The
Columbia Manufacturing Corporation has begun to change the way people view wood security doors and wood screen doors. Part of this relies on their new line known as Prairie Wood doors. The construction of these doors use tenon and mortise to create a strong door that’s resistant to breaking and damage.
The Prairie Wood doors are completely customizable as per the customer’s order. Unlike other companies that have only a few colors or styles in stock,
Columbia allows customers to choose from four different stain options and a variety of door styles. The four available stains are oak, poplar, fir and mahogany. Once the color is chosen, the stain is applied and fire dried in a specialty kin to bake in the finished color. The customer’s door is also specifically created using the measurements of their own home and doorframe. The Prairie Wood collection also includes a number of designs and styles.
First is the Emerson, a basic yet stylish wood security and screen door. A three inch plank of wood at the bottom and a two inch wide border surround a thin mesh screen that offers protection from outsiders. A wider plank of wood separates the top of the door from the bottom and contains five-1/2” planks of wood that make a traditional design pattern. All of the wood pieces are treated with a special adhesive that resists environmental damage.
Columbia’s Prairie Wood collection of doors do not come with the hardware attached. However customers can choose from two basic designs. One is the classic hardware, with a levered door handle that moves up and down. This handle is available in three finishes: oil rubbed bronze, satin nickel and polished brass. The other option for customers is the Castle Rock handle, which is significantly larger and more expensive looking than the other option. This door handle has a fitted plate that covers 5 inches of the door, with a separate door lock attached. It too has a levered handle, but this one has a scrolled design on the edges and is larger than the classic handle.
The Kingston wood security door has a similar design to one of the other doors from
Columbia, but this one provides more protection. A wire mesh screen easily slips in behind the door to provide security for homeowners. Along the bottom sits a 12” high wood panel that’s been doubled up to provide more support. Along the edges of the door sit two inch long planks of wood to keep the design in place. The simple Craftsman design of the door is comprised of two vertical and two horizontal wood tubes of approximately one half-inch. This creates an elegant, yet contemporary design of rectangular patterns across the front.
Some of the designs in the Prairie Woods collection are very basic and simple, which is the case with the Biltmore. This is the most basic of all the doors, which is ironic given that it’s based on a door found in the legendary Biltmore Estate. A three inch panel along the bottom of the door and two inch wood panels along the sides provide stability and support for the rest of the door. Across the middle is one small piece of wood that’s been glued into place. This piece of wood is the only decoration found on the rest of the door. Behind this is a removable piece of steel mesh. The mesh can be removed for cleaning and during colder months, the homeowner can replace it with a piece of flexible plastic or glass.
The last door in the Prairie Wood collection of wood security and screen doors is the aptly named Brentwood, created to appeal to homeowners in this neighborhood of California. Small tubes of 1/2” around slide into holes in the border of the door and are woven together to ensure they last and don’t break with constant use. The pieces are doubled up before insertion so there are two sets of two vertical tubes and two sets of horizontal tubes on the front of the door. It also includes a wide bottom wood plank and thinner planks used on the top and sides to keep the tubes in place. The door comes with a removable steel screen and provides a touch of class to any home.
These wood doors from Prairie Woods are significantly more elegant and high class than the basic doors from even the same company. The designs are more in depth, the style a little more elegant and the colors or stains darker. Many have commented that these stains look more like real hardwood than
others. Shoppers can customize the doors in any way they see fit, from the size and color to the hardware attached. Those who want something beyond the basic wood security door should look to the Prairie Woods collection.
© 2008 Security-Doors.Org
October 11, 2008, 1:53 am 
