Traditional Entryway Trends: Wood Doors Are Back

by Jim Brandt, Simpson Door Company

Flexibility - in athletics, it is used as a measuring stick for progress, and it can be the edge that wins the gold medal. In the workplace, flexibility is an essential quality to function well and handle changes that inevitably come up.

In the door and hardware business, flexibility is all about providing options to homeowners and builders. And flexibility is increasingly what consumers and builders say they want. They want a product that can be sized and created according to what they need, giving a unique, one-of-a-kind look to an entryway or meeting a special need on an interior door.

Wood is material that provides this kind of flexibility in the door business better than alternative non-wood materials. Odd widths and heights in doors are easier to accommodate. Several different looks can be given to one door, depending on the choice of staining or painting the door. Different styles, glass inserts - all are available in a much wider range in wood doors.

Custom options

Today, many types of wood door designs are available to complement virtually any architectural style from Southwestern to Victorian. Usually the builder is working within a larger context, seeking to choose a door that complements and reinforces the overall architectural scheme. Details such as arches, grillwork and moulding can all be replicated in a way that ties the entire project together.

Fortunately, there are ways to achieve a custom look without breaking the bank. Much can be done with glass inserts, hardware and finish to create a uniquely original look. Wood doors also offer the flexibility necessary for unusual height and width specifications. Buyers are no longer limited to the traditional six-panel look.

Wood is uniquely suited to achieving a highly individualized look. In one method of customization, door stiles and rails frame an engineered homogeneous wood panel that has been meticulously detailed. Unique and contemporary patterns can be achieved to complement diverse motifs. Wood is uniquely suited to achieving a highly individualized look. Custom patterns can be designed and then carved into the panels. The result is a one-of-a-kind door at a fraction of the typical cost for a custom door. The popularity of made-to-order door products are indicators of the future of doors.

In addition to reinforcing exterior architectural styling with an entry door, builders can now select interior doors that match the entry door. Even matching fire doors and French doors are available in some lines, making it possible to carry a design theme through an entire home.

Other original looks can be created with the use of an entry system instead of a single door. Adding sidelights or a transom can create an impressive yet integrated whole. Besides the use of multiple components, new custom construction is expanding the use of glass in the entryway. This can create a warm and inviting entry, admit more light and bring a more open and expansive feeling both inside and out.

There are also the aesthetic benefits of wood. It is valued for its warmth and beauty. Most people prefer the look of wood doors. Even the best steel or fiberglass doors can't match the richness of a wood entry door.

Performance capabilities

In addition to aesthetic value, wood doors stay beautiful longer than an all-metal door. Wood is solid and dimensionally stable - it won't rust or corrode. According to the Window & Door Manufacturing Association, wood doors stand up better to the ravages of pollution or even salt spray better than any other material.

While wood entry doors continue to be a favorite among consumers, for a while it looked like competitive materials might take over the door market as concerns about energy and maintenance began to tarnish that popularity. Historically, tough weather elements such as rain, snow, direct sunlight and standing water posed a challenge to wood doors, causing problems with swelling, splitting, rotting and warping. It looked like the wave of the future would be no-nonsense doors made of molded steel or fiberglass. But wood door manufacturers met the challenge. Throughout the past decade, manufacturers researched and re-engineered wood doors to enhance their performance.

Simpson Door Company, for example, studied how moisture infiltrates wood doors in extreme exposures and developed a way to block it. Research found that moisture enters a wood door through the open grain of the stile end and then wicks across the dowel pins into the end grain of the bottom rail. This can cause leaking, rotting, warping and separation. Simpson developed a solution -- Performance Series® doors that feature UltraBlock® technology and an exclusive Weather Seal™ process. UltraBlock® technology is a patented defense system that blocks water absorption and preserves the appearance of the wood. The UltraBlock itself is constructed with a moisture-resistant material and covered with a wood veneer. The 4-inch block is placed in the bottom of each stile.

The Weather Seal process provides added moisture protection at the stile and rail joints. When the stile and rail are assembled, the joint is glued and secured with a dowel pin. A special seal is applied to the end grain of the rail to resist moisture penetration. Together, these technologies help prevent moisture from seeping into the bottom rail, making the door resistant to moisture-related problems.

Door panels have also been re-engineered. As a modern panel is manufactured, it is sliced into thin sections. One of those sections is then rotated 180° and glued to the other piece. The opposing grain patterns and the glue reinforcement greatly strengthen the unit, resulting in a panel that will not split through. In addition to improving efficiency, the thicker panels also heighten the depth and beauty of the door's natural wood and grain characteristics.

Engineered stiles and panels help resist the tendency to warp, twist or split. New veneering techniques have allowed for better use of lumber resources. Other technical enhancements include more precise machinery that allows tolerances measurable to the nearest thousandth of an inch and improved lumber drying techniques.

Wood also stands up as nature's best insulator, keeping the indoors cool in the summer and warm in the winter.

Some people are under the impression that wood doors require more maintenance, when in fact fiberglass and steel doors can require an equal amount of care. Fiberglass doors must be regularly maintained and refinished and steel doors need to be checked for rust or corrosion.

Technical advances have increased the performance of wood doors and have resulted in increased demand for more choices that reflect individual taste.

The Future

Already, technological advances in wood doors and glass have made wood doors a practical choice for architects, builders and homeowners. The size and complexity of today's "high-tech," handcrafted wood entry door is increasing as manufacturers discover new and better ways to further enhance performance. The custom options that wood doors provide give the flexibility builders and homeowners desire to create dramatic, yet integrated entryways and interior doors. The door of the future will continue to capitalize on these advances.

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