Do you LOVE the look of real wood doors, but everyone in your life (builder, family, friends, strangers …) is trying to talk you OUT of using real wood?! You aren’t alone!
I get asked about my arched real wood double doors ALLLL the time! 90% of these people say they REALLY have their heart set on a real wood door for their home, but that someone is trying to talk them out of wood … and they all want to know my opinion of wood doors after living with mine for five years!
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Below is a Q + A of questions I repeatedly get about my wood doors. I’m spilling the beans on my experience, and then I’ll wrap it up with the pros/cons of real wood doors! This post will help YOU make an educated decision when it comes to your own home!
1. ARE YOU HAPPY WITH YOUR WOOD DOORS?
Overall, I am VERY happy with them and they’re gorgeous! However, I understand why people recommend you avoid real wood doors. There is some VERY minimal gapping at the base. It isn’t noticeable at all … we only experience this a couple times a year when it is REALLY windy and the wind sneaks under the door a little bit. Honestly, this may be more of a double door issue than a solid wood door issue!
2. HAVE YOU NOTICED FADING ON YOUR WOOD DOORS?
My front doors face south and I haven’t noticed any fading because we have a deep porch overhang that protects the door.
3. HOW OFTEN DO YOU RESTAIN THE WOOD DOOR?
Never! I know I will need to restain at some point, but so far I haven’t needed to in the five years we’ve lived here!
4. WHERE CAN I ORDER YOUR DOORS?
You can’t order them, unfortunately. They were custom made by local carpenters.
5. HOW MUCH DID YOUR WOOD DOORS COST?
My custom real wood doors pre-finished were $4,380. This does NOT include the hardware … which can be quite expensive on an exterior door. Keep in mind that I built my home in 2013 … pricing may be higher now.
6. WHAT SPECIES OF WOOD ARE THE DOORS?
My doors are Mahogany. I’m not sure of the stain color. Sorry!
7. WHAT TYPE OF GLASS IS THAT? ARE YOU HAPPY WITH THE GLASS?
This is seeded glass. I LOVE it! It allows a small (very small!) amount of privacy, but also allows abundant light in our foyer. If you want full privacy, I would not suggest this glass finish! Actually, just stay away from glass if you want full privacy!
8. DO YOUR WOOD DOORS SCRATCH EASILY?
Yes, unfortunately. My dog’s nails scratch the wood! We’ve had four years of her nails ‘knocking’ (scratching) on the door to let us know when she wants inside! This can be easily avoided if you have your dog use a different door! Not sure why I didn’t think of that four years ago when we got her!
Scratches from my little pup’s nails 🙁
9. ARE YOUR DOUBLE DOORS ENERGY EFFICIENT?
I live in the Midwest and we have harsh winters. I assume my double doors are less energy efficient because we do get a small trickle of wind at the base of the doors at times … however, our power bills are so stinkin’ high that I would never know if the double door was for sure the culprit!
10. WOULD YOU DO REAL WOOD DOORS AGAIN?
I have told myself numerous times that I will NOT go with real wood doors again, but the more I think about it, the more I realize that the wood isn’t the issue … it’s the double door that I will not do again in a future home!
My next home will most likely have a real wood door … but just ONE single door (and I won’t let the dog near it)!
PROS OF SOLID WOOD DOORS
- Gorgeous
- Elegant
- Classy
- Sturdy
CONS OF SOLID WOOD DOORS
- Expensive
- Possible to get some warping and gapping (which allows some wind in)
- Wood scratches easily if have a pet jumping on it (easy solution … have your dog use another door!)
- Possible fading from sun and weather elements
CONCLUSION
Hopefully reading about my personal experience with my arched real wood double doors gives you the confidence to make an educated decision for your own home! Your door decision is entirely up to YOU! You don’t need to listen to everyone else’s opinions!
Honestly, I thought I wouldn’t go with a wood door again in the future, BUT after writing this post I realized that I WILL use a real wood door again … I just won’t do a double door!
Be sure to share this post by pinning your favorite photos! Please comment below and share your own experiences with real wood doors!
Hey Carrie, As you know, I too have wooden double doors and would not trade them for the world. I get a ton of compliments on my doors. The one thought I would have added to your message is to make sure you do not “short-change” the entrance to your house. It is the area most people see and the doors needs to be in correct proportion to the house–they need to make a statement! Thus, my thought would be to be very cautious switching just to a single door–your house may warrant a double door 🙂 Just my thoughts! Enjoying your blog!
Thank you, Barb! Very true! My house is wide, so the double doors definitely are better proportionately. My next house probably won’t be so wide, so possibly a single door will work in that case! Great point thought!
Why wouldn’t you go with double doors again?
I don’t feel like double doors get as good of a seal as a single door. That may not be true in all cases, but that is my experience. Hope that helps!
I wish I knew about your blog a long time ago! Great post and blog. We just ordered our front door today so I’m searching because of course I’m second guessing myself. 🙂 Thank you for the insight.
I am SO happy you found my blog, Halley, and you’re enjoying it! Re: your doors … it’s hard not to second guess our design decisions, but you just have to make a decision and go with it! Easier said than done, I know! Good luck and I know your home will be beautiful!
Hey! Why would you not do a double door? What are the cons for it being a double door?
Hi Melinda! I guess I didn’t really mention that in the blog post. Sorry about that. The con of a double door is that there is some gapping between doors. It’s very minimal but can allow some air and wind through. We only notice this on super windy days (I mean, very windy … 40MPH winds or greater). Real wood tends to slightly warp over the years, so warping can cause this slight gapping between doors. It wouldn’t be as much of an issue with just one single door.
To be honest, if they are installed properly they should seal properly without a gap. Installers often times over-flex the frame when they are installing a wood door. I also always recommend multi-point locking on doors that are taller. It helps seal the door along the whole height of the door. Take a look at us at http://grandentrydoors.com or email me with any questions.
Thank you for your comment. I agree that multi-point locking is very important and we did do that :). – Carrie
Love this door! It it’s gorgeous. Brings in so much light and great curb appeal. Solid Door.This door is a work of art! Worth the wait!
Thank you for the recommendation for other readers, Naeem :).
What color stain did you use on the front door?
My front door is a custom stain color and I don’t remember the name. Sorry! – Carrie