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myxpykalix
03-01-2007, 10:07 PM
Ok don't laugh at my artistic abilities but what i want to do is take a new hollow core door i have to put on a bedroom door and my thought was to take 1/4" masonite and cut some type of design in it similar to my drawing to make it look better than a flat door and attach it to the door and wondered if anyone had any experience in dressing up a door and could give me advice as to whether this might work or have a better idea. This is for a rental apartment so just some type of decorative embellishment as opposed to carving something ornate, just to kind of jazz it up to go with the wainscoting and i'll be painting it. thanks

8680

Brady Watson
03-02-2007, 09:11 AM
Jack,
Good idea on embellishing the door...bad idea using a masonite overlay. Personally, I would buy (that's right BUY) a file from VectorArt3D.com, use their free 3D machinist program and cut a 3D part that can just be glued on the surface of the door. Finish it off & you're done. This concept is called 'value added' and it's the idea of taking something plain, adding an element to it that increases it's perceived value higher than the actual cost of the parts.

-B

myxpykalix
03-02-2007, 03:03 PM
Ok because i don't understand why not, please explain why i shouldn't use the masonite? Is it not a good substance to cut? What else would you recommend? Maybe 1/4" luan? I thought of the masonite because i have a bunch of it laying around. I would think the luan would splinter like plywood (thats because it is plywood...duh)
lol.
Maybe some thin foam? I'd prefer to do it out of some type of sheet good, as opposed to cutting pieces don't you think? thanks!

garyb
03-02-2007, 03:34 PM
Jack, I do these all the time & it depends on the finish if you use masonite or a ply veneer.
The biggest thing is to make sure you do not break through the veneer or masonite especially if using a hollow core.

We typically only do this to solid core doors


8681
Standard $90 solid core door engraved & finished


8682
Once again standard solid core veneer door V-Carved

fleinbach
03-02-2007, 03:57 PM
Jack,

You said these were existing doors that you wanted to put the quarter inch material on. Don't forget, you will be able to add a quarter inch to one side of the door ok, but the hinge side of the door will require you to move the stop molding. If these are pre-hung doors you will not be able to adjust the stop molding. It is built into the jamb.

myxpykalix
03-02-2007, 04:45 PM
Well this was going to be on the outside of the door and I had thought about taking into account the stop molding making the width of the design for a 32" wide door at 31". I was trying to do this on the cheap and do as Brady calls it "value added" to the design. I was going to just replace the hollow core door that the tennant damaged and wanted to make a design to go with the wainscoting. I would paint the door and the add on.
Gary, it is almost like you were reading my mind, that is a VERY cool designed Green door.
Can you give me some tips on your cut depths and bits used to achieve that look? That is just what i'm trying to emulate.
My initial thought was to cut it like i illustrate here with your pic but I like your design. Any idea where i could find designs like that? What do you think about doing it like i illustrate, by doing it that way it kind of emulates a raised panel design?

8683

garyb
03-02-2007, 06:27 PM
Jack, for that door I used a set of mdf raised panel cutters (available from Onsrud or Whiteside) then did the vertical lines with a V-90.
The back side of the door has the matching pattern but v-carved only.
You can just draw a pattern up as I mostly do or you can go to one of the door manufacturer sites for some ideas.

myxpykalix
03-02-2007, 11:01 PM
What is the depth of your cuts? If you can envisionm the illustration i made above to be cut out of say a single sheet of (something) does machining it in this fashion make sense?

Would i be money, time effort, and aggrivation ahead by just getting a solid core door? How deep can i cut into a solid core door?
Do you know if there are any cavity's within a solid core door that i need to be concerned about?
Is that design a dxf or other type file that i can get/buy somewhere?

garyb
03-02-2007, 11:34 PM
Thats one's gonna be your call, myself I would just get a solid core door and be done with it.

Depth of cut for standard mdf cutters is usually .30 and then cavity within solid core doors depends on the type.
Look at the top rail of the door for the core stamp
LBC=Lumber core - no cavities solid glued up wood
MDF=Fibrecore- no cavities same properties as MDF
PBC=Particleboard core - has minor cavities, can be skimmed coated with sheetrock mud which takes paint or stain.
VC=Veneer core, don't get these anymore around here.

The green door above was a PBC not fill just sanded lightly & sealed.

The design was done as a machine along a vector strategy, with the dxf file set up to suit the cutters I was using (offsets for the combination bead and panel bit)

jamesgilliam
03-03-2007, 10:38 AM
Jack, Most hollow core doors have two hinges, if you go solid core you will need to add a third hinge to handle the weight unless you buy a pre hung unit and replace the whole thing. If you buy just a door blank watch the edges, one is square for the hinges, and the other is tapered for the lockset. I know this because a guy close to me ordered some door blanks from a supplier, tried to hang them himself, and called me after the first one. He had hinged the tapered side and it would not fit into the frame. With a litte ripping and sanding it fit, and on to the other six. Best bet would buy a pre hung door, a few dollars more, but worth not having the headache of setting hinges.

handh
03-03-2007, 12:19 PM
Gary, The 90.00 door after the value added carving, what did you sell it for and about how long did it take to carve.

Jeff

garyb
03-04-2007, 11:09 AM
Jeff, a retail front entry door with a pattern similar to the one above would cost the builder/homeowner $1200 locally. I could take a $90 door add 20 mins of cut time and sell for $875.($125 paint job was extra)
The builder was happy as he was getting a custom and I'm sure he was marking it up very well also but out of the deal I would also do a cusom v-carve to all the interior doors.
Average 12-16 doors which I could run in around 4-5 hours.

phil_o
03-04-2007, 11:29 AM
I've painted and stained 6 panel masonite doors with an embossed wood grain. The finished product is very nice. If there are flat masonite doors with an embossed wood grain pattern I'm sure that an added caving would make an very nice finished product.

garyb
03-04-2007, 11:57 AM
I should add over the last 2-3 years the door manufactures have caught up and are producing fibreglass and masonite doors as Phil mentions above which are now very economical, so you do have to keep reinventing youself if you plan on working this market.