Interior Doors from Plain to Not-So-Plain

Hi, This was a two-part post, first published on in mid-August, 2023, and part 2 was written mid-October. They are below this one, the new content.

 

When there is more new content about the interior doors, I will post it above this post.
However, for those who’ve been following the reno fairly closely, you might enjoy reviewing this post to see the evolution of some of the design details.

First of all, a health update.

No, wait; first of all, thank you for all the kind comments and notes about my illness, horrid doctor situation, and your sharing, too. These viruses are no joke, and so-called “common” and “mild” illness can lead to serious complications.

 

 

Here’s the latest with the doctor sitch.

 

Today, I contacted my medical group.

The person answering the phone had a voice I recognized. I’m not going to give anything away that might identify her/she/him/he/they/them or the other employee who called me back. The call-back was because her/she/him/he was concerned about my cough and exceedingly hoarse voice.

However, what I was talking about in the last post about my experience with the doctor was not the first time either had heard this. Each of them volunteered this information without my prompting, and when I was struggling to get out the word, one of them interjected “condescending.”

 

They have his number.

 

I know that Boston has a reputation for being a city with a zillion doctors. But there used to be two zillion doctors. The pandemic caused many to seek a different line of work, and now there’s a shortage.

While Mass General is my local neighborhood 30-building 1,000+ bed”clinic.” haha people come from all over the state, as well as from New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, and Rhode Island, for their primary care physician and other specialties.  Hell, they probably come from all over the world. Anyway, it’s not easy to get a doctor here.  However, I will persevere in my quest for a kind, empathetic doctor.

 

How, are you feeling, Laurel?

 

Oh, thanks for asking. ;]

I’m resting and not worse, but I’m not better, either, as I still have a fever and a hideous, deep, tight, barky cough. I am seeing another physician in the group tomorrow afternoon.

I’ve taken three COVID tests, which were fresh tests with an expiration date of November 2024. Although vaxxed, one can still get flu and RSV, but the illness should be milder.

In the meantime, I’m resting and drowning myself with hot liquids.

 

Now, for the renovation news.

 

Okay. Both carpenters were here bright and early, and today, as stated in my email, the legendary embrasure doors were installed.

However, before I show them to you, please understand that they are on their hinges, but their surround is far from finished.

 

The entire hall as seen from the bedroom looking into the bathroom. When finished, you will not see the sides of the doors nor the reveal created by the door jam.

But look at how yellow that overhead light in the bathroom is! I can’t wait for that thing to go! The original photo was even more yellow!

In retrospect, the pockets could’ve been made at least one inch more shallow on each side, and the doors could’ve been one inch wider. There will be a good two inches behind the doors. However, for the first time doing this, I’m quite happy with how they’re turning out.

 

Above is one of the doors leading into the bathroom. The opposite side will be flush with the door. Those stepbacks on the right of the hinge will be filled in to make a smooth line. Then there will be traditional door casings on the inside doorway.

 

 

Above is a detail of the Harmon Hinge from Cook and Boardman.

 

However, they call them Pocket Pivot Door Hinges. They come in several finishes, including white, and were shipped out in less than two weeks. Yes, we’ll pull that sticker off. Their operation is perfect, and in the white finish were just over $200 which was the least expensive one I could find.

The doors will have magnet catches to hold them in place when closed. But, they also need a magnet to hold them in place when open!

 

All of those big gaps will be filled.

 

Look how great they look from inside the bathroom with the doors closed.

One thing I’ve been noticing is how blurry some of the images downstairs look. I fear it’s because of the LED lights, or at least the cheap overhead one. I haven’t seen this issue upstairs.

 

See? Sharp as can be, taken only a couple of days ago.

 

The painter came by and asked me about paint colors.

 

He was asking five weeks ago but hasn’t been back except to say “hi.”

There is a good week or longer of prep work to do that is waiting to be done and has been. And, too much sawing going on to paint anything.

I told my GC and hopefully, he’s handling it.

By the way, yes, I always compliment the guys. Of course I do. Their work is beautiful!
xo,

 

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Below is the old content from August and October 2023.

 

Hi Everyone,

As you see, it’s a new topic on a Thursday evening. This might sometimes happen if the topic doesn’t require a part 2, 3, 4, etc.

This post is about interior doors. I expect, over time, it will have numerous updates.

