Softwood External French Doors

[MissPollysTrolleyed]

Sorry, I'm asking lots of questions today but you're all so helpful and knowledgeable and I am clueless on this practical stuff so .

I want to get these doors leading from my new dining area to the garden but someone said to me that softwood degrades when used for French doors and that we should get hardwood. I can't source any nice hardwood doors. Is hardwood really a must?

here. Will need painting white but are the same design as the softwood as far as I can see. Softwood would be a Very Bad Idea.

I hadn't looked very hard, had I?!

I don't think these look as nice. They look too solid but I guess that's the idea. Also, it says that they are ready for lacquering and varnishing but doesn't mention painting. Well, I guess I can look further and find something that can be painted. It's obviously not an impossibility and thanks for confirming that softwood would be a bad idea.

lol, of course they can be painted!

again!

Go for hardwood. Softwood is at a push ok for windows although the upkeep will be time consuming. For doors it is a really bad idea. They will warp and then you could have all sorts of problems.

Nooo, 'tis a learning curve

hardwood will be better but more expensive, you can use a stain on it. Softwood you can paint, but it will need to be every few years (breathing coatings are supposed to last about 5 years).

I have been treating outdoor hardwood with linseed oil recently, but you have to treat it with preservative first as it can get black stain under the coating. Take extra care to treat the top and bottom, where damp gets in.

"For staining and varnishing" joinery is selected to better quality than "Paint Grade" Either can be painted, but hardwood especially will benefit from an Aluminium Wood Primer which is very durable

I would always try to get a solid, not a veneered or engineered, door for outside use.

Get a skilled local joiner to do the fitting, not a handyman or general builder.

I got softwood French doors five years ago. They've warped. You live and learn.

Thanks for all the great advice especially PigletJohn.

My builder is fitting the doors - is this really a problem? We're already over-budget on our project and my DH will tell me to ditch the new windows and stick with the horrible PVC ones we have if the price goes up anymore .

Any fool can fit doors, even me.

A skilled joiner always does it better and quicker

I have these and they have been fine for the past 1.5 years at least (having said that they're on my gym - detached garage conversion - so not in constant use). It's quite standard to use softwood for external doors - they just need to be maintained with a decent coat of paint every few years. Hardwood is harder wearing generally but a luxury rather than a necessity imo.

another advantage of yours, sub, is that the size you link would take two ordinary doors of a standard size, trimmed to fit, so even if they did go wrong in time, a competent joiner could easily replace them.

Apart from the top and bottom, damage tends to occur round the glazing, from water penetration.

edit

my mistake about the size, I mis-read it.