Woods Used in Manufacture of Doors

Lambeth Custom Door Company uses only the finest woods available in the manufacture of your hand-crafted wooden door. If you’re looking for a custom door, then the following types of wood are available to craft your unique made-to-measure door. You can ask any further questions during the consultation process, which there are more details of here.

HARD WHITE MAPLE WOOD

Since early colonial days, maple has been a favorite of American furniture makers. Cutting boards use hard maple as its standard wood 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 not only be stained to an outstanding finish but it also polishes well.

AFRICAN MAHOGANY HARDWOOD

Mahogany is used in cabinetry and as a veneer because of its long trunk form, rapid growth, and attractive pinkish-red to deep reddish brown lustrous wood. Mahogany has a reddish brown heartwood, often with a purple cast that displays an interlocked or straight grain. Its grain often shows a ribbon figure and has a moderately coarse texture. Mahogany stains and polishes to an excellent finish.

CLEAR & KNOTTY PINE WOOD

Western pines (Ponderosa, Sugar and Idaho White Pine) are one of North America’s most abundant wood species. Ponderosa Pine is perhaps the most beloved of Western pines. Its soft texture and light color distinguish it from Southern pines; its wood is the most distinguished of all pines. Sap wood is nearly white to pale yellow; heartwood is light to reddish brown. While slight resinous, pine has its own unique scent loved by many. Knotty pine contains knots that foster the log home look. Radiata Pine is used in all our pine louver products and Tyco panel doors. Click here for more information on custom doors.

POPLAR WOOD

The tallest of all U.S. hardwood species, Poplar, which is a close relation of the magnolia family, has a creamy white, sometimes streaky sapwood. The heartwood can vary from pale yellowish brown to olive green. The green color in the heartwood will tend to darken on exposure to light and turn brown. The wood has a medium to fine texture and is straight-grained; and has a comparatively uniform texture. Poplar is a versatile wood that is easy to machine, plane, turn, glue and bore. It paints, enamesl and stains exceptionally well. Click here for more information on custom doors.

RED OAK WOOD

Oak has been the key wood in America's industrial revolution: 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 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 available tones. Click here for more information on custom doors.

WALNUT WOOD

Veneer panels, doors, furniture and cabinetry that contain a warm, rich, high-quality appearance are usually made from walnut. The heartwood of walnut is light brown to dark chocolate brown, occasionally with a purplish cast and darker streaks. As walnut ages, the wood becomes more lustrous as it develops a rich patina. The wood is generally straight-grained, but sometimes with wavy or curly grain that is very easy on the eye. Walnut is easy to work with and it holds paint and stain very well for an exceptional finish. Click here for more information on custom doors.

CLEAR & KNOTTY ALDER HARDWOOD

Alder is the most commonly used hardwood in the Pacific Northwest. Closely related to birch, alder is almost white when first cut but quickly changes once exposed to air, becoming light brown with a yellow or reddish tinge. Only the older trees produce hardwood when there is no visible gap between sap and heartwood. The wood is fairly straight-grained with a uniform texture. Alder is an exceptional wood to machine or turn, and paints or stains to a good finish. When stained, it blends with walnut, mahogany or cherry. Knotty Alder, a lower grade alder containing knots, is commonly used for the southwest look. Click here for more information on custom doors.

ASH WOOD

Although ash belongs to the olive family, its only fruit is the dart-like winged seed. Because ash is tastless, it is a popular species for food containers. The sap wood is light-colored to nearly white. The wood is generally straight-grained with a coarse uniform texture. Ash machines well and can be stained to a very good finish. It is an extremely shock resistant wood and possesses very good overall strength properties relative to its weight. Click here for more information on custom doors.

EASTERN WHITE BIRCH WOOD

Birch is a white sapwood that, from sap to bark, is used to make everything from beer to tooth picks. Generally straight-grained, the wood has a fine uniform texture. Characterized by a plain and often curly or wavy pattern, the wood works fairly easily, glues well, and takes stain extremely well. Click here for more information on custom doors.

CHERRY WOOD

Like all fruit trees, cherry is a member of the rose family. The cherry tree was used by American colonists 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 small gum pockets and brown pith flecks. Cherry machines easily, nails and glues well and when sanded and stained, it produces an excellent smooth finish. Click here for more information on custom doors.

DOUGLAS FIR WOOD

Western forests see Douglas Fir growing in abundance. But, Douglas Fir is most commonly found in the coastal climatic regions of Oregon, Washington and northern California. Fir has a handsome, gun-barrel straight grain and a pleasing rosy hue. Sap wood is white to pale yellow; heartwood is russet with high contrast between the springwood and summerwood. Douglas Fir doors, manufactured from the products in the Factory and Shop grade classification, are renowned for their beauty and performance.* All our in-stock doors are available in Douglas Fir.

HICKORY WOOD

Some 50 million years ago, hickory managed to survive the Glacial Epoch in Eastern North America. Hickory is therefore regarded as the first real American hardwood species, and is the hardest, heaviest and strongest of all American wood species. 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. Click here for more information on custom doors.

*Primed – We generally prime coat our fir doors when primed is requested. Primed M.D.F. is another option.