Replacing interior doors.

[cmw]

I'm thinking of using the Masonite (6) panel pine doors sold at Home Depot. They are described as solid core doors with front and back surfaces finished in a pine veneer. I am going to prime & paint the doors with a top quality latex paint.
My question is: has anyone used these doors and do they last, or am I eventually going to have a problem with the veneer separating from the core??

[jimbo]

You are mixing some metaphors here. Masonite is NOT a pine veneer. The inexpensive doors you see at the depot probably ARE a pressed-board skin. Most interior doors are holow core, but they are avalable as an upgraded door which is "solid" with sound-deadening material.

There are probably, oh, say ...52 quadzillion of these doors in use today. They take an excellent coat of paint. Please remember to paint all SIX sides, which means the top and bottom edges. This will avoid any moisture intrusion. The only knock on a pressed door is that if the surface is badly dinged, say by a refrigerator being carted through, it is difficult to pacth the surface and have it look good. Also, you are limited to paint, as opposed to a stain you might want to use on a real wood door. I believe these doors are excellent value for the money.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Jimbo, you probably already know this, but Masonite is a company brand and they make all sorts of doors from Masonite skinned, to steel, to fiberglass, to real wood.
http://www.masonite.com

[cmw]

[QUOTE=jimbo]You are mixing some metaphors here. Masonite is NOT a pine veneer. Masonite is the manufacturer. The door style I'm talking about is a pine veneer over a solid core of a wood particle/glue core. These are much cheaper than a solid pine door but will they be as durable??

[jimbo]

Well, waddya know! I am familiar with PremDor and the Safensound line; never read the fine print that this was a Masonite company. Over the years, the word "masonite" has become the generic term for any type of pressed board. Sort of like 'kleenex' or 'xerox'. Not that the company approves this of course! I should have known that every brand is part of a conglomerate these days. In plumbing, you can track almost any thing back to Masco! Appliances, alomst any brand tracks up to GE, Maytag, or Whirlpool. Water heaters, just 4 companies.

Anyway, my comment stand and I hope are useful to you.

By the way, I would add one more comment on replacing interior doors. I always find it easier, faster, and get better results by installing pre-hung doors rather than buying slabs and having to fit them. This may seem conterintuitive at first, when you look at how quickly you can remove the casing and pop out the jamb, as opposed to the amount of work in planing a door, fitting the lock-set and hinges, pre-hung is quicker.

[slb]

By the way, I would add one more comment on replacing interior doors. I always find it easier, faster, and get better results by installing pre-hung doors rather than buying slabs and having to fit them. This may seem conterintuitive at first, when you look at how quickly you can remove the casing and pop out the jamb, as opposed to the amount of work in planing a door, fitting the lock-set and hinges, pre-hung is quicker.

I totally agree. I replaced all of the interior doors in our previous home with slabs. It was a lot of work sizing the door and cutting out to match the existing hinge locations, etc. I'm now replacing all of the interior doors in our current home with solid core pre-hung doors. They cost $35 more than slabs, but in my opinion, it's money well spent. It's a much easier and faster install.

-Steve