Choosing a door for your home in India involves how you plan to use that door in your home. The typical wooden door is durable, stable, and will last a long time. One important thing to remember when selecting between waterproof plywood doors and standard doors is the different ways that each kind of door will behave based on the conditions in which they will be used.
Types of Material & Construction
Standard doors are made from plywood, blockboard, or particleboard and all three types are suitable for use only in dry, well-ventilated areas. Although all three types are made using similar methods, the differences in construction and material means that they will not hold up against moisture, and regular doors can ultimately experience warping or swelling or other types of damage to their surfaces.
Waterproof plywood doors are constructed with laminated thin layers, or laminates, of wood along with waterproof adhesive systems between each layer of laminate. The laminated layers and waterproof adhesive systems combined help to keep the moisture from penetrating through the core layer; therefore waterproof plywood doors maintain their structural integrity even when exposed to moisture conditions.
Performance in Areas Prone to Moisture
One area of difference between a waterproof plywood door and a standard door is how they respond to moisture exposure. For example, moisture is absorbed through the edges and the finish of a regular door, and this results in the regular door becoming larger, misaligned, peeled, etc. Excessive moisture can be present in kitchens, bathrooms, utility rooms, and homes built along coastal areas or other high humidity regions.
Waterproof plywood doors are specifically designed to prevent moisture from penetrating through the door and will maintain their shape, strength, and stability after continual exposure to moisture, or direct contact with water. As such, they are ideally suited for wet or semi-wet environments.
Longevity of Use | Durability | Cost Consideration
While regular doors may seem to hold up well when first installed, regular doors are usually in need of repairs, refinishing, or replacement within a few years when they are in use in moisture-prone areas. Therefore, hinges on a standard door can become loose, shutters can warp, and overall appearance can deteriorate quickly.
Waterproof plywood doors will have a much longer usable life expectancy than regular wood doors. The waterproof properties of waterproof plywood doors will allow for continued good performance over a longer period of time than the expensive maintenance and replacement costs associated with regular doors.
See also: How to Choose the Best Fence for Your Property
Strength & Structural Integrity
In general, doors must be able to withstand repeated opening & closing of the door and also the weight or stress from the hardware mounted to the door. When exposed to moisture, the load-bearing strength of most standard plywood doors will be lost. Therefore, they no longer provide the same safety or functional capabilities as originally intended.
Waterproof plywood doors will maintain the same load-bearing strength when situated in a humid environment and will be able to withstand the stress of hardware installation such as locks, handles, etc.
Price
Standard doors are usually cheaper to buy, and this is one reason that most homeowners consider regular doors to be the most economical option. However, the cost of continual maintenance and the cost of early replacement means that regular doors may not necessarily be the best long-term value.
While waterproof plywood doors are generally more expensive to purchase in the beginning, their longevity and the potential for considerable savings in maintenance can make them a better overall investment. Consequently, most homeowners and builders tend to prefer using waterproof plywood doors for any application where exposure to moisture should be anticipated.
Final Remarks
The most significant difference between waterproof plywood doors and standard doors is how they have been developed to perform under moisture exposure conditions. Standard plywood doors can be reasonably used in dry, interior environments while waterproof plywood doors are the most dependable, long-lasting, cost-effective, and practical choice for any area subject to sustained humidity or regular exposure to excess moisture – e.g., kitchens, bathrooms, utility rooms, etc., and for homes constructed on coasts or in extremely humid areas.
