Written by Amy Fowler

Choosing wood for your doors, whether internal or external, can be a mind boggling experience. Are you more concerned with price or functionality? Do they have to match the rest of your home? Will they be subjected to vigorous use (e.g. dogs or children) and is sound proofing an issue or is your home generally very quiet?

Price

Of three of the most popular woods used in the production of doors, oak is the most expensive. This is followed by maple and then pine. If price is your primary concern then pine doors are inevitably going to be your best option. If you’re deterred by the light colouring of pine, there are cost-efficient ways to attain a darker and more oak like appearance.

However, as with most things in life, with doors you also ‘get what you pay for’ – therefore if you want to invest in doors that will last for years to come; oak doors may be your best option.

Sound-Proofing

If you’ve got a large and noisy family, the more sound-proof you can make the rooms in your home, the better. Oak doors are the thickest and densest of the materials – meaning they offer the most sound-proofing. However the most important thing is to choose solid wood doors rather than hollow core doors, which will block very little noise.

Other ways to make your doors more soundproof include attaching a metal sweep to the bottom of the door. These are great both as a means of noise reduction and for keeping out draughts.

You can also invest in a sound-proof doormat which is simply attached (usually stuck) to the existing door.

Appearance

Do you want your doors to match your furniture, or to stand out in a different yet complementary colour? Oak doors are usually quite dark with a reddish tone. Oak doors therefore fit best within contemporary designs and country styles.

Pine is very light in colour. It usually varies between a creamy white and a yellow; pine has a rustic and traditional feel about it.

Maple is another very light colour. It also tends to be adorned with a distinctive pattern meaning that if maple furniture is going to be the focus of the room, the remaining furniture should be plain and simple.

It should be worth noting that some oak can be a very dark brown, and if overused within a room can make the space feel somewhat dull and dated. However this effect can be counteracted simply by decorating the rest of the room in light, bright, contrasting colours.

Where to find doors

There are many suppliers of internal and external doors for the home. However the standard of products they offer can vary wildly.

If you wish to find a supplier you can trust, an internet search for something such as ‘internal doors UK’ should reveal the details of suppliers across the country, along with a number of reviews regarding the quality of both the service and the products they provide.

This article was written by Amy Fowler on behalf of UK Oak Doors; suppliers of oak internal and external doors.

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