...
David R Sochar Member

This was the photo intended for the post....

The ribs here are 3/4" thick x about 2". They are twice the thickness needed - chalk that up to an exuberant first build.


View higher quality, full size image (4032 X 2268)

11/25/19       #9: Modern smooth face on exterior door ...
Adam

David,

I think you misunderstood what I meant by using CoreCell vs blue/pink. CoreCell is structural for building composite panels typically with fibreglass skins. It has very high compression & shear strength. The blue/pink stuff is simply insulation.

CoreCell could take the place of 95% of your wood egg grate.

11/25/19       #10: Modern smooth face on exterior door ...
JL

All good stuff, the challenge is being able to route into the face and not expose a non waterproof substrate. Looks like medex is still the go to for paint grade.

11/25/19       #11: Modern smooth face on exterior door ...
Fred

Hi JL,

We have used Medex as well as Extira for panels on exterior doors. Medex I believe is rated a water resist like for bathroom cabinets and counters but not for exterior use. It paints and finish very well. So far it has not failed on us. Extira mdf is a actual exterior product it is much more of a rougher product and requires a lot more priming and sanding. We have often edge banded exposed sharp edges for a bit more protection. For big panel raises or similar exposure we started to use Accoya on paint grade.

11/26/19       #12: Modern smooth face on exterior door ...
Adam

We used medex for exterior raised panels on one of the big houses. They absorbed moisture and eventually fluffed up. We replaced them with Extira. That was 15 years ago. I wouldn’t use medex outside unless it was coated with epoxy.


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