Wood for a screen door

I'd love to see your design - I find myself also needing a new door to replace the one I have which rotted pretty quickly.

I think your choice of cedar is a good one and I'd probably also consider mahogany. It's pretty stable, won't rot as readily as things like pine and fir and it paints well.

Cypress is my favorite

I made these barn doors, 7 ft x 10 ft out of Cypress. It was straight, knot free, and a joy to work with.

http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/members/woodnthings-7194/albums/barn-door-restoration/

Cypress or Red Cedar both would do nicely. Both are very water/bug/mold/bacteria resistant.

Generally Clear Cedar is chosen for its appearance over Cypress if pieces are getting stained or left natural, but it costs more. Knotty Cedar is about the same price as Cypress if things are getting painted.

Personally I think Cypress is less grainy paint wise. So IMHO if you want to see more grain under the paint go with Cedar, less grain use Cypress.

Well Sir, I build several custom screen doors every summer. I live in the NW corner of Kansas. Our climate is hot & dry in the summer with plenty of flies, mosquitoes, & several other assorted pests. I recommend cedar for screen doors for several reasons. At the top of the list, rot resistance & weather resistance, it's also a natural insect repellent, & has a look that can't be beat. Personally, I wouldn't paint it, but that's your choice. Cedar isn't an extremely hard wood, so I'd plan the location of your hinges & latches carefully.

I just finished building a screen porch for someone and just used whitewood 2x4's for the door. I'm in the Dallas area so the climate isn't especially wet so it should be alright. I just made sure to paint the top and bottom of the door.

I'll echo cypress.