Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: How are your doors constructed?
A: Our doors are built with stile and rail construction (see "stile" and "rail" in glossary below). The stiles and rails are glued together using either tongue and groove joinery (for shaker style doors), or using a shaped stile and rail "stick and cope" edge, that mates perfectly together. This makes the frame of the door, and the panels are left free floating in a groove around the frame to ensure proper expansion and contraction from seasonal temperature and humidity changes. The stiles are laminated to 1 3/4" thickness from two pieces of wood, instead of one solid thicker piece. This creates, essentially, a two-ply glue lamination, so that as the door reacts to the weather, the stiles stay straight and true, instead of separating or warping. In exterior doors, the panels are also laminated for extra stability. This is the highest standard of quality for door construction.

Q: What is your timeline?
A: Usually about 23 to 32 business days for manufacturing, depending on the order size and complexity of the design. If you require extra services, such as prehanging or finishing, this will add to your timeline.

Q: How are your doors packaged for shipment?
A: Our doors are shipped via freight truck, and are banded and crated to provide the upmost protection for your investment. Your ship cost includes insurance on the doors in the rare case of damage. Upon shipment we provide you with a website and tracking number, along with phone numbers to arrange an exact time for shipment. You must be present to inspect the shipment, otherwise a damage claim cannot be made.

Q: What are the characteristics of knotty alder?
A: It is a stable wood with grain very similar to cherry. It is actually often referred to as "poor man's cherry" as it is much more cost effective. It is available knotty, or clear, which is rarer and more expensive. It takes stains and glazes beautifully.

Q: What are my payment options?
A: We take personal checks, cashiers checks, or money orders, as well as paypal, but we must add about 2.9% to the total to compensate for the paypal fees. Personal checks will be required to clear before shipment.

Applied Moulding: decorative moulding, applied around the panels in the door to add more detail and depth.

Astragal (or T-Astragal): a vertical member used on a double door (applied to the inactive door) to seal one door to the other and to cover the gap between the two.

Brick Mould: exterior casing for an entry, especially used with radius top doors.

Brow Arch: a slight arch (like an eyebrow)

Clavos: large exposed nailheads for decorative purposes only. Available in many sizes and shapes.

Full Arch: a true half-radius arch

Header: the horizontal member of the jamb material that goes above the door, can be either straight for square top doors, or radius for brow arch or full arch doors.

Knock down jambs: jambs which have been assembled (prehung) and then taken apart, labeled, and stacked flat for shipment. Doors do not handle shipments as well when they are framed in the jambs. We ship our doors stacked flat, and our jambs knocked down in order to protect them during shipping, as well as to keep your shipping costs down.

Muntins: small sticking in between individual panels of glass.

Ogee: an s-shaped profile found on our doors on the inside edges of the stiles and rails, which frames out the panels.

Rail: the horizontal members of the door frame.

Senior Panel: an extra wide raised panel.

Shaker Style: square edges and sticking, used with flat panels.

Sidelite: framed glass panel, built in the same was as we build our doors, which is located on the side of the door, sold individually or in pairs. Can be a full lite (one glass panel), or a multi-lite (many panels).

Speakeasy: a small window in the upper panel of a door, used to look through to see who is at the door. Can be built square top, or arch top. Includes glass, or can also be made as a small, separate door, which will need to be hinged and installed locally. Use with or without a speakeasy grill.

Stile: the vertical members of the door frame.

Tongue and Groove: a form of joinery where the members are joined by a tongue on one board, which fits into a groove in another board.

Transom: an overhead glass panel, built in the same way as we build our doors. Can be a full lite (one glass panel), or a multi-lite (many panels).

V-Grooves: grooves cut into the panel to simulate a plank style door.