Here in Cent. Fl the humidity swings favor the molded interior doors and fiberglass/vinyl exterior ones. I have 8 foot interior doors and have had no warping problems yet.

FWIW, I have been researching Home Depot french doors with built in blinds as a replacement for the doors on our current home. It turns out they are built by Masonite. I found so many complaints about the doors themselves, not just HD and its subs, that I have written off ever buying anything made by Masonite.

Your contractor should stroll through the historic district of any major city. He will find the houses that have real wood doors which have not warped or cracked in 200 years of use. A properly installed door of solid wood that has been properly finished will NOT warp, crack, chip, flake, peel or fall to pieces.

That said, please keep in mind that many doors sold today are not solid wood. Hollow-core and veneers are common, and poorly installed and/or poorly finished veneers can crack, chip, peel, etc. Note that a door can be veneered and advertised as "all wood". They just aren't mentioning that some of the wood is only a couple millimeters thick.

Doors made of "manufactured" or "engineered" woods may be better or worse than others; much depends on the binding quality of the ingredients and on the exterior finish. You are very much at the mercy of the manufacturer, so go with long-established companies that offer a good warranty. And, BTW, same is true -- doors of engineered wood can warp, and badly, if the material is subjected to stress or moisture.

Actually, the final or exterior finish is of greatest importance because you are depending on it to keep out moisture -- which would otherwise warp your door. *If* the door was not warped when made, then it shouldn't ever warp unless it was hung improperly [or the hinges get damaged] or unless moisture can make its way into the wood (via scratches or the finish wearing thin). Thin doors seem to be difficult to balance properly, and due to the lack of mass as well as the 'pull' on the hinge side, do appear to warp easier than heavier, thicker doors -- although again we are talking about warping which is caused by being off-balance or having a poor finish which lets moisture into the wood. Note that weight is a different issue; visually thick doors may be hollow inside and thus could have less literal weight than a much thinner but solid door.

If you plan to paint the doors, I see no reason not to buy MFD (or is it MDF; why can't I remember?). We saved a lot by not buying 36" wide wood interior doors, which we planned to paint anyway. Note: these are *heavy*, which feels nice and substantial, but required four hinges, not three.

I wouldn't 'cheat' with hollow-core closet doors. It's a small savings in the long run, and you will notice the difference feel every time you use one.

Our entry door is wood -- alder, as I recall. It's a 42" wide X 8' tall archtop. The way it was stained, the average person thinks it is a $5K solid mahogany door. I think it was about $2500 including the sidelights.

Our house is seven years old. No 'door' problems.

Sometimes doors warp if they haven't been painted or sealed on all six surfaces; don't forget the tops and bottoms.

I like hollow-core for folding doors on the closet. You notice how smoothly and easily they fold, not the weight (or lack of). IMO, that's the only good use for hollow-core.

Last night, I was thinking about this thread, and pondered which classification suits my present interior doors. They are solid wood frame, but with thinner panels set top and bottom. The frame portion is 6" except along the bottom which is 8". The handling and feel of a heavy door, but the total weight is light enough that even I can remove them from hinges and carry to another room (done so when painting). And, no, none has ever warped in spite of the fact that I was the first to paint the bottom of the bottom when the doors were about 30 years old. Sigh.... truly solid wood does make a difference.

Has anyone heard of Woodgrain doors? They seem to cost hald as much as Trustile's wood veneer/MDF core doors. Any thoughts?

Is Woodgrain the name of the manufacturer, or is it posssible the name of the series? Plastpro makes a door by that name (linked below).

Here is a link that might be useful: Maybe These People

Woodgrain is the mfr. www.woodgrain.com
Anyone?