composite doors?

Amateuralex

Just doing some research on finishing my basement. Not sure what kind of doors to get. I was thinking of composite doors because they won't be as affected by humidity/water, and that sounds good for a basement?

Any feedback on that?

joecaption

If it's that humid It's going to be effecting everything not just the doors.
The ansewer is to run a dehumidifyer if that's a concern.
A dry basement can not have mold.
Those doors are going to cost far more.
Even a properly painted MDF door wil work if it's painted on all 6 sides.

Amateuralex

Thanks for the reply. It's not actually super humid down there, but probably more humid than the rest of the house. The composite doors I've looked at are actually cheaper than wood doors. I guess I don't understand what 'composite' means. They are MDF?

notmrjohn

Composite can be a misleading term. Wood is a natural composite of cellulose and lignin , adobe is a composite of straw and mud, MDF is wood fibers wax and resins. None of those are particularly water resistant. But when most people say composite they mean something made with a man made resin that most folks would consider to be a plastic or epoxy and designed and engineered to be resistant to water, weather, sun etc. So when buying "composites" make sure everybody is on the same page. Ahh, yes, paper is a composite.

Amateuralex

Cool ok that helps a bit. So to be specific, I'm looking at the Jeld-wen doors at the orange store. Any opinions about them?

joecaption

Just make sure the doors get removed and painted two coats of paint on all sides not just the faces.
I'm pretty sure eveyone's going to jump on me but I like to use an enamel paint on doors and trim. It's so tough it's even hard to sand. You can get it water based and in three differant sheens.
I use a 6" foam hot dog roller and a 2-1/2 sash brush for the details and touch up.
Laying the doors out flat helps it to self level and get no runs.

notmrjohn

Enamel is great, satin or semi-gloss won't show any imperfections glossy, specially if you're not a great painter. Joe's reminding us that a door has six sides. lots of folks forget those other two.