If you are renovating, you must have heard of the name "molded door" in the building materials market. It is affordable and diverse in design, making it an economical choice for many families. But what exactly is a molded door? Is it the same as a vacuum door? Today I will take you through an article to understand.
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1, What is a molded door?
Simply put, molded doors are a type of door product made using high-temperature and high-pressure molding technology with molds. Their core is to give the door panel a three-dimensional shape and decorative texture through molds.
There are two main types of molded doors, and understanding this is crucial:
The first type is cabinet molded doors, also known as vacuum formed doors or vacuum formed molded doors. This type of door is mainly used for cabinet doors such as cabinets and wardrobes. It is made of density board as the substrate, covered with PVC or PET film on the surface, and vacuum formed to tightly adhere the film to the surface of the board. Due to seamless sealing on all four sides, it does not require additional edge sealing, which effectively solves the problem of glue cracking on the board over time.
The second type is indoor molded doors, also known as molded wooden doors or hollow plywood doors. This type of door is mainly used for bedroom doors and interior doors. It is made of two high-density fiber molded door panels that are mechanically pressed, and the interior is mostly hollow. There will be a "bouncing" hollow sound when knocked on, which is also the most obvious feature that distinguishes it from solid wood doors.
There is an easily confused knowledge point here: "molded doors" and "vacuum doors" can be basically equated in the field of cabinet door panels, referring to the same process. But in the field of indoor doors, "molded doors" specifically refer to hollow structure molded wooden doors.
The meaning of the word "molded" can be broken down: "mold" refers to the door panel after milling with a mold, and "press" refers to the process of forming it under high temperature pressure. This technique originated in Germany, so it is sometimes referred to as' German molding '.
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2, Core advantages and disadvantages of molded door
Advantage
High cost-effectiveness is its biggest advantage. Molded doors are produced using mechanization, with costs much lower than solid wood doors. Prices mainly range from 200 to 800 yuan per door, making them a popular choice for economical decoration.
Rich and diverse shapes. The mold can press various concave convex patterns and simulated wood grain, which can adapt to various decoration styles such as European, pastoral, modern cream style, light French, etc. It can also achieve 3D relief effect. If you like doors with styling but have a limited budget, molded doors are a very suitable choice.
Good moisture resistance and deformation resistance. The molded door panel is formed under high temperature and high pressure, with a small coefficient of expansion, making it less prone to surface cracking and oxidation discoloration. Cabinet molded doors have seamless sealing on all four sides, eliminating the hassle of edge sealing and providing stable performance in kitchen environments.
Daily cleaning is very convenient. The surface is smooth and not prone to dust adhesion. It can be kept clean by wiping with a damp cloth on a daily basis and does not require special maintenance.
Shortcoming
The sound insulation effect is relatively poor. Indoor molded doors are mostly hollow structures, and their sound insulation effect is significantly weaker than that of solid wood doors and solid wood composite doors. If you have high requirements for quietness, such as bedroom doors or audio-visual room doors, molded doors may not be suitable.
Afraid of water and bumps. The molded door cannot be exposed to water or in a humid environment for a long time, nor can it resist bumping. Once the surface facial mask is damaged, it is difficult to repair it. Therefore, it is not suitable for use in damp areas such as bathrooms and balconies, and cannot be used as an outdoor door.
The environmental friendliness varies greatly. Adhesive is used in the production process of molded door panels, and inferior products may have formaldehyde exceeding the standard. It is recommended to choose products that meet the E1 level (formaldehyde emission ≤ 1.5mg/L) or E0 level (≤ 0.5mg/L) environmental standards.
Afraid of heat and sun exposure. The surface film, especially the PVC membrane, is sensitive to high temperatures and not resistant to ultraviolet light. Long term exposure to sunlight or close proximity to high-temperature objects such as radiators and stoves may cause aging, discoloration, and even blistering of the membrane skin.
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3, How to distinguish the quality of molded doors?
When choosing a molded door, you can judge its quality from the following aspects:
smell the odor Products with water-based coating are generally odorless. If you smell a pungent chemical odor when opening the packaging, it indicates that the quality of the paint or glue used is poor and it is not recommended to purchase.
Check the substrate and workmanship. Check if the substrate density is uniform and if the membrane thickness meets the standard. The membrane thickness of high-quality products is usually above 0.45 millimeters, and high-end products can reach up to 1.0 millimeter. The surface should be flat and smooth, without orange peel patterns, bulges, or glue peeling.
Check the environmental testing report. Legitimate products should provide formaldehyde emission testing reports, with a national standard requirement of ≤ 1.5mg/L. At present, the common environmental protection levels on the market are E1 or E0, and the higher the level, the safer it is.
Weigh it. A door leaf that is too light in weight often has a high degree of hollowing inside, resulting in poorer sound insulation. You can compare the weight of several more models. For molded doors, those with solid materials will be noticeably heavier.
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4, Application scenarios and purchasing suggestions
Bedroom: The molded door has average sound insulation. If the second bedroom does not require high noise reduction, it can be used. It is recommended to prioritize solid wood composite doors for the master bedroom.
Study Room: The study room has relatively low requirements for sound insulation, and the molded door has a suitable cost-effectiveness, making it a practical choice.
Kitchen: Cabinet doors can be made of vacuum molded doors, which have rich shapes and are easy to clean. But it is not recommended to use indoor molded doors at the kitchen entrance.
Toilet: Wet environment is not friendly to molded doors, which can easily cause blistering of the membrane and expansion of the substrate. It is not recommended to use.
Entrance door: Molded doors are not suitable for entrance doors. Entrance doors need to have multiple functions such as anti-theft, sound insulation, and thermal insulation, and specialized anti-theft doors should be selected.
Overall, if the budget is limited, the pursuit of high cost-effectiveness, and the requirements for sound insulation are not high, molded doors are a good choice.