Okay, we’re going back to my place undergoing renovation; yes, back to the living room.

Yes, we’re still talking about those doors. That’s because there have been some new developments I’d like to share.

First of all, I was at the construction site the other day and took some photos to better convey the views one sees.

 

See? It’s a lot different than my rendering. (below) If you’d like to learn more about the interior doors, especially the railing, please check out this post.

I think I might put that vintage server on the opposite side of the same wall under the den TV. There’s my new bathroom Watermark faucet! The stairs will begin right about where the box begins.

The original image I used to create this rendering was accomplished by putting my phone on the widest angle setting. I would have to stand at least 15 feet into the next building to see all this.

 

Let’s look at a couple more shots to give a better perspective of the views.

 

However, there’s something I don’t believe I’ve mentioned, even though it’s been bugging me for a while.

It’s this image.

It has to do with the two-foot difference in the height of the windows and the doors.

If I were changing all the mouldings (I’m not), I’d consider creating an overdoor panel and making the top of the moulding the same height as the windows. Even so, the door is still much lower than the windows.

 

But, here’s the Pandora’s box.

 

Yeah, it’s the transom. I bet some of you figured this out a while ago. With a transom, it will do the opposite of what an overdoor would do. It’s going to make the 90″ interior doors look pitifully dinky compared to the windows.

 

So, why don’t you eliminate the transoms, Laurel?

 

Yes, indeed, but here’s the problem with that and why I created a transom in the first place. As they say, I’m already skating on thin ice with 90″ interior doors and the 3″ rails I need (max).

If I do the typical 5″ rail, that will leave only 8 inches for the glass, and I would prefer a solid door to that. If anything, I’d like the door frame to be only 2.5″ wide.

 

But, here’s the thing I always go back to.

 

It’s Furlow Gatewood’s magnificent mirrored doors in the Cuthbert House.

 

These French doors are roughly the same height as mine, at nine feet. Although, I estimate that each of those doors is 22″ – 24″ wide. Mine will only be 18″ wide. Those door frames  (stiles) look to be three inches wide.

 

However, these pivot doors in the Peacock House look to have no more than a 2.5″ wide stile. For those who don’t know, the stiles are the vertical side pieces. The rails are the top and bottom horizontal pieces.

They might only be two inches wide. I think they may be made of steel. Still, the muntins look to be made of wood as they have an ogee shape. Typically, the steel doors we see today are black, and the muntins are thin and flat.

 

From the Baker showroom at High Point.

Fantastic Frank

This is not the steel interior door look I’m going for. I want them to look like wood and glass doors.

 

So, what’s the problem with a nine-foot wood door with a three-inch stile?

 

Warping. There is a high probability that the doors will warp with the more narrow stile.

 

These old beauties are in what was Furlow Gatewood’s primary residence. They don’t look warped to me.

 

Naturally, I was dying to know if these were steel doors.

 

Well, who better to know about the doors than the guy who photographed them, Rod Collins?

 

Since Furlow passed, we’ve corresponded several times, and you may recall, he sent me some photos of homes that Furlow had a big hand in furnishing. 

So, the other day, I was lucky to catch Rod on his way to a photo shoot, and I grilled him inquired about the doors.

While I held my breath, Rod replied in his charming southern Georgia accent:

 

“Well, Sunshine, those doors in Peacock are metal. The doors in Cuthbert, I believe, are wood.”

 

We chatted some more, and then, as soon as I got off the phone, I began looking with great intent on finding the elusive steel doors with traditional muntins.

 

Now, if anyone has a source that makes doors in multiple finishes that mimic traditional wood French doors, please let us know in the comments. However, please no linking.

 

The source I found is in western Connecticut, called quite appropriately Steel Windows and Doors. 

They represent two companies, Brombal and Crittall. Now, Both have both contemporary and traditional style steel and other metal doors and windows.

 

So, what got me on this path in the first place?

 

I did two more renderings showing a different 3/4 angle view. In so doing, I learned two things.

 

• One) I do NOT want the jury box.
• Two) I DO want the steel-wood-look doors without the transom.

 

See? It looks like a dentist’s office. Please, dear God—nooooooooo. I realize the image is a little rough. But it serves its purpose.

 

Now, for the X railing rendering.

 

I found an image very close to the correct perspective. This is the neoclassical look I want. I will do glass inserts.

