# Ash Interor 4 Panel Door



## YYT (2 Jun 2020)

Hi All,

Would love some advice as I am embarking on replacing all 15 doors in my house with solid wood doors.

The deisgn would be the same as the photo below:







All the doors in my house are 35mm. I have had various people in to quote me for the job, but they all advice different things.

Firstly some are using vaneered ash for the panels, as appeaently the door is too thin to use solid wood. Others are happy to use solid wood for the panels

secondly, some have advised not to bother as solid wood doors will twist and distort over time?

Would love some opinion on how to proceed.

Many thanks!


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## Mike Jordan (3 Jun 2020)

Seasonal movement is the main drawback to solid panels, they will move every year with any change in moisture levels. If you inadvertently glue the panels into the frame they will split. Some people make it a practice to pre finish the panels to avoid the problem of shrinkage showing bare material at the panel edges as they shrink out of the grooves.
I have a personal dislike of MDF but must allow that with veneers on each face it's ideal for panels. Veneered plywood is my preference but near impossible to find with veneer on both faces.
It might be a good idea to look at European ash rather than the American White, I have no idea on prices since I haven't bought any of either for years.


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## thetyreman (3 Jun 2020)

if you make them well using haunched mortise and tenons for the corners they shouldn't twist, expect some movement though unless the ash is well seasoned, I don't see why you can't use solid wood for the panels, it was done for hundreds and hundreds of years without problems, allow for expansion and contraction and make the panels slightly undersized in case they expand, it's more likely they'll shrink though as the wood dries out. Selecting the correct pieces and stock is important though to help prevent movement, use straight grain and knot free stock for the stiles and rails.


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## YYT (4 Jun 2020)

Hi All,

Thank you for the replies.

Do I need to let the door acclimatise before hanging?

If so how do I do this? Can I just lay it flat on my upstairs landing for a few days?


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## MikeG. (4 Jun 2020)

YYT":3bi0sfjk said:


> ........Do I need to let the door acclimatise before hanging?.......



No, you let the wood acclimatise before you make it into a door. A few weeks stacked in the house, with little sticks separating each board (and keeping the bottom board off the floor), and then if you take it down to its final dimensions with a little off each side you should have little trouble. Avoid oil finishes with ash.


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## Mike Jordan (4 Jun 2020)

IT would be better to stack the timber in stick inside the house to acclimatise before machining to make the doors. The longer it's there the better.


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## YYT (4 Jun 2020)

Ok so can I lay some 3x2 blocks and use that to stack the timber. Can I lay it on carpet upstairs as this is where the door is for?

When you said avoid oil finish, I was going to stain then lacquer the door?


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## MikeG. (4 Jun 2020)

Traditionally the sticks are about 15/ 20 mm thick, and are longer than the board is wide. The boards should be evenly supported across their width, and with plenty of airflow (ie don't put them up against a wall).


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## That would work (4 Jun 2020)

Stain and lacquer is fine. The 'don't use oil' thing is simply based on an idea that oils tend to make ash a bit yellow... not always the case. I have used Danish oil on ash several times and sometimes it does a little but sometimes not at all. The best advice regarding finish is to test what you want to do on a piece of the same tImber that you have sanded to the same standard.


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## YYT (30 Sep 2020)

Hi all,

Thank you all for your help and advice. 

My door has been manufactured, the panels have been made using ash veneered ply. 

How do I go about oiling the door? I was thinking of using the osmo polyx tinted oil, but I am wary of finish being different on the solid ash and the panels. Is there a sealer of some sort I can apply to counter this?


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## TheTiddles (30 Sep 2020)

To me, the panels already look different, but it’s still a nice looking thing.

A hard wax oil would be pretty neutral. As would varnish and very tough. If you use the satin finish and top up with wax it doesn’t look garish

Aidan


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## Mike Jordan (30 Sep 2020)

Very nice looking work . I certainly wouldn't be concerned about the slight difference in colour.

Is the ash European or American?
Mike.


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## Doug B (30 Sep 2020)

Lovely looking door with some great grain.
Personally if you want to keep it looking like that I’d give your door an initial coat of Osmo raw which will help prevent it yellowing then a coat or two of Osmo hardwax oil, I’ve recently done this on an Ash dining table I made & was happy with the results.
I applied the oil with a brush to get in the nooks & crannies then wiped the excess off with a rag after 10 minutes.
There’s some photos of the finished table towards the bottom of the page in this thread L/D workshop dining table


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## Bm101 (30 Sep 2020)

Nice door.
I'm expecting pitchforks and flaming torch comments but I reckon that door would look great as suggested above.... but I also reckon I might _consider_ painting the panels. You'd have to get the colour and finish spot on, I'm not suggesting white gloss here... Maybe some colour wash in a super neutral base shade of grey or green and the Osmo Raw (or the white shade) for the rest of the figured ash. 
I probably wouldn't get it past the design team here either ok. I just have a feeling it might look stunning.


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## Trevanion (30 Sep 2020)

Osmo Polyx has a reputation of peeling the veneers off MDF/Chipboard doors so I'd be a little wary of using it on the panels. Osmo does make a "Door Oil" however, which can be used on veneered internal doors.


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## Max Power (10 Oct 2020)

A waterproof laquer which is available in a number of sheen levels from the likes of Morrrel would be ideal, you could also get stain there if you're wanting to colour them. You would get several coats on in a day as its quick drying and it's possible to get a lovely finish brushing, which you can leave as is or wax if you want


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