Doors

Glazed or solid panel doors were typical for exteriors, while interiors usually had hollow core flush doors.

External doors

Exterior doors were either glazed or solid panel doors in a variety of styles (Figure 1).

Standard door widths were 860, 910 and occasionally 960 mm wide and they were 1980 mm high.

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Internal doors

Interior doors were generally hollow core flush doors (Figure 2). Standard door widths were 710, 760 and 810 mm wide and they were 1980 mm high.

Construction was a timber frame consisting of stiles and rails and with a core that was sheathed on both sides with 4.5 mm thick plywood veneer or hardboard. Clashing strips protected the edges of the veneer. The framing provided solid edges for hardware fixing.

The core generally consisted of a thin cardboard honeycomb although light rails, slats, bent plywood or wood spirals were also sometimes used.

Solid-core doors consisting of a solid, timber, particleboard or MDF core with veneer to both faces, were also available.

Door jambs were either solid, rebated timber, or plain jambs with planted stops fitted after the door was hung.

Some interior doors were designed to slide back into the wall space (Figure 3).

Doors to wardrobes and pantries were often timber louvered doors or, for wardrobes, aluminium framed sliding doors.

Hardware

There was a wide range of door hardware styles and finishes available from porcelain door knobs, mahogany or rimu timber knobs through to the more expensive metal finishes such as bright chrome and satin chrome plated lever handles.

Other finishes available included antique bronze, Florentine bronze, black chrome, powder coated in 4 colours, architectural bronze or black mist antique denoted as BMA.

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Common modifications

Original 'ranch sliders' - aluminium glazed sliding doors - may have worn runners or rollers making the doors difficult to open and close. In addition, the locking mechanisms tend to become loose resulting in poor security of older doors so these doors are likely to require replacement.