However, to be 100% certain, I returned to the image that doesn’t exist, lol, but it is good to give an overview of the space.

 

This is where we left off last week.

So, I did a few iterations with the steel doors.

 

Oh, hang on a sec; I have a text.

 

It’s Rod Collins! His ears must be burning.

He says:

You should ask Jimmy about making the doors out of wood.

Who’s Jimmy, Laurel?

 

Well, anyone who’s read the text in Furlow’s book or maybe a magazine article knows that Jimmy is Jimmy Fuller, the genius who worked with Furlow to create the incredible architectural features of Furlow’s homes.

Rod says that Jimmy made the Cuthbert House dining room interior doors.

Well, I just left him a message. Oh, I hope he gets back to me. How divine it would be to have a chat with him!

 

In the meantime, I tried a few variations using metal or possibly wood interior doors sans transom.

 

This represents clear glass even though it looks frosted. I think it looks too heavy.

Better.

Best. However, the glass looking frosted is not very good.

But, I wonder what would happen if I did mirror. At night, the mirror will be stunning. Plus, it’ll pull more light downstairs and always be private if both sides are mirrored.

 

I tried it first with the dark stiles and rails. Again, too heavy, but I do like the mirrors.

So, I went with white. This is it! It’s a continuation of that hotel feel I’m looking to see.

 

 

Here’s the opposite side of the living room.

 

Okay, that’s it for these interior doors. However, I’ll come back to discuss other interior doors, such as the jib and embrasure doors, and I’d love to do a caned door in some areas.

*********************************************************

Part 2 Begins Here

 

*************

Well, it’s about two months later…  I thought that this would be the best place to share a door update.

Some of you may recall that my contractor and I went door shopping in Dorchester (a neighborhood in Boston about seven miles from me) on September 6th.

I figured we’d get a quote within a week or two.

No, we did not get a quote after two weeks.

Three weeks? No.

Four weeks? No.

Five weeks? No.

Five weeks and two days later, which was Friday the 13th of October, I received this email from my contractor:

 

Sorry, Laurel, this is ridiculous. They put us back at least 3 weeks.

R.O.C.

 

He’s being kind. It’s more like six weeks.

 

Begin forwarded message:

From: Door Place in Dorchester
Date: October 13, 2023 at 11:56:40 AM EDT
To: “R.O.C.”
Subject: Bern job

We have been unable to source any of the doors with the canning [I think he means caning] after many many attempts.

We are not able to source the double doors without glass 9’0 high after many, many attempts.

The only things I can do are the flush doors. We are unable to source those speciality hinges thus the doors using those would have to be slabs only and you would have to prep and hang those doors

Sorry it took so long to really come up with nothing.

This quote had many challenges and my suppliers were not able to do what we asked. Sorry to have wasted all that time.

jacque

 

*********

Challenges?

I’m trying so hard to be a nicer person, so if someone calls DoorDudeFromDorchester a D**khead, please understand it wasn’t me. ;] However, before we went, I did tell my contractor that I had serious reservations about the door place in Dorchester. The reason is that I saw the word “VINYL” in at least three places on their website.

Ummm…

 

As for the Caning, there are numerous DIY YouTube tutorials on how to add caning to doors.

 

We only need a door without the panels; my skilled carpenters can add the bloody caning. The trick, I understand, is getting the caning wet first.

Remember Lotte Meister’s beautiful caned cabinets? 

I want mine to have a bit tighter weave and allow air to come through. These are for the washer/dryer and linen closets.

However, what really got my knickers in a knot was the part where they could not source the “specialty hinges,” also known as Harmon Hinges.

 

Eye See…

Dude, who has spent a good 50,000 hours of his life doing nothing but selling windows and doors and can’t source a Harmon Hinge?

Sometimes, they’re called Pivot Hinges or Flush Pocket Door Hinges. In this post, we discussed the embrasure doors and Harmon Hinges quite a bit.

There are zillions of sources for Harmon Hinges on the Internet. I easily found 14, and to source them and write this all out took me about an hour, if that.

True, some of these sources are wildly expensive. I am not going to spend $10,000 on hinges for four doors! Fortunately, some of them are a lot less. Still, they are going to run at least $3k-4k. But, I already knew this.

