Concrete door frames, an alternative to wood
Concrete door frames, an alternative to wood
Fatudin Muchtar, Contributor, Magelang, Central Java
Financial constraints forced Waji, from Karangtalun village,
Ngluwar district, Magelang, to think hard about how to complete
the construction of his house.
The man looked around, glancing at the door panel that was
left unattached on the ground, as he had no more wood to make the
door frame.
Necessity is the mother of invention, so the proverb says.
Waji got the idea to make a door frame from concrete.
His first frame looked ugly but he did not give up, instead
trying again until he was able to make one that was both strong
and pleasing on the eye.
He was quite happy with the work and when the house was ready
the frames attracted the neighbors, who then asked him to make
similar ones for them.
Soon, more and more houses in the village had concrete door
frames and a number of residents tried to make them themselves.
Waji's first concrete door frame was made 15 years ago. Today,
his village is known as a producer of concrete door frames, with
at least 15 workshops and 200 workers. They can make about 150
frames per day, which they sell to developers in various towns in
Central and East Java, such as Yogyakarta, Magelang, Semarang,
Surakarta, Temanggung, Madiun and Surabaya.
The basic materials to make concrete door frames are cement,
sand and coral, with iron bars as the supporting structure. The
ratio of cement, sand and coral is 1:4:1, but more cement is
needed to make a better door frame. A wooden bar is also
incorporated into the side of the frame to make it easier to
attach to the door panel.
To make the frame, cement, sand and coral are mixed together
with some water. The mixture is then poured into a wooden mould
and left for eight hours to dry. Finishing involves filling the
rough parts with cement to make them smooth.
The frames come in a variety of designs, from Spanish style to
traditional Javanese. Size also varies. Some villagers have even
tried to make furniture from concrete.
"We received many orders requesting strange designs. Some
customers have even asked for semicircular frames," said 40-year-
old Waji, a father of three.
Concrete door frames have some advantages compared with wooden
ones. They are waterproof, can withstand strong sun, fit better
and last longer. Termites will not attack them, either. Besides,
the frames can also strengthen the walls, providing structural
support to the building in which they are installed.
However, concrete frames weigh more than wooden ones and
workers must be more careful when handling them, especially
during installation, otherwise they may crack or break. The
measurement of a frame must be carried out meticulously because
once it is ready, it cannot be adjusted through planing, grinding
or grating, as with wooden frames.
"The quality is as good as wooden frames. They are even
stronger and last longer," said Widodo, 39, a customer who lives
in Minomartani residential area, Yogyakarta.
In addition, concrete door frames are cheaper compared with
wooden frames made from teak or even meranti (timber tree). In
fact, they can be a third or quarter of the price.
A nine-meter teak frame will cost at least Rp 200,000, while a
concrete one is only Rp 50,000.
It is also clearly a good idea to use concrete for door frames
in order to reduce the amount of wood used, especially when
considering the alarming loss of forested areas as a direct
result of poor forest management or illegal logging.