Buying a door is exciting. You get to see different materials, colours, styles, and textures, and choose from many options across all these categories.

Buying a door frame, on the other hand, is a very technical decision. You need to know several details in order to finalize what to choose.

This blog will familiarize you with the key elements involved in evaluating a door frame – it’s wood. If you get the wood right, you’ll get most things sorted.

What’s a Door Frame?

Door frame means 2 things:

  1. The frame on which a door is mounted and is fitted to the wall
  2. A framework for the door itself to reduce the dead weight of a door and to make it cost less than the other solid wooden doors

Which types of wood are generally used for main doors?

Door frame matters a lot while selecting the most important door – the main door of the structure.

The wood types generally used for door frames of main doors are:

  1. Teak
  2. Sal
  3. Seggun (the teak from Bangladesh).

Out of these three options, teak is not widely available and it’s expensive too. Your dealer should be able to tell more about the options he has.

Which types of wood are generally used for doors other than the main door?

The wood types generally used for door frames of doors other than the main door are:

  1. Pine
  2. Cedar
  3. Alternatives of solid wood like MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard)
  4. HDHMR
types-of-wood

The Key Factor – the Seasoning

No matter which type of wood you choose, go for the one that is seasoned. Seasoning is the process of drying that a piece of wood must go through to be made sturdy and suitable for furniture.

Seasoned timber helps a door frame:

  1. withstand extreme climate
  2. bear the weight of the door
  3. support carving grooves for self-locks
  4. support drilling for screws
  5. absorb moisture/water
  6. stays strong
  7. expands just the right amount

Tips to Identify Well-seasoned Wood for a Door Frame

Non-experts cannot identify the right wood from the wrong kind. When it comes to door frames, examine the piece of wood well. These criteria will help you choose well.

A piece of well-seasoned wood for door frames is:

  1. heavy to lift
  2. dark in shade
  3. feels silky to touch
  4. shows grainy round/elliptical patterns
  5. has no signs of sagging

Signs That Your Door Frame is Not Made Out of Seasoned Timber

A piece not made of out well-seasoned timber has 2 tell-tale signs:

  1. It makes a creaking sound while opening and closing
  2. It expands when expands when exposed to dampness

These two signs are the reason why people begin exploring new doors for their homes. Others look for new doors while moving into a new house.

Whether your replacing your old door or buying a new one for a new house, knowing these types of wood and ways to identify seasoned wood will help you identify the right door.

Let us know about your experience of buying a door frame.