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How to Pick Doors For Your Home

How to Pick Doors For Your Home


Front door New England home with curved portico

One of the prime ways to give your farmhouse that custom architectural look is to install new doors—and real wood doors are best for authentic farmhouse charm. “Custom wood doors are personalized,” says Erica Garlock, National Sales Manager at the custom door manufacturer, Vintage Doors. “With custom wood doors, your home will absolutely stand out from the rest. You can also tell the difference in the look and feel of your home. They’re rare, real doors.” Here’s how to pick doors that will truly make a difference in the feel and value of your home.

Exterior Dutch doors with girl looking down at dog
There are endless options when it comes to your front doors. Double Dutch doors can provide extra airflow, and give off a charming farm cottage feel.

Step 1: Design

The first step to pick doors is to decide on the look and feel you want. “The style of a home makes a difference in the type of door that would best complement it,” Erica says. For example, if you’re renovating an old barn into a barn home, you’ll want a more rustic door, whereas if you have a Victorian farmhouse, you might want something that looks more elegant and sophisticated.

The great part about working with a custom door maker like Vintage Doors is that they’ll help you walk through the process of picking doors. “If homeowners have no idea where to start, they can send us a picture of their home and we can help guide them, given the different architectural elements they have,” Erica says. Sometimes the selection process takes a while, and that’s ok. “Design processes depends on the needs of each client,” she says. “We’ve had people who have taken a couple days to a few months to make final decisions. We walk through every option with people, making the process trustworthy.”

Front door dark wood against white home siding to pick doors
The dark wood and white contrast on this exterior door by Vintage Doors brings a beautiful and stately feel to the home’s curb appeal.

Step 2: Wood

Whether you need to pick doors for the interior or exterior of your home, the type of wood you use is key. “Ask yourself, ‘What wood will give me the best durability and the look I want to achieve?'” Erica says.

For exterior doors, you always want a durable, reliable wood, whether you choose to paint or stain it. “There’s a big misconception around, “Oh, I’m just painting my door, I don’t need a good wood,’” Erica says. “However, that’s just not true. Your wood choice is your ultimate performance factor.” Your front door (and any other exterior door) need to be able to withstand the weather, so the wood quality is important. This is the major reason Vintage Doors recommends and uses mahogany for exterior doors.

Interior wood double doors inside living room
Much like an impressive front entry, interior doors will make a big difference in the look of your home! Interior doors like these will make your home feel historic and custom.

On the other hand, to pick doors for your home’s interior, you can go with a base-grade wood, such as poplar, if you plan to paint them. “If you’re going to paint interior doors, wood choice is not as important because you have a temperature-controlled environment,” Erica says. “You can choose poplar or maple, for the least costly investment.”

If you’re choosing to stain your doors, the wood choice will matter more to you. “Take into consideration the other woods you have throughout your home,” Erica says. “Different woods have different grain characters. Oak is a lot different in look from mahogany, for example. Knotty alder is a knotty, rustic-looking wood.”

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Black plates and vessels are paired with an orange throw black acting as a runner. White flowers fill the vessels

Front door with brick siding, arched portico and window box to help pick doors
Customizing your home’s exterior features, from the door to the architectural details, siding and window treatments, will give it a custom look.

Step 3: Jewelry

Once you have settled on all major design details, the final consideration is hardware. Vintage Doors refers to this as “jewelry”—items like hinges, door knobs, mail slots and door knockers. “We call it jewelry,” Erica says. “Some people want simple doors, and others want more detail on their doors. It just depends on how much you want to play dress up.”

Once you order your doors, the craftsmen at Vintage Doors will get to work on the custom piece or pieces. “Once an order is placed, it takes our craftsman anywhere from 8-12 weeks to make the doors, depending on complexity,” Erica says. The result is a custom architectural element in your home that’s a statement piece you can be proud of for years.

Simple wood Dutch side door solid wood
A simple side door will benefit from custom farmhouse style too! This Dutch door provides extra breezes for the home’s cooling too.

Want to learn more about Vintage Doors? Check out their website here! And of course, don’t forget to follow us on InstagramFacebook and Pinterest to get your daily dose of farmhouse inspiration!

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