Well I have got this question too!! This is a great question for sure. Most people think it is a sacrifice getting a screen door. “I have too get one of those metal screen doors” or ” I got one of those invisible screen doors and it just fell apart after a year” or “I would love to get a wooden screen door but they just fall apart after a couple years”. But really a wood screen door is not only practical but it truly can add to the architectural value of your house. If you choose the correct solid wood screen door that is not manufactured over seas and has a solid warranty from defects you will end up with a product that not only serves that practical element but has something to say as well and will last for many many years. A wooden screen door does last if taken care of and I know what your thinking, You do not want to have to take care of another thing around the house but if you get a nice product and get a great finish on it you will not have to bother with it for years to come. The best part when choosing a wood screen door is picking out the design! You have plenty of designs to choose from and if you have to have a custom door size that should be no problem either. There are plenty of designs to choose from at http://www.mtviewwoodworks.com/ and lots of info as well.

I get the question of how long will or should a wooden screen door last and in truth it will last as long as you want it too. It really depends on how well you keep up on the finish and protect it from the elements like the sun. If you are choosing a cedar screen door than the rain and snow is not the big worry like with most wood screen doors. The biggest worry in my opinion is the direct sun. Now with the quality with the finishes today and the UV protection the problems of doors taking the brunt of abuse from the sun is no longer an issue. A solid wood screen door will add to the beauty of the house and will stand the test of time. All doors are constructed differently and this will tell you how long they will last. For example some doors are built with a tenon such as a cope and tenon style and this technique can vary depending on the company. This is a strong method but over time if not engineered properly the door will become tired and sag. Another method as used at Mountain view woodwork is the Festool Domino that is glued with titebond III. This is not only efficient for the craftsman but makes for a very strong door as well. Other engineering aspects you should consider are designs of the screen door. The strongest design is probably the Traditional design series http://www.mtviewwoodworks.com/index.php/arched-traditional . These doors not only have the strength with the 7″ push in the middle but but give you a nice sized kick on the bottom panel. You can also have a little fun with this design by changing up the center push with an engraving that we have or something custom that you have in mind. Making sure that the screen doors are handcrafted and not mass produced will help insure that your product is carefully built and with quality and strength in mind so that your wooden screen door will stand the test of time.

Well I have got this question too!! This is a great question for sure. Most people think it is a sacrifice getting a screen door. “I have too get one of those metal screen doors” or ” I got one of those invisible screen doors and it just fell apart after a year” or “I would love to get a wooden screen door but they just fall apart after a couple years”. But really a wood screen door is not only practical but it truly can add to the architectural value of your house. If you choose the correct solid wood screen door that is not manufactured over seas and has a solid warranty from defects you will end up with a product that not only serves that practical element but has something to say as well and will last for many many years. A wooden screen door does last if taken care of and I know what your thinking, You do not want to have to take care of another thing around the house but if you get a nice product and get a great finish on it you will not have to bother with it for years to come. The best part when choosing a wood screen door is picking out the design! You have plenty of designs to choose from and if you have to have a custom door size that should be no problem either. There are plenty of designs to choose from at http://www.mtviewwoodworks.com/ and lots of info as well.

I get the question of how long will or should a wooden screen door last and in truth it will last as long as you want it too. It really depends on how well you keep up on the finish and protect it from the elements like the sun. If you are choosing a cedar screen door than the rain and snow is not the big worry like with most wood screen doors. The biggest worry in my opinion is the direct sun. Now with the quality with the finishes today and the UV protection the problems of doors taking the brunt of abuse from the sun is no longer an issue. A solid wood screen door will add to the beauty of the house and will stand the test of time. All doors are constructed differently and this will tell you how long they will last. For example some doors are built with a tenon such as a cope and tenon style and this technique can vary depending on the company. This is a strong method but over time if not engineered properly the door will become tired and sag. Another method as used at Mountain view woodwork is the Festool Domino that is glued with titebond III. This is not only efficient for the craftsman but makes for a very strong door as well. Other engineering aspects you should consider are designs of the screen door. The strongest design is probably the Traditional design series http://www.mtviewwoodworks.com/index.php/arched-traditional . These doors not only have the strength with the 7″ push in the middle but but give you a nice sized kick on the bottom panel. You can also have a little fun with this design by changing up the center push with an engraving that we have or something custom that you have in mind. Making sure that the screen doors are handcrafted and not mass produced will help insure that your product is carefully built and with quality and strength in mind so that your wooden screen door will stand the test of time.

