To hate my new build orangey doors?

Life is too short to worry about what others think. It’s your home, you need to decorate in a way that pleases you.
If you’re painting, then please prepare (as in sand and prime ) the doors properly as the paint will chip.
if you’re going to the effort of sanding the wood back for painting you could have a go at using a white based oil that would offset the orange tone of the wood allowing you to keep a natural wood finish.

You will never make those very nice doors look like Victorian 4/6 panel painted doors. Don’t try. If you need to change them look for a method of cooling back the colour through a treatment or even re sanding and sealing.

They're oak. I have similar www.todd-doors.co.uk/iseo-k4500-oak

You can buy in the white so keep in mind that the neighbours ones might not have been painted by them.

I’ve counted them now lol it’s 28! Cupboards and wardrobes as well have the same doors. They’re fire doors too so there’s no way they’re coming off for a paint. Oh well.

Those are not solid timber doors. They are veneered. And can absolutely be painted. I build houses for a living. Unless you live in Virginia Water or somewhere similar and are paying in excess of £5m for your property, developers don’t fit solid wood doors. And if your door feels “heavy”? It’s probably still veneered, but a fire door.

@Flossflower mine have 4 panels - it does make it easier to paint them smoothly in sections, although it's fiddly doing all the beading.

@Romeiswheretheheartis
I did this to my doors ( well a decorator did). Mine do not look great. I think this is because my doors are flat.
The pp who painted her doors grey or green has good looking doors but the fact that her doors were panelled makes them look better when painted.

Sanding and staining looks easy on the videos but if you’ve never done it, be prepared! You need decent tools, time, space (or tolerance to dust), and good quality finishes. Sanding the doors in situ (harder)? Or would you remove them and if so do you have somewhere to work on them? And not to expect a perfect result- I only say this as if the slightest imperfection would annoy you, I wouldn’t bother. Older doors are more forgiving to sand and stain imperfectly.

I would therefore either replace them or paint them in an interesting colour ie to make them a feature, and maybe use some fab paint like Little Greene.

I'm no expert but I moved into a house with doors in that wood and painted them all white. A bit of sanding, undercoat and a couple of layers of paint and they still look good 5 years on. The only downside was the hours of time they took and I ended up with a bad shoulder from the constant repetitive movement, so I'd advise doing them gradually, not all at once.

When door like this are painted they always chip - they look amazing to begin with but they chip and look awful.

Sell them and buy some colour you like.

This

I'd cover them in posters from hmv to give that 90s student feel. Must have a are the smiley face acid poster, an alien/area 51 poster and the 'oh shit' kitten hanging from a tree.

Or a dark green. Or a nearly black

I agree with you completely. I also love doing my own DIY (although I am a peferctionist which is good for my clients, but annoying for me!) but we are talking internal doors in this case.

she has new doors, a new house and she doesnt like them. In this situation, i would recommend she gets a pro in to do the job, or better still get them sprayed professionally, because it is very important that she settles in her new house and feel happy there.

If she does the job herself, the risk is that she will forever worry she hasnt done a good job, that she shouldnt have done it, and thats negativity and toxicity we dont want.
thats why my recommandation would be to spend money on a pro.

A good interior architect/designer is able to guide the client into where it is important to spend the money and where it isnt. In this case, i think it is important

But does it really matter? I mean, it obviously will to you, as a professional. But I take great joy in doing up my house on the tightest of budgets, trying different looks and colour combinations. Sometimes I get it wrong, but its only paint and can be redone. I would far rather that than have a house with doors I don't like, because I'm worried my cutting in might be under par.

@ApolloandDaphne oh my! I only have seven

I can’t believe all the people saying you will ruin them and it’s hard!

At the end of the day it’s your house and your personal taste.
All they need is a light sand, two coats of wood primer and a couple of coats of paint.

I did all the oak doors in my old house as they had gone orangey. Looked great although some people might have preferred the natural wood I thought it looked dated.

I’ve had to go for cheap doors in my current house as it’s a full renovation and I’m on a budget. I’ve painted and added brass hardware. I like it and I’ve done it myself. Still a work in progress!

I've got 35 doors! Internal doors and cupboard doors all in that same oak. My banister too is in the same wood and some built in book shelves. It looks lovely.

@notnorman 22 doors... how many rooms are in your house?!

Agree with @Bubblesgun - I have painted many a door, I’m not a professional, and I think it’s hard to get the finish really good, especially at the edges. It’s also very tempting to rush it. In older houses and on panel doors, especially if previously painted, you can get away with imperfections, but brand new, flat doors in a new build would be a challenge.

I am a professional and i disagree. You can always tell

Buy new doors in the style you prefer and sell the ones you don't like.

To revamp yours will take an eternity for you to do, cost a fortune and look crap (because you have no DIY experience) or cost a fortune for a professional tradesman to do.

You're far better off buying the exact product you want and selling those oak ones to recoup some cash, honestly.

(As a child I was made to spend summer holidays stripping paint and varnish from doors and it. was. not. fun. Don't go there if you don't have to!)

Honestly, this thread has surprised me. The replies are all so cautious, with all the 'ooh, you can't paint wood' and 'you'll ruin that expensive door' and 'you'll have to call in the professionals'. No wonder everyone sticks to neutrals! Shouldn't we be encouraging creativity, self-expression, DIY mastery? These are not medieval monastery oak, they are generic newbuild doors and yes, they are quite ugly. OP should go for it!

Surely painting a door is as basic DIY as it gets?! It's really not hard to get a professional finish, with a little care and the right prep.

They are lovely warm oak doors. We have them in our house through choice. Our previous one were a horrible dark brown. You will ruin them if you paint them.