Buying house with lots of oak internal doors - paint white?

[OliviaWS]

The house we are buying has oak internal doors throughout, as well as oak flooring downstairs which we feel is quite orangey in colour. It just feels a bit too much. The windows are oak outside but thankfully white inside. They are good quality doors, would it be a nightmare to paint them? Here is a photo of one of them. I’m really not overly keen on the colour 😬

Don't think they'd be very hard to paint? It will probably need a decent primer and a few top costs bit you can't beat solid doors.

Looks like pine to me. Yes, these days people prefer wood to be painted but it's such a faff we've still not got round to it.

Just paint with eggshell. Give it a gently sand down (key), and then roll it on with a foam roller. Takes about 1/2 hour per coat per side of door. You might find the excitement and motivation vanes after the first 5 doors 😀

Oh God no, white painted wood looks dreadful.

I would get a professional in to do it properly, at least the first time. How you paint them depends on the base? If they’re varnished they will need to be well rubbed down and probably a zinsser base as the first coat to get the paint to stick.

I would Osmo oil them a bit darker

this!

I would get the floor sanded and oiled a different shade

Just varnish a better colour if they really are oak. Such a crime to paint oak.

Those look like the Howdens Worcester oak veneer doors, they went orange over time. We had ours painted white eggshell years ago and have never regretted it. Our floor is solid american oak and the doors were much more orange and the veneer not great everywhere, the white covered it all.

Definitely this. It is criminal to paint solid wood doors

Don’t 95% of houses have this?

Yes but white painted doors are very dated now. Period appropriate ones look good in older houses but modern white painted, 90s style, doors are grim.

Would you rather oak doors, if they were a better shade? Or do you prefer white? If the former, I'd sand back first and try some different oils (if you have lots of doors, is there 1 on an inside of a cupboard perhaps) to see if you can achieve your desired shade.

If you would rather them white though, go for it. Zinsser 123 works even without sanding. I used it years ago to cover skirting I'd previously varnished.

I do prefer oak, but I wouldn't like that colour either, especially clashing with the flooring.

For Osmo oil to stick you'll need to sand off any varnish, which, if veneer, might damage the door. Painted white will look lovely, and will be much easier. If you don't like the colour of your floor, you could sand and use Osmo to get the colour you want and protect the wood.

In a Victorian house with exposed floorboards and unpainted doors I’d definitely say no to painting white. A more modern house is different though.

Are they actually old or just recent additions? You could maybe sell them? I get the dilemma though because I wouldn't like those but would feel I shouldn't paint them. I don't understand this post though Oh God no, white painted wood looks dreadful. as that's what most people have and no, they don't look dreadful.

Mine are oak veneered doors and are fine with Osmo. Also if they have been previously oiled (rather than varnished) you should just be able to clean them and then oil over the top rather than have to sand.