Wickes Geneva oak veneer doors

[banjerbill]

These doors are on offer 2 for £140 at the moment. If they are any good that is a really good price. Anyone fitted them? Are they worth buying? Any feedback welcome.

Bill

 

[Woodmonkey]

I think you will find that the veneer is about 1 micron thick

 

[skipdiver]

Probably 98% chipboard with wafer thin veneer and thin oak lippings.

 

[PAC1]

I have fitted several they are ok as long as they do not need reducing in size by more than a mm in width or height. You cannot take 20mm off the bottom for carpet etc. The veneer is paper thin but as long as they are finished with varnish rather than oil they finish ok.

 

[Austinisgreat]

If anything like the B&Q ones the veneer is 5mm thick. So width has be pretty spot on but, for internal doors, you can cut to the height you want as the exposed chipboard core won't be seen.

Just be careful planing the veneer as it chips off like a pineapple at the least effort.

HTH

Cheers

Andrew

 

[skipdiver]

If anything like the B&Q ones the veneer is 5mm thick. So width has be pretty spot on but, for internal doors, you can cut to the height you want as the exposed chipboard core won't be seen.

Just be careful planing the veneer as it chips off like a pineapple at the least effort.

HTH

Cheers

Andrew

Having fitted a few of these, the trick is to cut through the veneer with a sharp knife and plane down to the knife line.

 

[banjerbill]

Thanks for the feedback. Has anyone fitted these actual doors as opposed to generic "shed" doors. These are advertised as trimmable up to 20mm width and depth and weigh 27 kilos which seems pretty substantial. They get lots of rave reviews which, of course, have to be taken at face value but very few negative comments.

Bill

 

[skipdiver]

I have fitted mostly the B&Q version and did a load last year for my nephew. They're much of a muchness wherever they are from. Very heavy and awkward to handle and if you want to remove a lot off the sides/top/bottom, it can be a pain in the whatsit. I think the rave reviews will be by the customers as they do look nice when finished. I doubt the fitters will rave about them too much. If fitted and finished well, they do look good for a modest outlay compared to solid oak doors.

 

[banjerbill]

Thanks Steve for your for your sound advice. One thing that hadn't occurred to me was the weight. I had assumed heavy meant well built and sturdy but equally it could just mean heavy! :roll: I will give it some more thought as I could make some for not a great deal more money but I don't have a lot of time with all my other projects.

Food for thought
Bill

 

[skipdiver]

It's the chipboard core that gives them the weight but the thing that also makes them cheap and stable. They are not hugely heavy and akin to hanging a fire door but gets a bit tiring when you have a lot to do on a paying job. Doing them for yourself and taking your time would be a different proposition.

 

[Doingupthehouse]

Have just fitted 11 of the Wickes Marlow Oak Veneer doors. They're OK for the price. The veneer is absolutely wafer thin, so they need careful handling. You can trim by about a cm each side, just as well as we don't have a single square door frame in the house. The chipboard core can be a bit of a problem to screw furniture into, would recommend bolt-through hardware.

I cut mine using a track saw with pretty much zero splintering of the veneer, as I had a fair few to hang made up router jigs for hinges and locks etc. They're quite heavy being chipboard, so personally, I found it easier to use removable pin hinges, made hanging much easier. As mentioned earlier, make sure to use water-based varnish on these.

Cheers
Simon