SHOPTOUR: VINTAGE DOORS
For more than 30 years, this company in Hammond, New York, way up on the St. Lawrence River, has been a national source of handcrafted, solid-wood screen, entry, and interior doors. Vintage Doors uses furniture-quality wood, from knotty pine to quarter-sawn oak, Douglas fir to African mahogany.
Each door is made to order.
Stiles and rails for screen doors are machine-cut by hand, then joined together with hardwood dowels and high-grade wood glue. Entry doors are built using cope-and-stick construction, where male and female pieces mate along the edges of the rail. “We take every step possible to address expansion and contraction,” says Erica Demick Garlock, the company’s national sales manager.
Vintage Doors is a family-run business. Founder Howard Demick, Erica’s father, expedites orders and also deals with stocking inventory. Rosemary, Howard’s wife, keeps track of the financial end of the business. Son Ryan does the design work, using computer-numeric design (critical for building their unique arched and round-top doors).
Options are almost unlimited, from pet doors and multiple types of screening to applied mouldings. A customer typically starts by choosing one of hundreds of designs and deciding on a wood species, then moves on to the details. Glass options for entry doors include clear, beveled, stained, and wavy “restoration” glass, plus several types of hard-to-find pattern glass, such as the frosted type known as glue-chip. Anyone ordering a screen door can add wood ornaments, all cut and finished by hand. The company also offers threeseason porches and garden gates.
In recent years, Vintage Doors has increased their commitment to assistance and customer service. Because it’s something that’s used every day and is highly visible, they explain, the front door needs to be just right. Says Erica, “A quality door leaves a lasting impression.”
Once you have a clear idea of what the door might have looked like, or how you want the door to look, explore your options.
salvage
If you supply your own labor, adapting a salvaged door is one of the most affordable replacement options. It makes sense for those with carpentry skills and tolerance for minor but tedious repairs. The low initial cost of the door, of course, will be offset by the amount of effort needed to bring the door back to its former glory. A more expensive option is to find a craftsperson willing to repair and retrofit the salvaged door for you.
The best place to find an old door is through a local salvage dealer. Doors for sale are more likely to be made of woods typically used in your area, and will reflect the styles most prevalent there as well. Look for an exterior door roughly the same age and style as your house, as close to the same dimensions (height + width + thickness) as possible. Expect to tighten joints, patch holes, strip old paint, and refinish or paint the door.
For evidence of the original dimensions, look on the door frame (assuming it’s intact). Ideally, the door should be the same depth—exterior doors are generally thicker than interior passage doors—and slightly larger than the opening. Measure the prospective door on all four sides at top and bottom; the door may have been planed in one area and not another. If the door was previously altered, make sure the proportions of all the components— stiles, rails, panels—are still correct. Restoration is a bit easier if the door will be finish-painted. If you intend to restore the door with a stained or natural finish,