Shop Tour: Vintage Doors

Vintage Doors uses furniture-quality wood, from knotty pine to quarter-sawn oak, Douglas fir to African mahogany.

Each door is made to order. Stiles and rails for screen doors are machine-cut by hand, then joined together with hardwood dowels and high-grade wood glue. Entry doors are built using cope-and-stick construction, where male and female pieces mate along the edges of the rail. “We take every step possible to address expansion and contraction,” says Erica Demick Garlock, the company’s national sales manager. 

Vintage Doors is a family-run business. Founder Howard Demick, Erica’s father, expedites orders and also deals with stocking inventory.  Rosemary, Howard’s wife, keeps track of the financial end of the business. Son Ryan does the design work, using computer-numeric design (critical for building their unique arched and round-top doors). 

Options are almost unlimited, from pet doors and multiple types of screening to applied mouldings. A customer typically starts by choosing one of hundreds of designs and deciding on a wood species, then moves on to the details. Glass options for entry doors include clear, beveled, stained, and wavy “restoration” glass, plus several types of hard-to-find pattern glass, such as the frosted type known as glue-chip. Anyone ordering a screen door can add wood ornaments, all cut and finished by hand. The company also offers three-season porches and garden gates.

In recent years, Vintage Doors has increased their commitment to assistance and customer service. Because it’s something that’s used every day and is highly visible, they explain, the front door needs to be just right. Says Erica, “A quality door leaves a lasting impression.”