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Recommendations For New Solid Wood Front Door

last month

Hello! I’m looking for a new solid wood front door, but a little spooked by issues with some manufacturers. I got s new back door from Pella that has been nothing but problems. I heard Simpson was good, but also read a lot of horrible reviews. What manufacturers are reputable that you recommend?

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Comments (10)

PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
last month
I actually never prefer wood exterior doors . Where do you live / Why wood? It is hard to suggest anything without some info.
PRO
HALLETT & Co.
last month
I work prdomintly in a historic district that requires wood doors. Old wood doors that are solid and have tight grain are great. New wood doors with veneer over staves- meh. At my office water started leaking through the door panel after the first rain and the manufacturers warranty won't cover it because their warranty only applies if you have 14' of cover over the door!!! Custom solid hardwood doors are better in my experience, sapele, cypress, cedar...
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Our house was built in 1910 and still has the original wooden, 40" x 84", front door. It has a large, oval, glass pane in the top half. Protected by a 10' wide porch as well as a screened door, it has not warped. It is painted with oil-based exterior enamel. Why don't you talk to a few local carpenters and get their opinions?
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Comments (6)
The good thing about existing doors is that they are hung and fitted to your openings. If you look up how to install new doors, it's no picnic. With the existing doors, all you really need here is a bit of sanding, or you could paint them as is if you want to stay with the rustic look. A satin or semi-gloss paint would make a feature of the uneven surface if you left it that way. You'd want to sand a bit after the first coat, I think, but just to smooth down the loose fibres. Are you doing any work at all yourselves? If so, then I would suggest it might be worth your time to learn the skills and acquire the tools needed to do this job - it wouldn't be rocket science. You'd need a sander (by hand would be possible too), some dust masks, and maybe some sawhorses for setting up the workspace outside. The wood is actually quite beautiful, and the tone quite warm and pleasant, not dark in a bad way. But in certain types of rooms I can see you'd want them lighter. KarinL
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Comments (9)
Hi, I'm curious why you want to stay away from veneered furniture. Excellent quality furniture all through the ages has had veneers. So has junk, you just have to know what you're buying. A veneer over another wood is often done for a structural reason. Veneer over particle board is done to reduce cost. Is there something in particular that drives you to solid wood?
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Comments (32)
I spent half my adult life as an expat and many places outside the U.S. have the same affection for solid wood if not more. We have been dealing with wood movement for a very long time now and we know pretty well how to do it. The actual reason you don't see a lot of solid wood doors is because cabinetmaking is a production (manufacturing) industry in the U.S. No cabintmaker is going to want to grab the Wood Handbook to calculate the actual size cabinets doors should be built this week to account for proper growth or shrinkage. In many other countries, this is not as big of a problem as labor is not the driving factor. If you have money to waste for little benefit, solid wood doors built by a real craftsman are an option. There is little value from the additional expenditure, but they will perform fine in a climate controlled environment. If you are trying to get a production shop that doesn't normally build solid wood slab doors to do so, then it is unlikely to end in a good result.
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HU-35094076
last month
Yes, I agree with HALLETT. The best results are going to come from a custom door, and you may be able to find a skilled local manufacturer for a similar price to the larger manufacturers if you are savvy.
J
Original Author
last month
Thank you! My current door is solid oak, and in good condition, but the style was never appropriate for my house (the moulding and glass style). I’m in the Chicago area…anyone happen to know a local fabricator that’s great?
PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
last month
I think look for cypress it should be the best choice IMO if solid wood is a must.
PRO
HALLETT & Co.
last month
J can your current door be reworked? I had a solid wood door at my last house which had an elaborate leaded glass panel, I made a panel to match it that matched the rest of the door.
J
Original Author
last month
@HLAAETT, it would be ideal if it could be reworked, but I’m not sure how to find the right person to do it. I have looked into glass companies replacing the glass (to make a little better), but can’t even get anyone to provide a quote as it’s too small of a job.
Seabornman
last month
I have Simpson doors and they've been great, however they are under substantial roof overhangs so rarely get rain. They are a veneered door, like most "wood" doors these days, with engineered wood insides.
Maureen
last month
last modified: last month
Good reviews. Not sure if you searched on line; hope this helps.
chisue
last month
Evanston Lumber is where we bought our alder wood (stained mahogany) entry door in 2001. I can never remember which name comes first, but think it's Jeld-Wen. This is a 42" wide archtop within an arched surround with side lights, but I'm sure they have stand alone *doors*. We have a 6' deep covered entry over this north-facing door. It's been great -- one refurbishing in 20 years. A lumber yard should have names of carpenters to recommend to you. Door-hanging is an art.

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