Doors

[Cass168]

Internal doors - please talk to me MN people!
I need to replace our upstairs doors and don't know whether to go fully finished or pine or what. We aren't great DIY-ers (pretty clueless, in fact) so I don't really want to varnish and / or paint all 5 doors once they've been hung. Do I have to do that or I can I just leave them?
The guy who came out to quote looked horrified when I said we probably wouldn't get solid wood doors but we just can't afford it.

Of course the guy who came out looked horrified, he wants to sell you something more expensive

No, he was just quoting to hang them!

Why not get oak wood faced doors that only need oiling? Howdens have a good range, so do other on line suppliers.

Unless you're very lucky the doors will need plaining to fit, so fully finished ones would still need to be painted.

Best bet is to pay someone to hang and paint them. DH is a carpenter, plenty of people ask him told that.

If you can find a carpenter we got some unfinished oak veneer doors from builder depot for about £75 a door. Its cheaper to pay to get someone to oil wood rather than paint. We cut out for the hinges and latches as I came without fittings

the cheapest internal doors are made of air, with a thin skin of hardboard or ply to keep it in place. They are complete rubbish, and sound also travels through them. They can't be fitted much, as the sides, top and bottom are quite thin. If you go to a few DIY sheds and try lifting a few up you will soon recognise them.

How many floors does your house have, including loft room, if any?

A carpenter or joiner can fit and hang doors much faster and much better than a DIYer or handyman.

If you have them hung on lift-off hinges, they are easy to take off and paint flat, or to move large furniture.

I think it will be cheapest and easiest for you to get paint-grade doors and paint them white.