I can't imagine wood doors would be in issue unless you have no venting and take long steamy showers. We have a wood vanity, wood trim, and a wood door. No issues.

Paper does sound horrible. But I wouldn't think you'd have any issues with an MDF (or wood) with a good paint on it. And that's what most interior doors are.

The paper might be misleading. Laminate counters, which are considered hearty materials in bathrooms and kitchens have the pattern printed on paper, which is then "laminated" (see what they did there? ;) between wood and plastic.

Exterior doors are made in fiberglass because they have to withstand driving rain and/or snow. I can't imagine anything you could do in a bathroom that would be like that.

Why would a wooden door be a problem?
You listed: "Contemporary design - either espresso color (will match cabinets and bath furniture) or white (will match other trim pieces). " My guess is all of these are wood. Why would the door get more moisture than any of these pieces?

Vent the bath properly and there will be no issues with any of those materials.

Thanks for your replies!

You all are absolutely right, wood doors would probably work and there will be more wood details in our bathroom. We are planning to install a powerful Panasonic fan for a proper ventilation.

Yet, stained wood door still does not sound like a good choice for me - it is so easy to damage the finish. I like bath surfaces to be easy to clean - including washing them with water and cleaning chemicals if necessary.

I just do not understand, why fiberglass doors are not available for such applications - they are beautiful, maintenance free, and very durable.
This leaves me with painted wood or MDF doors - not my first choice design-wise.

amberm145,
Thanks for your thoughts about paper wrapped doors. I saw them at our local Lowe's - they do look like paper if you look closely at the edges. They feel really cheap... I would not pay $300+ for such door.

I don't understand why you think stained wood is easily damaged. It shows a lot less damage than a painted surface. (think of wood floors). I am sitting at my stained wood kitchen table which has a low-sheen urethane varnish on it and has been sprayed with almost every cleaner over 15 years. You don't have to settle for a painted door if you don't want one.

-Babka

Babka, I'm at my kitchen table too. Stained maple (by me) with a urethane finish, 33 years ago. Cleaned with more 409-type stuff than I care to think about. It's gonna outlast me, that's for sure.

I don't understand the OP's concern with wood doors in the bathroom.

I have always had wood interior doors in all the houses I've lived in all my 62 years, I have never seen an issue with moisture, never.

I don't understand the concern with the door, either, but to answer the OP's question: you can get just an exterior door without the jambs and threshold, and install it in an interior opening. The door doesn't care where it's put.

Thank you guys for your thoughts and for sharing your experience!

I guess I was not clear about this - it wasn't really a concern, just a preference. I really like how the fiberglass doors look and perform.

catbuilder,
LOL, I was seriously thinking about this. The thing is - entry doors designed differently. We need a large frosted glass panel - our bath is very dingy. We will install a solar tube light and recessed lights to improve the light situation and translucent door should help as well.

I found a simple MDF door at HD finally. Good reviews, I think this will work for our design well.

Again, thank you! I really appreciate your help!

Get the door you like the best aesthetically (glass inserts etc) and use outdoor or marine polyurethane over top of your espresso stain. Should hold up like a champ.