Using cedar for door frame and door?

[Agent_zed]

Hi,

I'm looking to replace my worn out front door and door frame. It's a door and a sidelight to one side. I want a natural looking door so I've been looking at different woods that are available to me and I'm wondering about using Cedar.

My plan is to use 3x4" cedar for the frame (pretty much direct replacement for what is there currently) and a piece of oak for bottom door sill, as I think cedar isn't hard enough for foot traffic.

I plan on making the door also as I want it to look a certain way. I know doors are hard to get square and flat so I have a plan to use an external door blank and then clad it with the cedar. It will end up much thicker than a standard door but I'll take this into account by having some of the door lipping over the frame rather than it all sitting flush. door blanks are 44mm and with ~15mm cladding on both sides I'm lookin at ~7.5cm thick door. The super expensive modern doors are about this thickness so I don't think this is too much of a problem and I'm hoping it with be significantly better in terms of insulation than my current wooden door.

Is there anything I should be wary off by using Cedar. It gets mentioned as a good wood for doors/frames on many websites but I don't see them in the UK.

thanks

 

[johnnyb]

? ? ? I don't like anything about this(apart from using cedar which may be lovely but really expensive)

 

[John Brown]

Having just made a garden gate out of Cedar, I can tell you that it's very soft.

 

[Agent_zed]

? ? ? I don't like anything about this(apart from using cedar which may be lovely but really expensive)

Could you be slightly more specific? I'm assuming you aren't against me changing my door and frame.

 

[Agent_zed]

Having just made a garden gate out of Cedar, I can tell you that it's very soft.

This was part of my wondering. Is there a different type of Cedar that they use for doors etc

I'm looking at things like this https://www.newwoodworks.com/exterior-doors?itemId=wfjsb7jso84a980w1ri97dv1vncim7

 

[Distinterior]

I dragged a few lengths of Cedar out of a skip on a building site( with permission, of course...!) a couple of years ago.
It was being used as external cladding and I thought I could end up making something from the reasonable sized offcuts that I'd acquired.

I cut up & machined a few small sections and tried to make a mitered box out of it, but it was so soft and really lightweight that I abandoned the project and gave up......I've still got the rest of the Cedar up in the roof space of my garage workshop and haven't found another use for it yet....!

 

[johnnyb]

Making a frame from cedar soft but nice. Making a door ditto. Using a door blank clad with cedar is the odd bit.

 

[John Brown]

Well I guess there's Western red cedar...

 

[niall Y]

The cedar that is mostly recommended for outside use , owing to its rot proof nature is Western Red Cedar. I remember my parents had a green house made of it. I've worked with it over the years and can confirm that it is soft. But if ls is the particular look one is after, then why not?.

 

[Agent_zed]

Making a frame from cedar soft but nice. Making a door ditto. Using a door blank clad with cedar is the odd bit.

My thinking on this is that I don't think I can build a door that will be perfectly flat and square. Using a door blank would give me a perfect stable base to build off.

Looking at spitfire doors they make a composite door https://www.glasshouseltd.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/400-cross-section-500x500.jpg which is where I was getting the idea from.

I planned on routing out big sections to infill with insulation whilst leaving a support structure. then cladding with the cedar on all sides.

The alternative would be to create a framework like the pic above to then clad, but again I'm nervous about creating a perfectly flat/square base.

Spitfire doors are about 8cm thick and overlap the frame. I think you can just see it on this example (not the style i want though) https://www.spitfiredoors.co.uk/aluminium-front-doors/s-500-signature-series/#gallery-9751012/2 and this https://www.spitfiredoors.co.uk/aluminium-front-doors/s-500-signature-series/#gallery-9751012/1

 

[J-G]

haven't found another use for it yet....!

Cigar Box?

 

[pgrbff]

I'm not a pro but I have made numerous internal and external doors, they have all remained flat, you just need to be cautious. I have also made a glasshouse and 2m plus circular rooflight out of western red cedar. It is very light, dents easily but I would think it is fairly likely to remain straight.

 

[HOJ]

There is an old thread on here from @murdoch Insulated door which may offer some guidance or idea's.

I worked up a drawing based loosely on his theory for a door:


I was going to make, but we changed the design in the end for a solid door with muntins and insulated panel infils.

 

[johnbs]

I think your idea is fine: I'd just add that you should go for N American Western Red Cedar as the UK version is nothing like as durable - but it has doubled in price since Covid ??
John

 

[Agent_zed]

That's really useful, thanks. That is basically the same construction as the spitfire doors. This was one route I was considering. My thinking with using a solid core door blank is basically the same but starting with a solid door and then cutting out sections to add in the insulation. I guess it is quite wasteful though.

It was interesting to see they use 6mm boards for the laminates. I figured I'd go thicker than that.

Was also useful to know the glue they are using. I wasn't sure the best method of attaching the laminates as I wasn't sure if you glue the laminate solid whether it would have a problem with contraction/expansion, but I am assuming from this it is ok to do that as the underlying plywood prevents the movement.

thanks

 

[johnbs]

whether it would have a problem with contraction/expansion

It's also a low moisture-movement timber so should be fine . I'd be inclined to use silicone rubber.

 

[HOJ]

Have you heard of Urban Front, their doors are made in a cassette form:

 

[Jake]

I wouldn't myself, love WCR, it's great for outside use but front doors get a lot of wear over time and its very soft and dentable - and I mean the slow grown Canadian stuff.

 

[thetyreman]

if you are going to spend a lot of money anyway you may as well made it out of oak, it might be cheaper than western red cedar.