# What type of wood to use for a solid exterior door?



## dcutter (Mar 27, 2009)

Hello all,

I'm going to make two solid exterior wood doors and am wondering what type of wood I should use. I might paint them, so probably don't need to go with anything too exotic such as mahogany, but need something to stand up to the brutal NE climate - ie 0 degree winters and 100 degrees and 90% humidity in the summer. Also, will need to frame out the brick surrounding the door entry and could use some suggestions there too.

As always, I appreciate all the help!

Cheers,
David


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## miles125 (Jun 8, 2007)

Spanish Cedar or Cypress would both hold up well.


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## richgreer (Dec 25, 2009)

White oak holds up quite well and it is easy to find and relatively cheap. There are some exotics that hold up real well, but they are more expensive and harder to find. I'm thinking of teak, ipe and iroto.


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## davidpettinger (Aug 21, 2009)

A good wood for exterior doors, that you are going to paint, is straight grain Douglas fir. It is tight grained and should be relatively easy to find. Not to expensive either. They hold up well. You can make your jamb stock out of poplar. What your looking for here is stability and strength along with a little practicality.


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## levan (Mar 30, 2010)

I would agree with Rich white oak


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## hObOmOnk (Feb 6, 2007)

The local Kentucky Amish makes exterior doors from white oak.


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## knotscott (Feb 27, 2009)

White oak, teak, and mahogany are rot resistant and very attractive IMHO.


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## dfletcher (Jan 14, 2010)

White Oak or Mahogany are you best bets, IMHO. You won't spend that much more on a door in material, so I would go with what works best. Don't forget, finishing it off will be very important for how long it lasts.


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## richgreer (Dec 25, 2009)

FYI - - All of the trim in our home is cherry (and we a lot of trim). The front door is white oak due to its ability to withstand weather. Of course, the white oak is visible on the inside. I'm planning to build a new front door that is white oak on the outside and cherry on the inside. I've never seen this done before but "why not?"


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## miles125 (Jun 8, 2007)

First theres doors exposed to the elements and then theres doors exposed to the ELEMENTS. But if you're painting the door and assuming it has some cover protection from sun and rain, mahogany and white oak are a bit of overkill. And i am also considering the poster wishes to save money. Last time i purchased straight grain douglas fir or white oak you could carry 500 dollars worth in your arms.

Richgreer, I've done dual sided doors like you mentioned, even so far as the two sides of the same door have a completely different panel configuration.


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## BillWhite (Jul 23, 2007)

I used straight grained insulated steel.
Bill


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## fussy (Jan 18, 2010)

Bill,

Yeah, but it's damned hard on ts blades and router bits. And it's NOISY when you cut it.


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## inchanga (Aug 13, 2012)

I agree with the other replies and would not look beyond white oak. It is durable, works well and is not too exoensive compared to other hardwoods.


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## AandCstyle (Mar 21, 2012)

I agree with all the other white oak suggestions. To take it one step further, you might consider quarter sawn WO because it will expand and contract less with humidity extremes, thereby helping to maintain a tighter seal. FWIW


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