We know it’s the details—often in the form of unique customizations—that can make a door truly extraordinary. And the ability to create unique customizations has made Sun Mountain the premier manufacturer of custom wood doors in the U.S.
Here are three custom features to consider when designing your extraordinary doors.
1. KERFS
A kerf is a narrow slot, typically 1/4″ wide and 1/8″ deep, cut into the surface of the door. Kerfs are often thought of as a design embellishment on sleek modern-style flush doors; however, they are also a way to modernize a traditional stile-and-rail door, or to complement knotty rustic wood.
Above, from left: SQ-0100-D001, stile-and-rail door made of rift-sawn select White Oak (shown unfinished), with horizontal grain panel and twelve evenly spaced horizontal kerfs; SQ-0000-F084, flush door with horizontal grain made of rift-sawn select White Oak, finished in Longs Peak glaze, with five evenly spaced horizontal kerfs; SQ-0000-F037, flush door made of rift-sawn select White Oak (shown unfinished), with asymmetrical crossed kerf design; SQ-0000-F001, flush door made of knotty Alder, finished in Glacier Point glaze, with five evenly spaced vertical kerfs.
2. CROSSBUCKS
Crossbucks, diagonal “braces” over a door’s panels, are a simple-but-effective customization that produces a distinctive look. And crossbucks may be arranged differently within a door’s panel to create an even more unique design. Two diagonal boards placed within the same panel form the traditional “X”; a single board may be used to form a “Z”; a “K-buck” used in a double door will form a large “X” or a diamond shape, depending on the arrangement of slabs within the pair.
Above, from left: SQ-0100-D001-HX, knotty Alder, finished in Slate River glaze, double door with “K-buck” arranged in a diamond shape; SQ-0104-D004-X, knotty Cherry, finished in Clear Coat, with crossbuck in bottom panel; SQ-0200-D008-XXP, knotty White Oak (shown unfinished), with crossbucks in both panels; SQ-0200-D012-Z, select Cherry, finished in Snake River glaze, with “Z-buck” in lower panel; SQ-0200-D018-HXP, knotty Hickory finished in Yampa River glaze, double door with “K-buck” forming a large “X.”
3. COLOR
One of the best ways to customize a door’s appearance is with finish color. Sun Mountain offers 28 standard finish colors (plus Clear Coat), including stains and hand-applied glazes ranging from light-hued tones that accentuate the wood grain to dramatic dark shades, from rich red tints to soft, subtle grays.
Here are Sun Mountain’s standard finish colors shown on Alder.