With Mountain View Woodworks Cedar wood screen doors you can also have them be used for storm doors as well! Our wood screen doors have a 1/2″ deep x 3/4″ long channel to accept your aluminum framing of your screen. This gives you the option of pulling out that screen during the fall and popping in the glass panel in it’s place. This option works best with the full light designs such as http://www.mtviewwoodworks.com/index.php/craftsman-1-cedar-screen-door or http://www.mtviewwoodworks.com/index.php/cedar-screen-doors/pacific-1-cedar-screen-door-detail . these are just examples that work well with the full glass panels but you have other options as well with going with plexi glass. Plexi glass has come a long way and is a great option for turning your wood screen door into a storm door. Plexi glass does not turn yellow like it use to and holds up great. The design I recommend for using the plexi glass is the traditional designs. You can check these out here http://www.mtviewwoodworks.com/index.php/cedar-screen-doors/traditional-cedar-screen-door-detail or the wildlife series such as http://www.mtviewwoodworks.com/index.php/cedar-screen-doors/wildlife-bear-cedar-screen-door-detail . The reason these doors work best is simply because of the center panel. The way it works is like this, Each cedar screen door has a frame that covers the aluminum that holds the screen ( typically just like your window screens). the wood frame is there to cover the aluminum to give it a nice finished look but it can give another purpose as well. If a customer request it we can put a small dado shot or cut a small channel in that frame. This channel will accept the plexi so it will be able to slide in and out when needed during the spring and fall. The reason this is so popular with customers is because you do not need to change out the screen every time! All you have to do is take off one of the back trim pieces and either slide the plexi glass in or out and you have your storm door. Since the plexi flexes a little it is recommended to use a screen door with a center push like traditional screen doors or the wildlife wood screen doors.

well I hope this explains why choosing a wood screen door also gives you the option of turning that screen door into an efficient storm door as well.

Cheers,

Dave Gilchrist

The more and more I check out Screened in Porches the thing I notice the most is the doors. I know this is not a surprise since I own a screen door company but for the most part is this not what people tend be drawn to? What I notice is a few things, one is how little time people spend on this final detail of the door, and the other is how much the door takes away from the design of the screened in porch both in lacking “Pop” as they say or too much “Pop”. As far as how little time people spend on design of the screen door is a few things. One is making sure you choose a door that is going to stand the test of time. At www.mtviewwoodworks.com we make our doors to stand up to a lifetime of use. One of the biggest ways we ave done this is by increasing our thickness to 1 3/8″ thickness which is a lot thicker than your standard screen door but also at www.mtviewwww.mtviewwoodworks.com we provide custom sizing to match the unique opening that you may have. For an example we provide the chance to grow your opening so you can go taller or bigger if you need.

  One other thing that I notice with screened in porches that I like is when you do a half wall make sure to match that half wall with a center rail on your screen doors that match the same height so the structural line is the same. Check out this door…. http://www.mtviewwoodworks.com/index.php/arched-traditional  it can be raised and lowered so it can be in line with that half wall. It is a little thing but it adds that custom look that will add a lot in the end. 

  Match your style! For example if your porch is matching your bungalow style home or craftsman home make sure to finalize your porch with a door that compliments that design. Here are a few doors that will make all the difference.  http://www.mtviewwoodworks.com/index.php/craftsman-1-cedar-screen-door   or this one for a Bungalow style http://www.mtviewwoodworks.com/index.php/cedar-screen-doors/pacific-1-cedar-screen-door-11-detail 

As you can see with this design it has some lines that you may want to integrate into the design you want in your screened in porch. I guess the main thing I would suggest is to not settle for a boring screen door at the end of a project that you spent a lot of money and time on. Add a screen door that will blend or “Pop” and show that you put some thought into your design.

  To check out more Screen Door for your screened porch or for your home go to http://www.mtviewwoodworks.com/