Things I've Discovered About Choosing Doors

What is your front door like and how does it impact on the house?
Our front door is a classic six-panel Georgian-style door. It is made from painted softwood (Douglas fir) and is very solid and heavy, so feels high quality. It is painted in a Farrow & Ball colour called ‘Railings’ which is a lovely dark grey, and the stainless steel ironmongery adds a contemporary touch to a classic style.

And the internal doors?
Most of the internal doors are four-panel knot-free softwood doors from Premdor (premdor.co.uk). These are made up using individual timber panels and mouldings, as opposed to being pressed. We went for the fire door option almost everywhere, partly because we needed them to meet the Building Regulations for our three storey design, but also because they are heavy and solid feeling. When painted they feel like solid traditional doors — we also went for the largest off-theshelf size available. For the doors in the ground floor hallway, which are wider than standard, we had bespoke four-panel fire doors made in oak which we painted.

How did you choose your doors and where did you buy them?
The front and back doors were bespoke, made to a design by Stephen Mattick (01223 891159), who did all of the period architectural detailing for the house, and were made by TF Smith Joinery (01993 702194) in Witney. The internal bespoke oak four-panel doors were made by another local firm, A&M Joinery. The Premdor doors were bought via Jewson.

Were there any decisions that had to be made early on when it came to choosing the doors?
Once you have chosen your doors you can make up the doorways to the correct size. We would have liked extra-wide bespoke fourpanel doors throughout, but this would have been very expensive, and so opted to have these only in the ground floor hallway, where they set the right first impression.

Did you encounter any problems?
We had no problems with the doors we ordered. The key with doors is to make sure the decorators paint them early on, so they are not exposed to moisture, as they tend to warp easily. Make sure they paint the edges of the frames all round. If the doors are adjusted by sanding or planing, get them repainted.

What is your best piece of advice for others choosing doors?
If you are working to a budget and want a period look, the best option is to go for moulded pressed doors. The light hollow core doors are too light in my opinion and feel cheap. Go for the semi-solid, or the fire doors, which are not much more expensive. These are designed to be painted, and I recommend the smooth finish, as opposed to the timber grain textured doors — I think this looks fake. If you want stained doors, then go for a knotfree timber. If you want a contemporary look, then flush timber-faced door blanks are great. If you want something bespoke but can’t afford custom-made doors throughout, then just have them on the ground floor.

Store the doors flat, and keep them dry when delivered, or they will warp.

Read more about Michael's latest Self Build

Further reading:

• A Guide to Choosing Doors
• A Guide to Windows and Doors
• A Guide to Choosing Internal Doors