Craftsman Series—Surfaces

Wood veneer is a natural material that provides beauty, warmth and, most of all, variety. Each piece is unique, with nature producing individual shapes and colors within the same tree. A great choice for classic or modern design, Oregon Door provides any commercially available wood veneer, including various species: birch, maple, oak, cherry, and many more.
Wood veneers are available in multiple grades, matches, and assemblies to meet design requirements, including domestic and exotic selections. Common veneer cutting methods include plain sliced or flat cut, quarter sliced, rift cut, and rotary.
Oregon Door meets or exceeds the highest quality standards set forth by the architectural flush wood door industry. There are two primary industry quality standards:
WDMA is the industry standard for door manufacturers, while AWS is more commonly used in specialty installations requiring doors to be blueprint matched with wall paneling and/or to blend with adjacent millwork. In most instances, WDMA requirements are most appropriate to assure consistent appearance amongst doors as usually architectural and commercial doors are not directly associated with panels or millwork.
AWS and WDMA set two aesthetic grades for architectural wood doors: custom and premium. Custom is the standard grade intended for high-quality work. This grade provides a well-defined degree of control over the workmanship, materials, and installation of a project.
Most Craftsman Series doors are premium grade. This grade is reserved for special projects or featured areas within a project. Premium grade doors are specified when the highest degree of control is required.
The difference between a custom and premium grade doors is the stile construction, veneer grade – adopted from HPVA panel veneer grading tables – and veneer assembly. Below is a simple comparison of the two grades:
Aesthetic Grade | Veneer
Grade |
Veneer
Match |
Veneer
Assembly |
Nominal Minimum Width of Face Components |
Custom | A | Book or Slip | Running, Balance, or Center Balance | Plain Sliced – 4 inches
Quarter Sliced – 3 inches Rotary Sliced – 4 inches |
Premium | AA | Book or Slip | Center Balance | Plain Sliced – 5 inches
Quarter Sliced – 3 inches Rotary Sliced – 5 inches |
It is important to note that AA grade veneer requires wider minimums for face components with plain sliced and rotary sliced flitches. Premium grade doors have a higher cost and more limited availability due to AA grade veneer, center balance, and wider flitch requirements.
When an aesthetic grade is not specified, custom grade is the default grade to be furnished. There is no difference in performance duty requirements for custom grade and premium grade doors.
Once the decorative veneer cutting method is specified, the type of match at the joint line must be specified. The way in which the individual cuts are placed next to each other during the fabrication of the veneer face affects the appearance of the doors.
Once the decorative veneer cutting method is specified, the type of match at the joint line must be specified. The way in which the individual cuts are placed next to each other during the fabrication of the veneer face affects the appearance of the doors.
Thus the grain is mirrored in each adjacent leaf. The visual effect created is that veneer joints match, creating a symmetrical pattern. This type of matching yields maximum continuity of grain. When sequenced panels are specified, prominent characteristics will “ascend” or “descend” across the match as the leaves progress from panel to panel.
Book matching may be used with plain, quarter or rift sliced veneers. Because the “tight” and “loose” faces alternate in adjacent leaves, they reflect light and accept stain differently. This may yield a noticeable color variation, often called barber pole, in some species or flitches. These variations are not considered a manufacturing defect.
The type of “assembly match,“ must be specified to obtain a desired appearance. Any sequence matching from opening to opening must be specified.
Wood is a product of nature; as such, each wood species has certain intrinsic and industry-acceptable characteristics, which can vary from tree to tree and flitch to flitch. Natural variations of the veneer and different cuts create unique textures, grains, figure, and color for each veneer piece and door.
In some cases, wood will accentuate and enhance a project design when used in its purest, or natural, state. These naturally occurring variations provide richness and uniqueness to each project design. All wood species can vary from flitch to flitch., and environmental factors such as climate and soil content can make each veneer species exhibit a range of colors and textures.
Certain wood species, such as natural maple and birch, can vary widely in color range. When specifying “natural” maple and birch, the veneer will contain unlimited amounts of sapwood (the light portion of the log) and/or heartwood (the dark portion of the log) unselected for color. They may contain many sapwood/ heartwood combinations, color streaks, spots, and color variation from almost white to very dark. To avoid these noticeable color and grain variations, select veneers must be specified. If a light colored veneer is preferred, specify select white (all sapwood) maple or birch. If a dark colored veneer is preferred, specify select red/brown (all heartwood), though availability of this selection may be limited.
DOORfx Image Doors
DOORfx direct print imagery transforms your door into a canvas. Limited only by your imagination, practically any image can be printed directly on the door surface (no film or paper).
Start with a smooth hardboard or Medium Density Overlay (MDO) surface for a clean crisp image. Or select a wood veneer with a grain texture to show through the image and provide character. If you can imagine it, we can help make it happen!
Visit the DOORfx website for more information and inspiration.
Find out about our standard finish options here.