capt.Ron

Ok guys this house is going to make me crazy.
We went to our builder's supplier to pick out windows and doors. I was unimpressed with the choices in exterior wood doors and even more unimpressed when the guy told me that they come with essentially no warranty. So I started searching online and found this place in Scottsdale, AZ.
Now their doors are very pricey but they claim to warranty everything about the door for life as long as you purchase the cedar doors. 4" thick Doors!!!
After researching the other door company it's not truly solid wood. They use strips of wood glued together and/or particle board with a veneer over the outside of the door. Those doors (Jam included) run upwards to 6K (at least one of them on display) with no warranty.
So the 8K door from the other place doesn't sound so bad if they're warranty is actually honored.
The name of the place is "The Art Factory" if any of you know anything about them I'd love to hear about it. We need to get our door orders in pretty quick from either supplier.
Here is a pick of the invoice and the actual door we're looking at from "The Art Factory"
doorinvoice.jpg?t=1273421268
We're not going to be using the pull in this pick
doorpic.jpg?t=1273421308

annabelle

Seems a bit pricey to me........make sure you seal the tops and bottom of whatever door you choose........this will prevent warp age.......at those prices I would expect a life time guarantee for materials. Also due to the weight of the door, make sure the hinges are either ball bearing butts or a piano type hinge. Nice looking door though.

bansh-eman

8k for a door? Dude what in the world do you do for a living???!?!??!

annabelle

I don't believe you need a 4" thick door....2" is plenty.......not much insulating factor in wood anyway.

capt.Ron

According to the guy I spoke to the warranty covers all hardware, door blade, and the jamb itself. Yes ball bearing hinges.
The guy claims that had they had a distributor in our location we'd be paying double for any of their doors. (Dealer markup) Don't know how true that is but that's what he said.
They finish and seal all the wood on location in order to warranty the door.
Said it has an oil sealer on it that needs to be re applied every 2 yrs. The guy said I just put it into a pump sprayer and hose the door down. Takes abut 10 minutes.
I'm eager to hear if anyone knows anything about them.
I just can't see spending 6K for a door that has no warranty at all.

annabelle

The bottom and top surfaces are not always sealed. I've seen this in some very expensive bullet resistant doors.(you sometimes need to trim the bottom to make it clear the flooring also). Make sure the hinge pin pin also has a set screw that is only accessible when the door is open.......this prevents someone from simple popping the hinge pin out and removing the door to gain access to your home. Have you checked the Sweets Catalog for suppliers?

capt.Ron

I have not.
I'll look into them.

annabelle

San Antonio also has some good suppliers. You may also find a good cabinet/door shop locally that will build you a custom door.......that is what I did. However, mine is not near as grand as yours.

Justwannabeme

you already have good advice, above.

it is not easy as a spray on. think more like gun stock.
we have a lot of hand 'set-ups' in the Adirondaks and plenty of rich people to pay for the craftsman. it is the hardware that is priority (as above) and the steel rod reinforced jam structure. walnut I am familiar with (excellent big door slab) cedar at four inch is (MHO) a waste, like six inch asphalt for a driveway. a good base is critical, the 2 inch asphalt rolled to 1 1/2 is premium for long term use and little maintenance. make sense?

you are in the same area as my SILs so I know the temp extremes and home stuff. beautiful door but you can do better for 2 grand. don't have the big computer access but michigan area sarnia(canadian imports maybe?) had over size/custom doors for much lower prices with lifetime full warranty (no cracking, splitting, warping, surface failure protection, hardware is premium, tungsten short rods (like a bank vault) for jam support integration. wish I was one of those guys who post a great link, sorry. memory like a sieve.

best of stress free days to you, home builder. stop biting your nails. LOL

all the best and long enjoyment from your investment! never skimp on plumbing.(ahem, personal experience)

annabelle

She is correct.......jamb attachment is critical.....I've seen too many people spend big bucks on a security door, only to install it to where one good kick will knock it out of it's jambs.

cbtumedic

Ah yes the joys of building a house, I truly feel for you, wish I could help, but not too sure on high end doors like that, but I would talk to some of the custom cabinet guys around you, might be able to put something nice together for you for much less $$$, but like they said above, make sure you don't skimp on the mounting and hardware for it.

capt.Ron

Well I found another door company that lists prices......2000-6000 for similar looking doors. No info on a warranty though.
I've got a feeling I'm going to end up going with the folks in AZ if something don't light me up soon. Either that or I'm going to put an aluminum trailer house door on the darn thing!!!

annabelle

First, please check with a good cabinet(wood working) shop. They may be able to save you some serious change.

SIXSLUG

They can't warranty them if they go out of business, keep that in mind. Also they are relying on you to re-apply the oil finish every two years. that sounds like that could get you in a wringer if you make a claim.

Mom and Dad spent a ton of money on custom doors and their contractor hung them on crap jambs. Make sure the stops are dadoed and not applied on doors that heavy.

Just my .02

annabelle

See if Artistic Entryways in Sunland Park NM has a website........call and ask for Ray.