“Crossbucks” are diagonal “braces” placed on the panels of a stile and rail door, creating an “X” pattern on the face of the door. The crossbuck is most familiar as a feature of the iconic barns that dot the American landscape.
When a single board is placed diagonally on the door, it is known as a “half-buck” (sometimes called a “Z-buck”).
Originally, the crossbuck design had a utilitarian purpose, fortifying gates, fences, and large barn doors by providing structural support. However, the X-design on doors appeared in the mid-1800s as part of what was called “Stick Style.” This Gothic-inspired variation of Victorian architecture was a bit less fanciful and ornamental, highlighting instead the home’s structure and construction through the application of “stick work” in the form of vertically and diagonally placed wood boards.
But doors with crossbucks are showing up in a variety of architectural motifs these days, from mountain rustic to contemporary.
This double door (at left) is made of knotty-grade Hickory, with Sun Mountain’s antique distress and Yampa River glaze with a matte finish. The mirrored half-bucks on both sides of the pair form a dramatic “X” when this master bedroom door is closed. Round clavos (decorative nails), with an aged bronze finish, provide a striking accent.
With the crossbuck design spanning the pair, this double sliding barn door (above) makes an undeniable statement. At eight feet tall and nine feet wide, the rustic design is further underscored by the reclaimed Oak wood of the door.
Slightly more understated, but no less impactful, this simple two-panel design with half-buck (at left) is constructed of select-grade Cherry wood, with Sun Mountain’s heavy distress and factory-applied Snake River glaze. Photographed here prior to leaving the Sun Mountain factory, this beautiful door was also installed as an interior sliding barn door.
And below, a traditionally hinged door leads to a comfortably rustic bedroom, with a double cross buck design that references those charming iconic barns of America’s past.