Knotty and Nice Alder Wood
December 12, 2016 |
| Beautiful alder cabinets and trim |
I have been sharing peeks at our fixer upper progress
on Instagram (@HelloLovelyStudio), so you may
already know the door style we chose for
both the interior and exterior is...
made by Pacific Entries
and ready to customize.
What do we think of them?
 |
| Pacific Entries Interior Swinging Unfinished Alder Door |
The doors are beautiful!
We decided on unfinished, solid alder wood doors
to replace hollow 6-panel Colonist trim doors
and weren't certain how we wanted to finish them.
We love the character of the knots and wood grain,
but we needed to see them in person to narrow
down the possibilities.
Alder velvety goodness right here in our basement.
The minute we carried the doors into the house,
we were certain we had made the right decision
because of their solid construction,
weight, and gorgeous quality.
The master bath door being installed.
I will be sharing more details about this particular
door from Pacific Entries, because the company
offers something no one else can:
a patented door with a reversible jamb kit
so that handing can be determined at installation.
Here's a peek with that handsome Helmsley oval door knob also from Pacific Entries
Know what I'm talking about here?
Let's say you are a DIY type like us and decide
to upgrade a door or ten at your house.
Maybe you drop by a big box store to check out
the selection...but before you buy you must know:
is it right handing or left handing you need?
What a pain when you guess wrong and have
to return it, right?
Or maybe you are a contractor, designer, or builder
and want to check off "Order Interior Doors" from your long
To Do list...how convenient is this reversible system?
 |
| Pacific Entries Unfinished Alder Barn Door...we're adding this one too! |
Pacific Entries' patent pending feature is a gamechanger.
No more mistakes. You are always right.
I mean.
Where else are you gonna run into those odds?
That feature also means you can stay in your PJs,
shop online, and know the door you buy
will be the right door for your installation.
If you're Helena Bonham Carter, you can still
stay in your PJs and just head to the door store.
(For shame. That's knotty to pick on Helena
and maybe this is a movie still?)
 |
| Pacific Entries Rustic V-Groove 2 Panel |
you'll know there are an infinite number of options
for stain and paint, and in our case, we wanted to
add vintage character with the doors since
our home came with a bunch of
quirky (in a bad way) features.
After experimenting with stains and finishes,
we decided on a matte water-based sealer, allowing
the natural color of the wood to shine through.
For the bathroom doors, we are painting the side
which faces inside the bathroom, white...not yet
certain whether we will do this for the bedroom doors,
but we can always paint later.
Wait until you see what this alder door looks like
painted white with those beautiful oval door knobs!!!!
It looks exactly like the vintage doors I searched
the antique markets for, with all the character and
rustic charm but without the peel-y paint
and poor-fitting sizes that made that option impossible!
I am not showing you its awesomeness yet because I want
to give that dreamy white alder side the honor
it deserves...there may be an entire devoted post.
But I will show you our new beautiful alder exterior door
with its walnut finish and working speakeasy...
we can't wait to see it in place!
The handleset is foxy too.
We are charmed by alder's character
and how it lends itself especially well to
modern farmhouse style.
Because we have so many white walls
and new finishes, we think the rustic contrast
will achieve the balance and harmony
we are after.
Alder is easy to stain...these doors from
Pacific Entries are smooth, velvety,
and ready to receive their finish.
Let me show you some beautiful
alder examples.
Alder cabinetry and doors here are perfect
for a casual feel...yet almost everything is
rustic so while beautiul, it's a little one note,
and I wonder if modern art, some sleek
accessories, and more white might elevate the lovely.
While I love the look of these alder doors above,
we are keeping our surrounding trim white for contrast.
Houzz
I am seeing mainly nice and not much knotty
in the gorgeous alder garage doors above.
Carpenters love working with alder.
But they hate it when you call them aldermen.
And the character of the knots and grain make
it a great choice for farmhouse style projects.
Knotty alder arched panel doors are
also beautiful, but I knew there were enough
arches happening with the fan windows
everywhere here in the cottage.
Do you know anyone who has used alder for kitchen cabinetry?
Or shutters?
Divine Custom
Here's a richly stained alder reminiscent of cherry wood.
I love the warmth of the finish above,
the lack of knots has an elegant feel.
A few more alder examples to consider.
The above gives us an idea of the spectrum of stain possibilities.
For your Aspen getaway?
Thanks for stepping into the world of alder wood
with me today, and stay tuned for my
fixer upper update...we are working hard
installing one door at a time, and it will
take a Christmas miracle for them all
to be in by Christmas, but maybe
by the New Year!
Didi you miss any of these? You just may enjoy them:
Peace to you right where you are.
2 comments
Looks like you are making some awesome choices. Here in Texas we use knotty alder a lot! Lots of character and easy to stain! Hope you have a wonderful holiday!!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing that, Leslie!!! With your mastery in finishes, I am sure you know your way alder and create beautiful finishes for it in Texas. xox
DeleteYour comments add to the beauty...thanks in advance for your kindness.