What type of wood for interior doors if you're going to paint them?

[InTheBlu]

All the doors in our house are made of MDF- they're the original ones that were put in when the house was built about 20 years ago. I'd love to replace them with something more substantial, but as I'm planning to paint them I was wondering what type of wood I should look for? Also, if anyone could point me in the direction of a good supplier I'd be very grateful. TIA!

are the MDF solid, or hollow?

are they 35mm thick, or 44mm?

"paint grade" doors are generally made of quite poor timber.

We replaced our doors recently and for about the same price as paint them hollow doors we put solid pine panelled upstairs and oak veneered panelled downstairs osmo oiled them and they look so much better than the painted ones that were there

Hi @PigletJohn, thanks so much for your reply. They are hollow, I'll check the measurements when I get in this evening. I didn't know whether it was a waste to go for something like oak doors if I'm going to paint them anyway; but from what you're saying it sounds like paint grade doors might be a bit of a false economy?

"oak" doors might be oak veneer on even cheaper cores.

In my house I have smooth-faced fire doors which are actually made of chipboard, but look like this because it's a style I like. The are weighty, substantial and strong, 44mm thick, like a front door.

Being painted, it would be hard for you to know what they're made of.

I would be reluctant to pay for a set of solid timber doors of equivalent weight and thickness.

In one prestigous office I worked, they had fire doors made of solid varnished timber, it looked like maple, I have an idea they cost around a thousand each. This is very unusual. One man could not lift them.

You can also get "solid core" doors which may be veneered but have a similar constriction. They are usually 35mm thick.

Thanks so much @isseywith4vampirecats, that's good to know, I'll take a look at those.

That's really interesting about the chipboard doors @PigletJohn; I think you're getting to the heart of the issue with the doors that I currently have, they don't feel weighty or substantial enough, which makes them feel a bit flimsy and cheap. Its good to know that there's a cost effective solution, I'll take a look at these too.

these are mine first one is the oak veneered one second one is the solid pine ones cost for each door was oak £80 each and pine ones £90 each

Engineered doors are good , little blocks of wood glided together with a veneer on top, these are solid and will not bend or warp , you can get lots of different styles?

Do you need to plane any of the doors to make them fit and by how much?
If they're a bit more of an unusual fit, potentially softwood doors?
Door is proper wood so easy to plane, but not hardwood, which feels a shame to paint a colour (unless you're just doing a stain).

my doors, being so dense and heavy, are very good for blocking sound. Most people know this is useful for a bedroom, but I also recommend it for a bathroom, especially an en-suite.

You generally get better results if you have a new door lining (frame) fitted at the same time. They are not very expensive. Carpenters like to throw the blame for any fitting defects on a wonky frame.