Doors Buying Guide

Choosing new doors for your home is an exciting and important decision. So if this is your first time, you've come to the right place. Since each door and opening may have different dimensions and requirements, we have structured our site to allow you maximum flexibility. Scroll through our site until you find the design you love. You may narrow your search by wood species, door size, collection, or door model. Click on the desired door to view prices, options and additional information. Prices shown are usually for "slab" doors unless otherwise noted. Some doors are shown stained, but are sold unfinished or primed unless otherwise noted.

We'll help guide you through the door buying process so you can make an informative decision and feel great about it.

Discover the door to your world!

Get inspired, get ideas, and visit our gallery or websites such as Pinterest and Houzz to find the right door for your world.

Building codes

To protect public health, safety and general welfare, doors must conform to codes and standards from a local council. Please check with your local council if your door needs to be fire safety, impact resistance or windstorm rated.

Timing and planning

It is important to take into consideration production time and transit time of door order. Orders can take anywhere from one to six weeks to ship out. Lead times will vary with type of door ordered and options such as pre hanging and factory finish. Door slabs and unfinished pre hung door units typically ship within 1-3 weeks. Doors with factory finish option can take 4-6 weeks to ship. Please allow an additional week for transit time.

What to Know Before You Buy a New Door

Handing and Swing

Determining the handing and swing of your new door is an important step in the ordering process. Below is a diagram outlining the easiest way to determine the handing you need, as well as the difference between in swing and out swing.

Door Slab vs. Pre Hung Door, Which Should You Pick?

Door slab is a door and nothing else: no frame, hardware, and the door is NOT prepped for hinges or a handle. It is up to the buyer to attach the door slab to an existing frame or to create a new door frame.
Door slab installation - interior door slabs are more forgiving for less-than-perfect installations, as you do not have to worry about weather tightness. Therefore, we always recommend buying exterior doors pre hung as they come weather tight off the shelf.
When considering buying a door slab, check your door thickness in addition to the width and height as doors range from 1-3/8" - 2-1/4" in thickness.

Turnaround time: Door slabs usually shipped within 2-7 business days.

Pre hung door is a door that is already hanging in its own frame. By selecting a pre hung door, you will receive a self-contained unit with the door prepped, hinged and assembled to your specifications inside a frame. Not included are the door knob or knob/deadbolt (unless otherwise noted). This complete package ensures smooth, easy installation with a precise fit.

All of our doors are pre hung by their manufacturer to ensures precise fit and no on-site assembly is required. In addition, it also reduces construction time and lowers project cost.

Prior to ordering a pre hung unit know the following:

Door Swing - determine the handing and swing direction of the door. Most residential entry doors will open in to the house, refereed as in swing.
Rough Opening is an unfinished wall opening where a door with the frame will be installed. The frame with add to the total width and height of the door unit. Make sure you got the right size opening.
Wall thickness - the jamb must cover the thickness of the wall. Make sure to select the right size. The most common size for 2x4 framing is 4-5/8" and for 2x6 is 6-5/8".

Pre hung orders begin production immediately upon order and are custom built to your specifications.
Pre hung orders can NOT be cancelled, changed, returned or refunded at any time.

Turnaround time: Pre hung door units usually ship within 2-3 weeks.

Factory Finish

Selecting a factory finish option will produce a door unit with a beautiful, protective finish that promotes long life, beauty, and accentuates the natural allure and texture of the wood grain. For best results our doors are pre finished by the manufacturer. Colors shown may vary from actual application due to uncontrollable factors such as the lighting in your room and monitor settings. Factory finish doors are custom made and CANNOT be returned. You need to be certain that any slight variations occurring between the actual color, and the representation on our website must be accepted. Some manufacturers offer color samples, please call customer service and order to order a sample.

Turnaround time: Ordering a factory finish will add an additional 1-2 weeks to the turnaround time.

Application

One of the most important steps in the selection process! Protecting you door properly and selecting the right door type can lower maintenance, improve performance and extend the life of your door.
Factors to consider when selecting a door:

Exposure - Doors facing south or west receive the most sun and require the most protection. Dark colors and/or storm doors can be harmful in these applications if not protected by a six to eight foot overhang.
Overhang - Every exterior door needs protection to perform properly and extend it's life. The more exposure to elements, the larger the overhang. Please refer to the manufacturer's warranty and guidelines for details and requirements.
Color Choice - Your choice of colors are also dictated by exposure. Light colors reflect heat and dark colors absorb heat. Please use caution in this area.
Storm Doors - Storm doors can be helpful in the right application and harmful in the wrong one, mainly with wood doors. Heat build up behind a storm door can exceed 120 degrees in some exposures and damage your new door.

Buying Guide Resources

Consumer Report - Entry Door Buying Guide
Houzz Planning: How to Choose an Interior Door
HomeTips.com - How to Buy a Wood Front Door
improvenet.com - 6 Tips For Buying Exterior Doors