Entry Door
What is the best type of wood for exterior doors? FWIW, I plan on staining and varnishing the doors.
What is the best type of wood for exterior doors? FWIW, I plan on staining and varnishing the doors.
I concur with the comments about poplar. It is the worst. I made the mistake of getting my doors made in poplar. I was advised to paint them with expensive Fine Paints of Europe to seal them best as possible. I was told by Omar of Artistic woodcrafts, 646 541 3409, who helped me correct multiple problems with the doors that he makes his doors of sugar pine and that that is the best. I have seen them in his workshop in the Brooklyn Navy Yard and they are beautiful. I wish I knew this before I had mine made.
Best?
Probably genuine Honduras Mahogany because it is very stable, very resistant to decay and has a decent hardness. Most mahoganies sold today are not genuine Honduras mahogany as “genuine” is very expensive. Spanish cedar looks like mahogany and resists decay and is very stable, however it is soft. Most common of mahoganies are Santos, Philippino, and African. Stay away from species that are prone to fungus or decay when exposed to the elements, such as poplar.
White oak is very hard and looks very different than mahogany but is very durable and water resistant, however is harder to stain.
Eastern white pine is very soft and very stable.
I suppose it depends on use and method of construction. A solid soft wood will work well on a single family dwelling and a hard wood staved core would be the best choice for a multi-family residence.
The best species are rot-resistant and dimensionally stable: mahogany comes to mind.
If that’s out of budget (or ecologically suspect) MDF is dimensionally stable, but should probably be aluminum-clad. Such a solution is not appropriate, of course, for a typical brownstone entrance.