Our wooden double doors were finally replaced this weekend. This day has been a long time coming – honestly, we should have replaced them in 1999, but we focused on other areas of the house and decided to keep the doors. A little sanding, staining and voila, they lived on another 20 years. In those 20 years the doors endured intense tropical heat year-round, direct afternoon sun and countless hurricanes. Wilma nearly tore the doors apart, but we reinforced them and they even held through Hurricane Maria! While I’m sad to see them go, I am excited about the new hurricane impact doors.
Because Broward county is in a “high velocity hurricane zone”, there are strict building codes and our doors need to be HVHZ certified/rated for sustained winds up to 175 MPH! This is not your average door and it’s crazy to think of 175MPH winds, but it goes with living in paradise.
After a few estimates, I went with Keenan Windows & Doors in Fort Lauderdale. They were great to work with and I highly recommend them. I had my heart set on a beautiful Craftsman doors from Therma Tru’s Classic-Craft American Collection in a clay color. These beautiful fiberglass doors complement our Ranch style home perfectly. The Maple Park glass design is also HVHZ certified with a privacy rating of 6 on a 1-10 scale. It almost looks like stained glass and it creates the most beautiful shimmering interior light. It is amazing how a little natural light can change a room. Simply stunning.
I wanted the iconic Craftsman dentil shelf detail on the door, like I see in northern homes, but I lost the battle. We live near the Everglades and our community is a bird sanctuary so the dentil shelf would only collect bugs and animal droppings. The doors are beautiful with or without them so I’m very happy with the outcome.
When it came to selecting locks, I wanted a quality lock system and not an off-the-shelf set from the local hardware store. We went to DeWind Lock in Fort Lauderdale because they have been in business since 1947 and are extremely reputable. What a great choice! I highly recommend them. After spending a couple hours there, I selected my Emtek locks. I selected the Lausanne model with Geneva interior lever in an Oil Rubbed Bronze finish. This was a custom order and it took a few weeks to arrive. I love the simple and clean lines, solid feel and the substantial handle grip. This system is solid. The oil rubbed bronze finish will age perfectly in our tropical weather and continue to look stunning in years to come.
I won’t lie. It was a little bitter sweet as they started to remove the old doors and decorative frame. You see I’ve sanded and stained the doors more times than I can remember and I also installed the interior trim.
“If these old walls could talk?” Don’t you love how a demo reveals and tells a story? I didn’t find any money, but apparently our old doors were reframed and installed within the original door frame. A door jamb inside a door jamb. Huh? I wonder why that happened. Once all those layers were removed and exposed the true opening, the new doors were installed quickly. The doors are gorgeous and made our entry grand. A huge win!
Alas the doors also revealed my 1999 home decor. You see back then accents walls were in style, and my accent color-of-choice was Cajun Red from the Behr collection! That was the year I learned the importance of a primer. Four coats later, I finally got my Cajun Red wall! I installed two mouldings around the doors finishing the design. It was a nice look for 20 years, but it was time for an upgrade and I was ready to retire that dated look.
When the installer was carefully removing them, I explained I wanted craftsman moldings. He was impressed and told me if I bought the materials, he would install it for me. He was wonderful. In no time at all he cut and installed the perfect craftsman molding around this stunning door. It’s a design game changer that completed the look I wanted and I couldn’t be happier.
If you’re looking to update your main doors, I highly recommend Therma Tru doors and Emtek locks. Both vendors have a great selection at varying price points. Ensuring your home’s entry is safe and secure is priceless.
Thank you for coming along on my journey! I hope you find inspiration to tackle some design changes in your own home!