 

Below are the sources for Harmon Hinges I found in less than an hour:

 

Accurate Lock and Hardware  – This is the manufacturer, so they don’t list the prices. They have both a regular and a concealed Harmon Hinge. And, they offer 23 finishes! Wow! Oh, wait, here’s a source for them. They are listed for $618.

Architectural Door Hardware – $633+

Barzel Lock – $375

Door Hardware & Restoration – $489 – $529

Door Hardware USA – $758!

Grainger – $828!!!

HarmonHinge.com – $525

Hardware Source – range in price from $232 – $250 depending on the finish desired

Killian Hardware – $320-$350

Rajack – $431 – Still too expensive.

SA Baxter – These are obviously very expensive because one must enquire. ;] Please remember. If you have to ask the price, it means you can’t afford it.

Stellar Fixtures – $564 and 18 finishes.

Wilmette Hardware – The folks who are making my Cremone Bolts! These will be pricey but superb quality.

Zoro – $336.00

 

There are many more. But, you get the point.

 

So, I plan to go with the cheapest one. These doors aren’t going to be used a whole lot. I’ll need three hinges for each door, so 12 times $250 is $3,000.

As the name implies, a slab door is not necessarily perfectly flat, like a slab of marble. It means that the door is not “pre-hung” with hinges. It can still be a traditional panel door.

 

So, why didn’t DoorDude give a quote for the doors alone?

 

Apparently, he doesn’t want our business. If it took over five weeks just to get a non-quote, imagine how long the doors themselves would take.

I will ask my architect, Tim. And, I’ll also review some of the great suggestions you guys gave me. In addition, Select Custom Door in western New York looks interesting. They are the ones with the great information about embrasure doors.

(note on April 29, 2024. Yes, eventually………….. I contacted them in mid-February and the doors were on order by the end of the month. The rep I worked with was fantastic!)

 

Now, for the French door situation in the living room.

 

This has become a real thorn in my paw. And, you know what? Whenever I get many red lights,  I know it’s a good idea to take a giant step back and reassess the situation.

(Sorry for all the cliches today.)

 

After doing so, I’ve decided not to do them. Yes, I know; after spending dozens of hours working on them, I fully realize it’s the prudent thing to do.

 

Here’s my reasoning:

 

• I know that the two pairs of French Doors will run at least $20k with hardware and installation. And, most likely more.
• The reality is I only need one door for the window side doorway. There’s already a door closing off the den/bedroom on the bathroom side. Those doors are only there to balance out the other doorway.
• Another issue I haven’t mentioned but has always bugged me is that the doors on the bathroom side are not ideal in that one door will overlap the staircase railing. The other door will block part of the adjacent wall, so whatever I put there will be in the way.

 

So, here’s my new idea.

 

I love the idea of doing solid French doors that swing into the den/bedroom. I’ve considered getting some cool old doors, but they are too difficult to find in the right size. I love the idea of them being in a wood tone. That will rarely be seen from the living room side. Actually, never, as the door would only be closed if someone inside the room needed privacy.

Plus, they’ll block the side view of the TV.

However, from the bedroom/den side, I think the wood juxtaposed next to the blue color I envision will be gorgeous.

In addition, these doors won’t be cheap, but maybe more like $7,000 installed. That saves me at least $13,000!

 

Speaking of blue, Laurel, what do you think of Benjamin Moore’s COTY 2024 Blue Nova?

 

It’s a classic indigo, a red-leaning shade of blue. It’s a fine color, but I prefer green-leaning shades of blue.

If you need to return to the Reno news page, here’s the link.

xo,

Please check out the recently updated HOT SALES!

There is now an Amazon link on my home page and below. Thank you for the suggestion!

Please note that this website is a free service. However, it’s very expensive to run. To provide this content, I rely on you, the kind readers of my blog, to use my affiliate links whenever possible for items you need and want. There is no extra charge to you. The vendor you’re purchasing from pays me a small commission.

To facilitate this, some readers have asked me to put

A link to Amazon.com is on my home page.

Please click the link before items go into your shopping cart. Some people save their purchases in their “save for later folder.” Then, if you remember, please come back and click my Amazon link, and then you’re free to place your orders. While most vendor links have a cookie that lasts a while, Amazon’s cookies only last up to 24 hours.

Thank you so much!

Your support of my work and website means the world to me!