We need to replicate brownstone doors with a arch and can only find one company
hi all,
we are looking for help to replicate some brownstone doors with arch, we can only find one company to get quotes from
Are there any smaller firms / business out there that could help us? We are not particular on wood or style, just something that looks close enough.
Any advice or contact would be greatly appreciated!
facelessdoug
in Renovation 1 month ago
11
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11 replies
santos | 2 weeks ago
Hello,
We can help you with any door replica and repair, my number 347-701-0635. My Name is Santos my email is pliniosanto25@gmail.com
BobMarvin | 2 weeks ago
Strangely I get a warning when I click on the link bklynteacher provided. :
Your connection is not private
Attackers might be trying to steal your information from oldhouserepair.net (for example, passwords, messages, or credit cards). Learn more about this warning
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BobMarvin | 2 weeks ago
Strangely I get a warning when I click on the link bklynteacher provided.
bklynteacher | 2 weeks ago
I’ll recommend Alexander Livanov, who is one of the best things that ever happened to me and my Fort Greene brownstone. I found his name in a 20-year-old post here on Brownstoner, where somebody recommended him for his “old world skills” as a plasterer. He’s still working! I hired him to restore cracked plaster in my bedroom, but he was so skilled, meticulous, affordable, and simply joyful (he really enjoys his work!) that I hired him for my dream project: restoring the damaged plaster frieze in my parlor. Six weeks later, it’s simply fabulous.
As he and I were seeking other ways that he could improve my home, he mentioned that he and a partner restore doors in the summer, and I remembered your post. I’ve seen only photos and videos of his carpentry, but I believe he has the skills if he says he does. He certainly has the integrity. Have a look at the “Restoring Main Entrances” section of his website: https://oldhouserepair.net/preservation-of-old-wood-works/.
cate | 1 month ago
Thank you, Steve, for this new info. FWIW our new double doors have a built-in sweep (brush). Among other things, it is key to the air tightness. The installer also comes back every so often to adjust things. It’s quite the undertaking.
Brownstone Home Inspection | 1 month ago
readers,
I have a lot of hardware and even two pair of old doors that i wish to part with:
Old iron flush bolts for the edge of the passive door that i will give away;
Eastlake Hinges that I wish to sell. i have a drawer full;
Modern brass hinges, some new. some used;
Modern brass and brushed chrome surface bolts for inside the passive door that i wish to sell. I will discount these items in the event they are new and I paid retail.
used and new lock hardware with focus on mortise locks. i also have some new Baldwin narrow mortise locks for doors that have narrow stiles on them (the period “storm doors” that open out on the front of some houses have narrow stiles and were historically not locked);
used baldwin mortise deadbolt locks;
i can be reached by visiting brownstonehomeinspection.com
Steve
Brownstone Home Inspection | 1 month ago
to what cates is saying:
any well trained wood worker who uses exterior glues (or better still marine epoxy) and is willing to make “stave” doors out of the proper woods can make a door. hanging and adjusting it is the issue. and the curve on the top had better be exact.
in so far as air tightness. the original doors were not made to be air tight. there are people who can make modern brownstone doors and make them air tight but this is difficult to do and not many people do it. it will add a lot to the cost to have this done correctly (in a way that will last).
in so far as water tightness. with the exception of the bottom, the astragals and stop molding or stop inset generally kept water out. on the bottom, one can get a dark vinyl sweep and a wood cap to go over the vinyl and they can be finished to look the part. M&D Hardware makes some. they are also easy to make. i ordered brown vinyl door sweep from amazon (i have rolls of it here and can make sweep caps though not sure it is worth what i would have to charge do do; harrys hardware in middle village has some wood capped sweeps).
the “device” that holds the stationary door closed work in pairs and they are known as “slide bolts”. the old edge mounted ones are known as “flush bolts” because they sit in a mortise pocket. the ones that sit inside and are fully visible are known as “surface bolts”. i prefer the surface bolts inside because as we close them, we can see them as they line up with the latch plate at the top and hole on the bottom. the modern surface bolts are also much more durable than the modern flush bolts. the flush and surface bolts cannot be found locally but must ordered. i had been buying flush bolts on amazon and Deltana is one company that makes a nicer bolt. in so far as the surface bolts, they can be ordered through Simon’s Hardware in the city. Makers of these include Bolton Hardware (they sell on ebay), Baldwin, and Deltana. they can also be ordered from Richlieu Hardware in Woodside.
