I have solid oak 6 panel doors and LOVE them - but they are stained. A far as weight, my have three hinges and are holding up fine.

Personally, I would not spend the extra money for good graining only to paint it....

IMO, it is not only a rather silly waste of money to paint hardwood, it should be a capitol offense, as well.

Go with the pine.

Donate the money you save to Habitat for Humanity.

I have painted pine 6 panel doors in my home. They are 150 years old and have stood up well to generations of use.

Differences in sound transmission are so negligible they will not be noticed. Unless you are fully weatherstripping all the doors, including installing thresholds, the amount of sound transmitted through the door is irrelevant. Sound will be transmitted under the door at a rate that makes what comes through undetectable.

Solid wood doors should dampen noise more than hollow core doors. The difference may not be noticeable to many people, since the information about noise under the door is correct.

Oak is used extensively for trimming and other uses in houses. It looks quite nice with a stain and finish, but looks terrible painted. Too much grain difference---makes the result look like a cheap fix.

Maple is fine under paint---usually costs more than paint grade pine, as is paint grade pine. Stain grade pine is also paintable, but costs more than paint grade---and since either wood is covered with paint---well, the answer is rather obvious.

As far as painting hardwood. Most of the painted trim in older houses is mahogany. Mahogany was considered a paintable wood back then, just as pine/poplar is today. Maple is easier for most folks to paint than to stain---but so is pine. Both woods take extra steps and techniques to stain and get good results.

Thanks to all of you for your helpful insights. My original intention was to go with a nicer wood, like oak and stain the doors but after researching it a little, it seems that staining maple and oak without getting a lot of blotching is a challenge and that it could be fairly time consuming, which is a factor. This is the reason I think I've decided to paint. I have no experience with staining but my impression is that it it much harder to get a nice look than it is with painting. If I am mistaken, please let me know and perhaps I will reconsider the idea of staining instead of painting. Regarding the soundproofing issue, it sounds like most of you feel there would be very little difference between pine or either of the other two options (maple or oak). Thanks again. Erin

With regards to 6 panel doors, I personally find them easier to stain/poly than to paint.

Painting can be much more difficult than staining. It depends on who the craftsman is. Painting a 6 panel door must be done according to the manual or it will look terrible. If you choose to paint them, email me and I'll send you the "how to paint a 6 panel door" instructions.

Staining it requires knowledge too. The pine should be pre-treated (conditioned) prior to staining since it's a porous wood that absorbs stain unevenly. All paint stores sell the conditioner. After staining, apply at least two coats of varnish or ceramathane with the door is in a horizontal position to prevent runs. If you spot a run after a minute or so, trying to tip off those products creates more of a mess.

If you decide to paint, the first coat should be a quality underbody primer. Please.....don't skip the primer. That seals the door and sets it up for the final two coats of paint.

An ordinary latex paint will look clumsy on a door. You should learn how to paint with the Waterborne finishes (Muralo Ultra) (BM Impervo) (SW Pro Classic) or a urethane product like Cabinet Coat trim enamel.. Those will provide a hard, porcelain-like finish, which is what performs best on a door.

You will also need a high quality brush. A 2" angle sash is best for most hands. Or, you can do like me and use an angle sash to paint the panels, then switch over to a 2 1/2" flat sash brush for the stiles and rails.

I wish I had the picture of Moonshadow's doors. She did a magnificent job with Cabinet Coat on hers.

My doors are done in Pro Classic and unless you've had some practice with it, it can be very, very difficult to get a professional finish.

Michael

Here is a link that might be useful: I found Moonshadow's doors

Hhmmmm. Knowing that painting may be more difficult than staining adds another twist to my decision. Thank you Michael for your detailed suggestions. My preference in terms of asthetics would be to have a stain vs. Paint but only if I can do a decent job of it. I dont have a lot of experience with either painting doors or staining them. I'm a new homeowner. A friend suggested that another option might be to just put a clear finish on either the pine or the maple doors vs. staining or painting them. I have oak floors so Im not sure how pine or maple doors with a clear finish would look with that. Any thoughts on this and/or on what type of clear finish to use if I go this route would be helpful. A clear finish certainly sounds like one of the easiest solutions, but of course I want it to look good. For any of you who may be interested, I have learned of something call a "sound transmission class" (STC rating) which compares the soundproofness of different materials. I am in the process of ascertaining whether there is any significant difference in the stc rating for pine vs. maple or oak. Best, Erin

Erin,

DO NOT BE AFRAID!

If you want them stained, that is simple.

Lightly sand..I said "lightly" sand with #220 sandpaper.
Vacuum all dust and wipe with the door with mineral spirits.
Apply the conditioner per instructions on can.
Apply the stain within a few minutes of wiping off the conditioner. Allow stain to penetrate as instructed on the label.
Wipe off stain in two directions. First, wipe across the grain, then with a clean cloth, finish wiping the stain with the grain.
Let stain dry 24 hours.
Seal it with Polycrylic Satin or a satin Varnish.

Caution: If you apply a clear finish, that's what you'll have for the life of the door unless you paint it later. A clear finish that penetrates will not allow a stain to penetrate. Should you not like the clear finish, it will be too late to stain.

Michael

I run into homeowners who have a fear of staining/painting on a regular basis. I have developed a procedure by which thses home owners can stain/paint with confidence.

It is---first, get a good set of written instructions---such as brushworks provided.

Do a little internet detective work to become familiar with all the unfamiliar terms/products---conditioner, for example is basically a one pound cut of shellac. Shellac is a natural product using alcohol as a medium. A sash brush is a tpye of paint brush---but there are different bristle varieties and some natural bristles do not work well with water based products. An angled brush allow for much more precise detailed work---versus a straight cut brush.

Then go to a lumberyard and buy a small board of the type wood you will be finishing. Practice on that board. Do one side. Then, with that result and experience, do the other side. If there is a problem, sand off the first side and try again.

OK. Youre collective encouragement has given me the confidence to go with stained instead of painted or just a clear finish. Thanks for all the great tips. I will do my homework on how to stain. I think I would like to use a water based stain instead of oil. Any reason not to? If I do, would I still apply the Polycrylic Satin or a satin Varnish finish as suggested by Michael? Thanks a million. Erin

Regarding sound transmission, correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't solid core interior doors only covered with a veneer? I have solid core 6 panel oak doors from Home Depot and they are some type of an engineered core covered by a veneer. The jams are solid, however. Look at the knob hole to check. If his is the case with the doors you are looking at, the sound transmission level should be pretty close for any type of wood then.

Why not look at the new MDF doors. They are fantastic and as heavy as solid wood doors. Most people think of the old particle board and shy away from MDF. Here is a link to some of the doors we are considering for our new build. Our solid wood Knotty Alder doors will be stained. Also, newer doors have a core of a different material(except for the panel). Most manufacturers have shyed away from solid wood for stiles due to warpage.

http://www.trustile.com/catalog/paneldoors/?series=0

Best of luck

Here is a link that might be useful: Trustile Doors