Doors are so much more than just a way to get from one room to another! If you really think about it, the design of your door can add flair to your spaces, giving visitors a glimpse of your sense of style and taste before they even step into a room.
If you’re looking for style on a budget, then plywood door designs are a great idea. They work especially well for minimalistic interior themes, where simple faces and clean lines are preferred over ostentatious detail and elaborate ornamentation. Modern, contemporary décor enthusiasts prefer to use simple flush doors, and prize them for their lack of fuss and ‘less is more’ aesthetic.
Any which way, your door design cannot be ignored, and we’re here to tell you all about the nuances of choosing the right doors for your home! Let’s talk about plywood door designs, one of the most popular options for today’s homes.
First Up, What is Plywood?
Plywood is an engineered board made of thin sheets of wood veneer, called plies, which are factory-glued together under high pressure. Each ply is placed at right angles to the ones above and below, and these alternating grains give plywood its strength and high durability.
Many people prefer using plywood over solid wood because it is considerably cheaper and is environmentally friendly. It is commonly used to make doors, cabinets and shelves.
There are three types of plywood that are commonly used in home construction and interior design. They are MR (moisture-resistant) ply, BWR (boiling-water-resistant) and BWP (boiling-water-proof) ply or marine-grade plywood. Of these types, marine plywood is the most durable and is well suited for use in bathrooms and kitchens, and even for exterior uses.
Which Are Better: Solid Wood or Plywood Door Designs?
There’s nothing to beat the beauty and quality of solid wood doors. But having said that, using solid wood involves cutting down precious trees, which, in these days of climate change, is very harmful to the environment! What’s more, solid wood is prohibitively expensive and is not a budget friendly option.
Plywood door designs use sheets of plywood in their construction, and have wood veneers glued over a solid core of ply. This gives them the solid structure and sturdiness of solid wood doors, but at a fraction of the cost.
They do have one disadvantage, however; which is that the design options are fewer than what’s possible with solid wood. But with a little ingenuity and clever detailing, it’s possible to create plywood door designs that have panelled designs on the surface, making them hard to distinguish from a solid wood door panel. In fact, high quality plywoods like birch ply can even be worked on with a router to create ornamental designs and mouldings, much the same as what is possible with solid wood.
HomeLane LookBook: Plywood Door Designs
Take a look at these plywood door designs, and steal inspiration for your own home!
Classic Walnut
The rich, deep tones of walnut veneer make this classic front door design stand apart. Strips of walnut veneer are laid at a 45 degree angle and encased in 4 inch wood frames for a unique look. The ornamental wrought iron knocker adds a vintage touch.
Timeless Elegance
This simple bathroom door is all about the pared-down aesthetic. Cladded in rich, fine-grained beech veneer laid with 4 mm gaps, this design is elegant and timeless.
In Black and White
This simple flush door painted white is rendered unique by embellishments in black metal, giving it a look straight out of medieval times. The ornamental door knocker is a beauty, and the letter box adds utility.
Mellow Yellow
This bright yellow door adds a burst of vibrant sunshine on a colour-blocked aqua wall. The glass viewing square makes the interior more secure, allowing one to see visitors before opening the door. The numbers above the door are in oversized metal cut-outs and add graphic detail.
Ornate Style
Lovely designs in metal add visual interest and classical ornamentation to this 2-shutter entrance door. The panels can be added using moulded MDF to plywood door designs, creating the appearance of solid wood.
Wood and Glass
A large transparent glass panel invites the outdoors in, and allows visitors to get a glimpse of the interior even before they step in. Is your foyer dark and dreary? Take advantage of glass panels to flood the inside of your home with light and make it appear bright and cheerful!
Minimalistic Style
The simplest of plywood door designs are often also the most elegant! This two-panelled design is one that has stood the test of time, and still looks every bit as fresh and ageless as it did decades ago.
Say It with Circles!
Here, a lovely arched door makes a stunning statement all on its own. The circular ventilator above is embellished with radial spokes in painted metal, and emphasizes the geometry of the woodwork.
Go Green!
Painted doors are always easy to refurbish; a quick colour change can transform the entire aesthetics of your space! Here, vertical battens painted in dull green lend an earthy, rustic look to this farmhouse-style door. Hardware in black metal completes the look.
Conclusion
We hope you’ve been able to find the plywood door designs you were looking for!
While door designs are often an afterthought for many, they shouldn’t be relegated to being just plain and boring pieces of wood! The sizes, material and designs you choose matter, and we’re here to help you pick the right plywood door designs to enhance the style quotient of your home.
For more design inspo, how tos and tips, follow the HomeLane blog. And if you need some handholding with living room designs, bedroom designs and more, come to HomeLane. From start to finish, we’ve got your back!
FAQs
1. Which plywood is the best for your doors?
There are many types of plywood that are used to make doors. You should select the most appropriate type of material that will be strong as well as durable enough for your specific requirement, taking into account the location and use of each door. The three most common types of plywood are MR (moisture-resistant) ply, BWR (boiling-water-resistant) and BWP (boiling-water-proof) ply.
If you are using the doors in the bathrooms or kitchen, where dampness and temperature fluctuations are a given, then you should choose only BWP (boiling-water-proof) ply. It is chemically treated for resistance against shrinkage, cracks and warping, and will be dimensionally stable even if exposed to water. While BWP plywood is more expensive than BWR ply, it will pay for itself over the years, in terms of the additional durability it provides.
BWP ply is the best option even for plywood door designs for the bedroom, or door plywood designs for other rooms in the house. But if you are working on a budget and are looking for a more cost effective option, then you can choose BWR or MR doors.
2. What is the size of plywood door designs?
The most common thickness of plywood door designs is 32 mm, but flush doors are available from 25 to 500 mm. Interior doors are usually 3 feet x 7 feet in size, but toilet doors can be smaller—say 2.5 feet x 7 feet. The main entrance door to a home should be a minimum of 4 feet by 8 feet, although these doors can be wider and taller for a more grand appearance.
Sheets of plywood are commonly available in 4 feet x 8 feet measurements. This is what informs the common sizes of plywood door designs, as designers will always try to minimise wastage of wood.
3. How do you make simple plywood door designs?
The simplest plywood door designs are plain flush doors, which do not have any designs or panelling. Flush doors are made by fixing plywood, HDF or MDF (hard or medium density fibreboard) over a timber frame. They have plain facings on either side and can be either painted, laminated or covered with veneer.
If you’d like to have a very basic, yet elegant plywood door design on your flush door, you can consider adding veneer as strips instead of a full sheet. Glue the strips in horizontal, vertical or oblique patterns leaving a gap of about quarter of an inch between the strips. This will create interesting elegant and decorative plywood door designs at a very low cost.
4. Which is the best waterproof plywood?
The best waterproof plywood is exterior grade marine ply, and it is also the most expensive grade. In India, brands like Greenplay, Century Ply and Sarda Plywood, among others, offer the highest quality marine play. IS-710 plywoods are completely waterproof and are made for applications in water.
Most home interiors use 303 grade plywood which is water-resistant but not completely waterproof. If you’re using ply as the core material for kitchen cabinets, always try to use 710 grade for the lower run of cabinetry, especially for the boxes surrounding the sink, cooking range and dishwasher.