I have old iron flush bolts here in pairs that i am willing to give away to anyone who reads this here. in so far as surface bolts, i have a long pair of brass ones here i would like to sell. i might have paid about $140 for them. i would be willing to let them go for 10% less than i paid for them if i can find the price. I have other surface bolts here including some brush chrome or stainless and i think black or ORB. i wish to sell all of this stuff. I also have some hinges for sale. a lot of new stuff and old including some eastlake hinges.
in so far as glass. the modern beveled glass in a door must be tempered. i dislike tempered glass. for me, installing it, if i broke a piece, it meant two weeks to get another piece. i would recommend laminated safety glass, especially in a house with children and a lot of bicycles going in and out.
Steve
cate | 1 month ago
To make exterior doors that will be airtight and leak proof and be able to withstand weathering requires skill, knowledge, and experience with historic double doors in old houses. And it’s not only the door but other components such as the surround, threshold, astragal, and brush, and knowing how they fit together. Also there is a special device that holds one door stationary and is necessary for security, and beveled safety glass. The people who make them also install them, maintain them, and guarantee their performance. It’s a very specialized trade.
lcrivolitorino | 1 month ago
Hi you can reach out to me and I can quote you on solid wood doors, I’m a cabinet maker by trade. 1-516-322-9060
Brownstone Home Inspection | 1 month ago
so a few things:
In some houses – many in Clinton Hill – the “arched” doors were actually rectangle and squared at the top and they sat INSIDE the house against the BACK of the door frame (as opposed to in the frame). People then closed the doors into the arch and the doors look arched by virtue of the exterior molding and jamb. if your frame is there, look at where the old hinges were mounted. if they were mounted in the back, to the inside of the house, you might see screw holes or repaired screw holes (but no mortising). if it was mounted in the frame, you will find mortises for the hinges. Mounting behind the arch is easier to do – it is so much easier to mount the doors and if something is a tad off anywhere, it is less likely to be noticed.
Most of these doors are very tall and know that i have a tall pair of rectangle doors for sale that could be adapted to sit behind a door frame. someone can also reconfigure them with an arch (this will take the talent of a door maker; they also need rebuilding; it come down to dollars and cents)
What I wrote about assumes that you do not have your old doors. if you have the old doors know they can be rebuilt.
Here are some people who can make doors:
Nate at Brownstone Door Co
Pilenio Santos (he is often here and may not be as the site had not been working; I will text him and tell him he should reply to your post)
And Heights Woodworking but they have gone through two sales and i am not sure what their focus is now.
Upstate Door but i am not sure if they have someone in the city to measure and i am not sure if they have anyone to hang.
I used to be a restoration contractor and am a former building maintenance and project manager and am now a consultant. i consult with people to tell them how to approach the many things in these old houses. I help set priorities as to what must be done first and what can wait. With things like roof maintenance and leak repair, repairing and adjusting modern replacement windows and choices when setting up a lock systems using mortise locks (and other locks; i am a licensed locksmith as well), i am often able to coach homeowners on how to do these themselves.
Steve
www.brownstonehomeinspection.com
cate | 1 month ago
Hi Doug. I cannot recommend people because I work for Brownstoner but if you look in our Pros section (classified ads) under Restoration Specialists, you should find a few firms capable of this work. Of course there are also many readers who have had this done, and hopefully they will chime in with some recommendations. Good luck! Here is the link: https://www.brownstoner.com/services/restoration-nyc/