knotty pine internal doors - good for painting???

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Hi,

I am looking to get nice solid internal doors off white colour satin finish.
The knotty pine doors are the cheapest solid door i can see.

Has anyone achieved a nice smooth painted finish using these doors or is there any other type of door out there i could use?
 
I painted "knotty" doors at one stage and to prevent them "weeping" through the paint I first painted them with primer, it worked perfectly.
 
I painted "knotty" doors at one stage and to prevent them "weeping" through the paint I first painted them with primer, it worked perfectly.


Hi shopgirl,

what do you mean by weeping, did you manage to conceal the knots ok?
 
You need to paint them with "knotting" to ensure that you prevent weeping.Any painter out there can advise you.
 
I don't know how to explain it! Sometimes you will notice over time a sticky liquid which oozes from the knots. I used aluminium primer (it's silver in colour) and that seals it, then paint it in the normal way.
 
thanks folks,

so would yous recommend getting clear pine instead of the knotty pine to avoid the hassle of the knots or is it really not that big an issue.
 
You'd be lucky to get any pine without any knots here in England, but things may be different over there.
 
You'd be lucky to get any pine without any knots here in England, but things may be different over there.

BillK,

I was just thinking about that today. If you have a look on the b and q website they have the knotty pine and the clear pine.
Do you think the clear pine might be a pine veneer or pure pine throughout?
 
BillK,

I was just thinking about that today. If you have a look on the b and q website they have the knotty pine and the clear pine.
Do you think the clear pine might be a pine veneer or pure pine throughout?

Pine is about as cheap as wood gets, I've never seen a pine veneer. Clear pine will be a higher grade and have fewer knots. It'll cost more, so it's just a matter of deciding whether the added cost is justified by the reduction in prep work.
Leo
 
The weeping is sap coming from the timber itself.
"Timber free from defects" used to be specified in the building trade.

Then people started asking for the "knotty pine" because they liked the look of it.
It is probably the lowest of low grade timbers and the knots can fall out over time.
In that sense, no, it is not good for painting and I echo the advice here re knot-free doors.

If the finish is going to be painted there are cheaper replacement doors on the market but you may want some "weight".
If you're going to extend your attic at a later stage you might upgrade your doors/doorsets to give increased fire resistance.

Here is a link to TGD B dealing with "Fire Safety" http://www.environ.ie/en/Publications/DevelopmentandHousing/BuildingStandards/FileDownLoad,1640,en.pdf

ONQ.
 
Thanks for replies,

I'd like a fairly soild feeling door and for it not to look or feel flimsey or cheap looking, i'd like also for them to look good painted

The clear pine doors are a fair price also so i think i will go ahead with them.

cheers

onq, the cheaper doors you mention are these the eggshell/hollowcore doors or are there other doors with a more solid feel available
 
I'm in a similar position thinking about painting knotty pine doors, except in my case they have been stained and varnished. What extra prep work has to be done in this case? Will satin take to prefinished door?
 
onq, the cheaper doors you mention are these the eggshell/hollowcore doors or are there other doors with a more solid feel available

Since I'm not in the shop with you I'll say "yes, that's them" ;)

ONQ.
 
I'm in a similar position thinking about painting knotty pine doors, except in my case they have been stained and varnished. What extra prep work has to be done in this case? Will satin take to prefinished door?

I'm very wary of the one-coat-wonder type paints you see advertised.
This is especially true where the door may have an oil-based finish.
Lightly sand then apply some undercoat then paint.

ONQ.
 
Dulux do a supergrip primer and this has been great when we have been painting prefinished doors (wardrobes and kitchen cabinets) followed by a coat or two of satinwood paint
 
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