How we supply it: Main doors and frames are arranged through a partner timber depot or joinery workshop that quotes, supplies and bills them and pays us a referral commission. Order the frame timber early so it can be seasoned before your frame-fixing date; we deliver the jalli and M-Sand for the lintel and sill concrete around it.
In one line: A wooden main door is the entrance door set: a solid timber frame (நிலை, nilai) fixed into the masonry and a hinged shutter of solid wood or a timber-faced core that carries the house's main lock.
Which wood for frame and shutter
| Wood | Durability and termites | Working and finish | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teak (தேக்கு) | High natural durability | Stable, polishes well | Main door frame and shutter |
| Sal | Durable, very hard | Heavy; can split if not seasoned | Frames |
| Vengai (வேங்கை) | Durable | Reddish, works reasonably | Frames and shutters |
| Sheesham | Durable, hard | Decorative grain, heavy | Carved shutters |
| Engineered core with teak veneer | Depends on core and edge sealing | Very stable | Shutters with a teak look |
Frame, shutter and the nilai
A wooden main door is the entrance door set: a solid timber frame (நிலை, nilai) fixed into the masonry and a hinged shutter of solid wood or a timber-faced core that carries the house's main lock.
In many Tamil homes the main frame is fixed on a chosen date, the nilai vaippu. Order that timber weeks ahead so it can be seasoned, rather than buying green wood to meet the date.
Door sizes in a house
| Door | Typical opening | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Main door | About 3.5 × 7 ft (1050 × 2100 mm) | Wider double shutters are also common |
| Bedroom | About 3 × 7 ft (900 × 2100 mm) | Flush shutters usual |
| Bathroom | About 2.5 × 7 ft (750 × 2100 mm) | WPC or PVC shutters |
| Main-door frame section | Commonly about 5 × 3 inch (125 × 75 mm) | Lighter sections inside |
Timber in cubic feet
Typical estimate: . Timber depots in Tamil Nadu sell by the cubic foot (cft); add about 20% for cutting and planing.
- 3.5 × 7 ft frame without a bottom sill: 7 + 7 + 3.5 = 17.5 running ft
- In a 5 × 3 inch section that is about 1.8 cft of finished timber
- With 20% allowance: buy about 2.2 cft
Checks on door timber
- Ask for kiln-seasoned timber and check it with a moisture meter: about 12% or less for joinery (typical).
- Reject pieces with pale sapwood, large loose knots, open cracks or borer holes; sapwood resists termites poorly.
- Check the grain runs along each frame member without sharp cross-grain.
- Look at the frame joints: proper mortise and tenon, not just nails.
- Make sure the faces that go into the wall are treated or primed before fixing.
Storing and fixing timber
- Stack timber flat on level bearers with spacers between layers so air moves through.
- Keep it in shade and dry; cycles of rain and sun split it.
- Fix frames with holdfasts and keep the bottom ends off wet floor beds, with the ends sealed.
- Hang the shutter only after plastering and flooring are done.
Door mistakes that show in the first year
- Green, unseasoned timber bought in a hurry for the frame-fixing date.
- No preservative or primer on the faces built into the wall.
- Frame feet resting in the wet floor bed.
- Shutter hung before plastering and flooring are finished.
- Only two hinges on a heavy main shutter.