In response to growing demand for aesthetic statements of sustainability, door makers are expanding their materials palette for commercial and residential products. While proper insulation and a tight fit are still critical for energy efficiency, it’s the new woods that are making waves.
The latest twist is recycling. Small shops like Avision in Nampa, Idaho, and Artisans Doors in Kalispell, Mont., are using reclaimed barn siding and old warehouse floors to produce doors with deep graining and endearing quirks. One of the largest new installations is a meeting facility opened last year by the Lindon, Utah–based Noah Corporation, with about 150 doors made by Liberty Valley Doors, Cotati, Calif. The door units are faced with veneers made from reclaimed floor joists, on recycled glulam cores.
“The nail holes, which look like worm holes, make the door – something hard and potentially lifeless – come alive and become softer, more like a piece of art,” says Brianna Adams, IACC, IIDA, Noah’s design director.
Other manufacturers have explored the use of “junk species” such as juniper, an invasive evergreen known for depleting water sources and encroaching on grazing lands. Last year, Klamath Falls, Ore.–based Jeld-Wen launched a line of doors made with Western juniper as part of its Estate Collection (pictured left).
Calling the material “an eco-friendly choice,” Jeld-Wen door-marketing manager Elizabeth Souders says, “It makes use of a material that is currently being wasted, and it also delivers a unique rustic look.” Large, swirling grain patterns of the often reddish-brown wood can have large knots and splits. Yet juniper stands up to machining and gluing and shrinks and swells less than other species, based on tests conducted at Oregon State University.
Other novel species now being used for doors include eucalyptus, a rapidly-renewable stock. Last December, Wausau, Wis.–based Kolbe & Kolbe Millwork introduced Weyerhauser’s branded Lyptus material for interior doors, touting its mahogany-like color and grain consistency.
“It’s a cost-effective alternative to premium materials such as mahogany or cherry,” says Randy Helzer, vice president of sales for Point Five Windows, Fort Collins, Colo., a subsidiary of Kolbe & Kolbe.
While new materials gain a toehold in project specs, there remains an interest in reclaimed materials. Several architectural antique dealers, like Drummonds in Surrey, U.K., report a brisk trade in historic oak and pine doors. However, there are challenges with specifying such pieces. “They have a set size and have to work in the property,” says Stafford Whitby, director and head of Drummonds' bathrooms business, “and it's not always easy with reclaimed doors.”
