Doors are the joinery people touch every day, and in an older house they carry much of its character: the panel layout, the moulding profile, the weight of the leaf and the way it sits in the casing. When a period door has to be replaced or a run of new doors has to sit alongside originals, the aim is simple. Nobody should be able to tell which is which.
Survey the originals properly
Matching starts with the doors that survive. We record the panel layout, rail and stile widths, the moulding profile, whether the panels are raised, fielded or flat, how the door is hung and what ironmongery it carries. Profiles are taken off the original so the cutters can be set to match, rather than chosen from a catalogue that is nearly the same. Casings and architraves get the same treatment, because a new door in an old surround is only half the job.
Choose the right timber
Internal doors in period houses were usually painted softwood or, in the better rooms, a hardwood meant to be seen. For new work we choose timber for stability first — a door that moves with the seasons will never close properly — and then for how it takes the finish. Oak is the natural choice for anything that will be oiled or waxed; for external doors, durability and weathering matter as much as appearance. Our piece on oak front doors and our guide to timber for exterior doors and windows go into more detail.
Build it like the original was built
A door that looks right but is built differently will give itself away in time. Proper mortice-and-tenon joints, solid rails and stiles and panels free to move in their grooves are what let a door stay flat and square for decades. It is slower than building to modern shortcuts, and it is the reason the originals are still hanging.
Listed and conservation work
In a listed building, replacing a door is often a matter for consent, and the conservation officer will want to see that the new work matches in form, material and detail. Our listed building guide covers the consent side. At Tuddenham House in Suffolk we rebuilt door and staircase joinery after fire damage with profiles matched to the originals; at Hemmingford Park new doors were made to sit alongside restored work; and on Eaton Place in Belgravia door joinery was detailed to the period proportions of the house.
Timescale
Our current lead time is around eight weeks, and most commissions are delivered within 16 to 20 weeks. A single door can be quicker; a whole house of matched doors and casings is planned around the build. Everything is drawn, made, finished and hung by our own people from the workshop at Mickfield in Suffolk.
See bespoke doors made in Suffolk, or send us a door schedule and call 01449 710500.