To hate my new build orangey doors?

[Diy322]

I hate them but people are telling me it’s high quality wood and I should leave it alone. I’ve been looking at social media and YouTube tutorials for inspiration and lots of people commenting in other peoples posts about how tacky their doors look with paint and how the natural wood looked lovely! I personally like the after look. So my question is will painting the doors make them look cheap and tacky? I’m thinking either black or a beige colour, here is what they look like right now:

p.s. the picture I’ve just uploaded doesn’t reflect the real door colour for some reason! I’ve taken loads but it’s actually really orange in real life here it looks more muted.

The doors in the first painted picture you showed aren’t real wood, they are “formed wood” and some of the cheapest doors you can get. You can get them in white and paint them. But I have them and they are quite crap because they’re hollow. I wouldn’t paint your doors because it’ll need so much prep. You could use a stain or a I’ve used a small bit of dark grey paint mixed into an oak varnish. I used it on my orangey pine fireplace and it came out really well. Took three coats but it is now darkish brown without any orange tones

I agree with you i hate that colour too.
what i would do is

• get them sanded
• put white wash in top
• transparent matt varnish on top

—> then you ll keep the wood

if painted: use a matt a colour but must be sanded prior and in between coats. You must get a professional to do otherwise it will look tacky. Better still, get someone to spray them. Much better finish.
but if you do, change the handles too. If you go graphic, match with beautiful
handles.

I can understand where you are coming from op, because, while they do look a nice, heavy quality, I'm not a great fan of the natural wood effect either . I don't mind if it's very, very aged, but then that effect wouldn't suit the modern style of the doors.

The later ones you posted look ok imo, though, depending on the style of house, I think the door itself calls for an inky black colour. That is a statement though, and needs the right house to carry it.

It’ll look worse because of the builder white paint everywhere , I think if the walls were beige the contrast would be nice

Oh I misread the thread title and thought you were displeased with the doors to your Orangery. I wondered if you really had an Orangery (the only one I have been in is at Lyme Park) or whether it was just a conservatory with ideas above it's station.

Anyway, I prefer the doors as they are. Not necessarily my taste but I think they will look awful painted.

You risk ruining expensive doors if you DIY it. If you really can't learn to love them look at selling them and replacing.

I would try and stain an upstairs one that will be discrete in case it goes wrong or you don’t end up liking the result.

I do agree that this colour of door can often clash with people’s decor and look bad. If the decor and furniture matched the doors it would be ok. So for your hallway could you match the decor to the doors to create a more welcoming and cosy feel?

I thought the same at first glance!

Rather than paint, I would sand them and go for a wood stain/wax which more the wood colour for your taste. If you like dark (eg painting them black), you could go for a deep walnut colour.

You could also swap out the handles for nicer ones.

can I also suggest changing the handles and seeing if that changes the look and feel? The ones you have are adding to the 'new build' feel

And now I feel embarrassed that so many people would hate the colour!! I’ve got 22 plus two lots of handrails/spoked going up the stairs!!! 🙈

I think they look classy like Fraiser's Seattle apartment.

I don't understand this thing against painting wood. Sure, don't paint your antiques, or beautiful old oak, but your doors would look so much better painted! My only advice would be to avoid generic white gloss; taupe is a great idea. (My cheap doors are painted green.)

22 is a bit daunting! I only have 4 internal doors so psinting was an easy choice!

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.

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.

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!

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!)

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

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.

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

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.

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!

@ApolloandDaphne oh my! I only have seven

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.