Heard an old timer at the lumber yard say solid wood doors are a dying art

I was picking up some quarter-sawn white oak yesterday and this guy maybe 70 years old was telling the yard worker how he still builds stile and rail doors by hand with real mortise and tenon joints. Made me think about how many of us just spec MDF slab doors now because they're cheaper and don't move. Ever try to talk a customer out of a flat panel door when they're dead set on saving $400?

2 comments

2 Comments

davis.emma12d ago

That old timer's got a point but he's a little off on one thing... solid wood doors aren't exactly a dying art, it's more like people don't want to pay for the labor anymore. You can still find guys who build them custom, but they charge what it's worth and customers balk at the price. Mortise and tenon joints are still the gold standard though, way stronger than any biscuit or dowel joint you'll get in a production door. I think the real shame is how few people even know the difference until their MDF door swells up in a damp entryway.

martinez.karen12d ago

Hold up, I gotta push back on that a little lol. MDF slab doors get a bad rap but honestly they're way more practical for a lot of homeowners. Solid wood doors can warp, twist, and swell like crazy in humid climates, and no amount of mortise and tenon joints is gonna fix that if the wood decides to move. MDF is consistent, it's flat, and it doesn't absorb moisture the same way. Plus let's be real, most people don't need a door that's hand carved by some craftsman - they need something that seals off a room and doesn't let drafts through. I've seen way too many expensive solid wood doors split at the panels after one winter, and then the customer's mad they spent $2000 for a headache. Sometimes cheaper and stable is actually better, not just cheaper.