DIY Doctor UK DIY Forums

The french doors I need only come in "meranti" hardwood.
Would these stain to a lightish oak effect?

Also I need a fire door to fit right next to these french doors and you can't get a "meranti" hardwood fire door. Also, this would be a toilet door so want as soundproof as poss. Someone suggested ply. Would this stain up well to match whatever finish I get on the meranti hardwood?

Thanks anyone.

Hi. A lot of places call any unnamed mahogany type hardwood "Meranti" - which doesn't help much.

Most "Meranti" is already darker than light oak, so I suspect you are off to a bad start with your French doors - you can't stain or colour something lighter.

Chances are that bog-standard ply is probably "Meranti" (whatever that is!) anyway.

Basically you can colour a lighter wood darker, but not the other way around. So provided the fire-door is lighter you stand a chance. For a DIY-er you'd be better off using a coloured varnish, it's more controllable than a stain. Remember you can always switch to clear varnish for the remaining coats when you get it dark enough.

Thanks, Oddbod. Most helpful.
I've got my doors now and they've come in fairly light so should be able to varnish them up nicely.