Wood Species Guide – Slab and Prehung Doors

Fiberglass Smooth Surface – Smooth Skin features a pre- pigmented white skin that resists the appearance of scratches.   Fiberglass skin is unmarred by the wear and tear of everyday use and is unaffected by moisture and humidity.  Doors will not rot, splinter or warp like wood, and won’t dent or delaminate like steel.  100% CFC-Free Polyurethane core is environmentally friendly and provides a high R-value for maximum thermal protection.

Woodgrain Series – Features a beautiful oak pattern that can be stained or painted in the shade of your choice.  Doors will not rot, splinter or warp like wood, and won’t dent or delaminate like steel.  100% CFC-Free Polyurethane core is environmentally friendly and provides a high R-value for maximum thermal protection.

Primed Doors – Have a lumber core, with a smooth MDO (Medium Density Overlay) and is primed white.

Douglas Fir – Grows throughout Western forests with the most abundant region being in coastal climates of Oregon, Washington and northern California. Fir’s light rosy color is set off by its remarkably straight and handsome grain pattern. Sap wood is white to pale yellow; heartwood is russet with high contrast between the spring wood and summer wood. Douglas Fir doors, manufactured from the products in the Factory and Shop grade classification, are renowned for their beauty and performance.

African Mahogany – An excellent cabinet and veneer species because of its long trunk form, rapid growth, and attractive pinkish-red to deep reddish brown lustrous wood. Interlocked or straight grain, often with a ribbon figure, and a moderately coarse texture. Mahogany has a reddish brown heartwood, often with a purple cast. Mahogany stains and polishes to an excellent finish.

Alder Clear – Alder is the leading hardwood of the Pacific Northwest. Alder, a relative of birch, is almost white when freshly cut but quickly changes on exposure to air, becoming light brown with a yellow or reddish tinge.   Heartwood is formed only in trees of advanced age and there is no visible boundary between sap and heartwood.  The wood is fairly straight-grained with a uniform texture.  Alder machines well and is excellent for turning. It can be painted or stained to a good finish. When stained, it blends with walnut, mahogany or cherry. 

Alder Knotty – Alder is the leading hardwood of the Pacific Northwest. Alder, a relative of birch, is almost white when freshly cut but quickly changes on exposure to air, becoming light brown with a yellow or reddish tinge. Heartwood is formed only in trees of advanced age and there is no visible boundary between sap and heartwood. The wood is fairly straight-grained with a uniform texture. Alder machines well and is excellent for turning. It can be painted or stained to a good finish. When stained, it blends with walnut, mahogany or cherry.  Knotty Alder is a lower grade that will contain knots. Knotty Alder is commonly used for the southwest look.

Cherry – Like all fruit trees, cherry belongs to the rose family. American colonists used the cherry tree for its fruit, medicinal properties and home furnishings. The heartwood of cherry varies from rich red to reddish brown and will darken with age and on exposure to light. The wood has a fine uniform, straight-grain, satiny, smooth texture, and may naturally contain brown pith flecks and small gum pockets. Cherry is easy to machine, nails and glues well and when sanded and stained,  it produces an excellent smooth finish.

Hickory – In Eastern North America, hickory survived the catastrophic changes of the Glacial Epoch, some 50 million years ago. Thus, it is the first strictly American hardwood species. Hickory is the hardest, heaviest and strongest American wood. The sapwood of hickory is white, tinged with inconspicuous fine brown lines while the heartwood is pale to reddish brown. Both are coarse textured and the grain is fine, usually straight but can be wavy or irregular. The wood can be sanded to a good finish. The grain pattern welcomes a full range of medium-to-dark finishes and bleaching treatments.

Maple – Maple has been a favorite of American furniture makers since early colonial days. Hard maple is the standard wood for cutting boards because it imparts no taste to food and holds up well. The sap wood is creamy white with a slight reddish brown tinge The wood has a close fine, uniform texture and is generally straight-grained. Maple can be stained to an outstanding finish and polishes well.

Oak – (Red Oak) The oaks have been key in America’s industrial transformation: railroad ties, wheels, plows, looms, barrels and of course, furniture and doors. The sap wood of red oak is white to light brown and the heartwood is a pinkish reddish brown. The wood is similar in general appearance to white oak, but with a slightly less pronounced figure due to the smaller rays. The wood is mostly straight-grained, with a coarse texture. Red oak machines well and it can be stained to a good finish with a wide range of tones.