What are the Types of Wood Doors? A Guide to Materials and Styles

Wood is a popular choice for doors around the home, thanks to its strength and durability, its aesthetics, and its versatility of style.
Natural wood has its own character, which can be enhanced with staining or painting, and it tends to be hard-wearing if you look after your doors.

Wood doors are not just for traditional homes, either.
It’s true that wood has a classic and timeless quality, but plenty of modern door styles use wood to create a stunning contemporary look.

There are many different types of wood for doors, each with their own characteristics and strengths.
These can be used in different ways to create a wide range of door designs for all around the home, ranging from classic and majestic to contemporary and minimalist.

Find out more about the different types of wood doors, and discover some styles that really make the most of the qualities of this rich natural material.

What Types of Wood are Used for Interior Doors?

Your choice of wood will define the look and character of your doors, and reflect something of your style and design tastes.
Understanding the differences between these materials, and the characteristics and benefits of each, will help you make the right choice from the many different types of wood doors on offer.

o Pacific Ash

This solid and strong natural timber is a widely popular choice for Australian homeowners, for both its aesthetic and practical qualities. Thanks to the natural woodgrain, Pacific Ash has a rich and distinctive character to complement any home. These doors can be re-sanded as required, and can be stained to bring out the elegant grain. If you prefer, these timber doors can also be painted to suit your tastes and home style. Solid Pacific Ash timber is also exceptionally resilient and secure, and with the right care they last for many years. At Doors Plus, all of our timber is quarter sawn, which makes these doors even more stable and less likely to bend or warp over time.

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Pacific Ash interior doors are ideal for a wide range of styles to complement both traditional and contemporary homes, combining various routed designs with optional glass panels. Solid Pacific Ash also provides good sound and thermal insulation between living areas.

o Oak

Oak is a timeless hardwood that can make for warm and welcoming doors throughout the home. This can be a more pricey choice of door wood, but with the right treatment oak doors are also highly durable so you might consider it a worthwhile investment. Oak has an outstanding natural character, with its distinctive grain, rings and knots, and these can be enhanced with staining for a truly unique door. Thanks to the density of this wood, solid oak interior doors provide excellent natural insulation qualities. This helps to keep the home comfortable, peaceful, and more energy efficient. Oak can be styled to complement any home décor, with a sophisticated edge.

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o Walnut

The deep and rich colour of walnut gives it a distinctive gravitas in both classic and avant-garde designs. Walnut doors can complement an elegant and antique décor scheme or can be used to bring warmth and depth to a more minimalist contemporary home. A walnut door is a very deliberate design choice as a feature of your stylistic scheme, so homeowners generally finish their doors with a clear stain to make the most of its natural colour. If you want eye-catching interior doors that set a majestic tone, walnut is a solid choice.

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o Mahogany

Mahogany has a dark reddish-brown tone and a distinctive, tight woodgrain. It is a resistant and stable wood, so can withstand humid climates and temperature changes with less swelling or warping than some other wood types. Like walnut, mahogany is a very intentional stylistic choice for interior doors that will catch the eye. Having said that, it is also a versatile material when it comes to design choices, and can lean into either a traditional or contemporary scheme with great effect.

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o Pine

Pine is much lighter in colour, and some homeowners prefer this aesthetic. Pine interior doors can help rooms to feel lighter and brighter. As a softwood, pine tends to be less hard-wearing than some of the other types of wood doors, but it is also one of the most affordable options. It can be a particularly effective stylistic choice for a country cottage feel or lodge style home. Pine is also easy to sand and paint in any colour to suit the rest of your home, making it a cost-effective and versatile option. Learn more about the cost of wood doors here.

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Whichever type of door wood you choose, you can add a clear, light or darker stain to change the finished look.
You may want to bring out more of the natural woodgrain, or make an affordable pine door look more like a darker, richer wood.
The other option is to paint your doors in your chosen colour to achieve the look you want.

What Interior Door Designs Make the Most Out of Wood?

There are certain types of wood doors and door designs that really show off the qualities of the wood and maximise its potential.
These include the following:

o French Doors

The continental charm of French doors is achieved by combining elegant wood with sleek glass in a double door design. This timeless style is an ideal showcase for wood doors, blending the classic and the contemporary for an effect that is both homely and chic.

o Barn Doors

The popular barn style is the epitome of a wood door. The natural character and grain of the wood, as well as the reassuring solidity of the doors, makes for an eye-catching feature door in any area of the home. Barn doors utilise wood in a range of different designs to achieve anything from rustic charm to modern standout style.

o Bi-Fold Doors

Bi-fold doors generally combine wooden frames with glass panes for doors that can fold away to one side when open. Solid wood bi-folds can be used as internal doors to close off a pantry, storage or laundry area, saving space and creating an attractive effect. Timber slats can even be integrated to increase air flow and prevent stuffiness. Bi-fold doors might also be used to zone an open plan living area, with the option of either solid wood panels or glass.

o Sliding Doors

Sliding wood doors can either be solid panelled or glazed, for stylish yet space-saving solutions. You might choose a sliding door that disappears into a wall cavity when open, sliding wardrobe doors to close off storage, or an elegant set of sliding doors to divide up your living areas. Combining glass with wood allows the light to flow between rooms, while still giving you the option to close off your space and keep out the noise.

o Traditional Doors

The elegance of solid wood, and the range of routed designs on offer, make it ideal for interior doors that complement a homely and traditional scheme. Whether you choose solid panelled doors, or wood and glass options, these doors bring a classic charm and warmth to your rooms. A dark stain that brings out the unique character of the wood is especially effective for traditional maple doors that enhance an elegant home.

o Modern Doors

Wood doors also come into their own in a contemporary home, often combining clean lines and square moulding with sleek glass. A light stain or clean white painted finish can add to the modern look, or an eye-catching colour can make your doors a stylish standout feature. Combining wood with contemporary hardware can complete this chic effect.
Depending on your choice of wood and the style of your doors, you may want to learn more about how to install wood doors and how to insulate wood doors.

Make the Most Out of Your Home by Choosing the Right Wood for Your Doors

Your choice of wood can make or break your home style – and your budget. When choosing the right types of wood doors for your rooms it’s important to consider:
· Aesthetics (colour, woodgrain, and design)
· Sturdiness and resilience (especially if you live in an area of more extreme temperature fluctuations)
· Maintenance
· Cost
If you need some help choosing the right material, style and finish, you can visit your nearest Doors Plus showroom and talk to one of our friendly door experts.

We’re on hand to answer your questions, discuss different wood doors sizes and styles, and present some of our outstanding wood door ranges in person – whatever you’re looking for.