Top 8 Wood Options for Swinging Saloon Doors

Adding Saloon Doors to your home can be a fun easy update to your home. Maybe you are adding privacy to a master bathroom or an easy pantry door. These saloon doors can be made of many different materials, the most popular material is wood. What is the best wood for your saloon doors?

Paint Grade Wood

Poplar

Poplar is a strong hardwood that is creamy in color and may include streaks varying from pale yellowish brown to olive green. This is our base wood for most of our saloon doors, and it’s a paint grade only wood. Poplar offers a great bargain hardwood with a lower density than soft maple, 540 rating on the Janka hardness test. We do recommend the doors be primed then painted. Even after the poplar wood has been painted, wood grain will most likely show thru the paint.

Stain Grade Wood

Eastern White Pine

Eastern white pine wood commonly has knots and is pale brown with occasional reddish-brown streaks. This pinewood will stain well. Pinewood is considered softwood, not hardware. Eastern white pine grain is straight with even, medium texture. Since pine wood is softer the wood can be easily dented and marked. Eastern white pine has a 380 rating on the Janka hardness test.

Soft Maple

Soft Maple is a customer favorite. Soft Maple most straight-grained, sapwood is light brown heartwood color varies from light to dark reddish-brown with occasional fark brown flecks. Soft maple grain is generally straight, with a fine even texture. Soft maple is not a softwood, it has a 950 rating on the Janka hardness test. Soft Maple can be painted or stained. Soft maple will be easier to cover with paint than Poplar. After painting soft maple, little to no grain will show. Soft maple also stains well, so if you are unsure how you would like to finish the doors, soft maple is a great option.

Red Oak

Red Oak has a medium range of color variability from lighter tan tones with pinkish highlights to darker browns. Red Oak is a very popular stain grade hardwood choice. Red oak is a beautiful wood when stained, the stain will highlight the rich grain of the wood. Red oak has a 1290 rating on the Janka hardness test. If you are planning on staining door, and love the grain look red oak is a perfect choice. Red Oak grain is straight with coarse uneven texture.

Sapele

Sapele is an African hardwood, highly sought after, and similar to Mahogany. Sapele’s colors are slightly redder than that of Mahogany. Sapele has a 1410 rating on the Janka hardness test. Sapele is a beautiful wood with rich red tones, this looks great stained or clear coated. Sapele is known for having durable rot resistance. Sapele wood grain is a fine uniform texture.

Rustic Alder

Rustic Alder is a hardwood of medium density that features a color range of light browns with reddish hues. It can feature large split knots and open knots. The characteristic of this wood gives a rustic feeling to your designs. Great wood for a barn style door. Rustic Alder will have a wide range of knots that can be deep, the grain on the wood will show thru when stained. Rustic Alder has a 590 rating on the Janka hardness test.

Cherry

Cherry wood is a moderately hard, strong, and closed grain wood that is a light to red-brown wood. Cherry wood is a highly prized hardwood, due to the cost and limited availability. Cherry wood stains well and will be a beautiful showpiece in your home. Cherry wood has a 950 rating on the Janka hardness test.

Whether you pick our default poplar wood saloon doors or cherry swinging doors, you can ensure the doors will be a statement piece in your home or business. The durability and beauty of wooden swinging doors can help you add privacy, separation, or function to your doors. Wooden saloon doors should be protected with paint or stain to ensure long durable doors. Our interior doors are easy to install and provide self-closing hinges. Pick out your door design today.