Rustic is one of those words that is used a lot, but it can mean different things to different people. In many ways, it is a bit like retro or vintage, or perhaps even closer to the term classic or traditional. When it comes to rustic doors, however, there are some essential elements or features that are easy to spot.
The one thing to keep in mind is that the term rustic doors doesn’t apply to hand made, roughly made or poorly designed doors; at least not when buying from a top online manufacturer and retailer. These doors are beautifully designed to have the solid, timeless and enduring look of natural wood doors, but also combine with the style, design elements, and features that make them a must-have door for custom homes, renovations and front entrance upgrades.
The Wood
While it is possible to find rustic doors in almost any type of wood, the most traditional, and the most classic is knotty alder. This is a very durable wood that is prized for having a consistent, uniform texture and even natural wood color. This makes staining the wood very easy and gives it a consistent color throughout the door.
Knotty alder rustic doors will have a definite grain in the wood that is easy to see throughout the individual boards. There will be darker areas of burls or knots in the wood and the grain will seem to create whirls or patterns out from the knot. When stained, the grain and the knots tend to be a bit darker, creating a very unique and old-style look to the finished door.
Solid Design
While rustic doors can have windows or lites, including sidelites and transoms, they tend to be more solid in design, often with an upper or lower panel divided by styles and rails in the door. This creates a unique look to the door that adds to the depth and dimensionality of the design.
Many of the designs of these old styles of doors offer wrought-iron features such as speakeasy grills, or even wrought-iron on the sidelites, transom or on the glass on the top of the door if present.
Clavos, the antique-looking decorative nail heads, typically in black wrought iron, may be placed at the top and bottom of each board in the panels on the door. This adds a touch of old world elegance and charm that enhances the overall appearance of rustic doors, offering yet another easy-to-identify feature of this style.
For all different types and designs of traditional to unique rustic doors, see us at Nick’s Building Supply. To view our inventory or to see our gallery, visit us online at website.
