Choosing doors

[oaktree]

Does anyone know where I can find information on what types of doors are appropriate for certain time periods? I am going to go to the salvage place this weekend and to find doors. They have hundreds of salvaged doors there...it's pretty amazing. My current ones are newish as well as now too short. Someone noticed that my outbuilding has a milled door, which might have been one of my original doors. It has two vertical panels.

Any other general advice on how to choose antique doors?

[DavidP]

I think your best bet is to look at other houses in your area from about the same time period, since practices varied by region as well as with time. In New England and adjacent upstate New York, for an 1862 house you would probably want a raised-panel door. (That's four panels, the upper ones taller, with the edges thinned to fit into rabbets in the rails and stiles.) Recessed-panel doors (same construction, but a thin, flat panel rather than a thick one with thin edges) are found slightly later (ca. 1870-1900) and doors with horizontal panels after the turn of the century in Craftsman houses and foursquares. But those are generalizations and things may be different where you are.

[Mick_VT]

I second David's advice. The good thing is that salvage places (or at least the ones I go to) are overrun with mill built doors from mid to late C19th. So chances are they will have what you need (i.e.what was common when your house was built). Four panel softwood doors are the norm for houses of your type and that period here in New England as David said, I dont know about Michigan.

[oaktree]

Thanks much!

My house is kind of odd...I actually haven't seen any houses that look like it in the area at all though there are plenty of other old farmhouses. The shape of it reminds me of some of the Greek Revival farmhouses around here, but I have none of the usual details.

[oaktree]

Hm, this does look like a raised panel door.

[Mick_VT]

Hm, this does look like a raised panel door.

How thick is that door oaktree? Exterior doors are usually much thicker than interior ones. If it is thin you may have found the exact style (which may be harder to get than a 4 panel). If it is thick it may not have matched what was inside the house. By the mid C19th as I understand it, most door were made at mills and shipped in via railroad, so many or the regional variances started to disappear.

[jharkin]

Yep, it "depends" both on period and region... and dont necessarily assume that neighbors with similar homes got it right... All to often non-historically minded buyers just go to the home center and slap something in.

If you do some research you might be able to find books with the detail you are looking for. there is a huge volume called "A field guide to North American Homes" that covers anything and everything but I dont know if it gets into low level details like regional differences - but will give you a general idea. For my time period and region I found a great book called "Building History of Northern New England" that was written by an old house museum curator in New Hampshire and has excellent details on this stuff for 17/18/19 century in MA/VT/NH/ME.. Look around for similar museums in Michigan and you might find something comparable.

Also keep in mind that even in a given period there was a lot of variation. Like Mick mentions 4 panel doors are very common throughout the 1800s in New England. they where used extensively for interior doors, and sometimes entrance doors where made by nailing two doors together - possibly a 4 panel on the outside and a batten inside ( The nails were bent over on the inside, origin of the term "dead as a doornail") But if you are closer to 1800 (Federal) an entrance door might be 6 panel and oak... before 1800 they where 6 or even 8 panel (Georgian). As the years went on generally hte doors got simpler and simler until the start of the Victorian age when they became ornate again.

Along they way there is a lot of variation based on the social status of the builder - smaller houses and poorer families might have nothing but a simple batten door throughout the period. Some houses had a paneled door that swung in, and a batten door on the outside swinging out to act as a rudimentary storm door in winter. Large houses of the wealthy might even have a double front door with very ornate detailing and large pediments, etc.

Oh and then you have to decide what type of door handle/knob/latch is appropriate.Another long topic..

And the design of the door surround is yet another lengthy topic...

[Vala]

Very interesting stuff.

Most common front doors in my town is a 1 or 2 (horizontal) paneled door with a large window in the upper section. That's what I have.

[oaktree]

Milk house door:



Back of door:



It does seem to be an interior door to me.

I am going to try to get the right kind of doors if I can...I already know I'm going to have to make compromises on door trim and hardware. It won't be totally authentic, but I will do what I can such that I stay on budget and I can actually move in to my house! I hope I don't horrify you guys too much with what I end up doing.

[lovesickest]

Where in Michigan are you ? I have a door like that in my basement, waiting for anywhere else to be. If you are close, ot have a friend who will be driving from here to where you are, it's yours.

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