How to Choose a Solid Timber Door for Your Home
Your front door is one of the first things people notice about your home. Beyond creating a welcoming entrance, it needs to suit the architecture of the house, withstand its level of exposure and continue to function beautifully for many years.
A solid timber door brings a warmth and organic character that is difficult to replicate with other materials. Made from solid hardwood rather than a hollow or veneered construction, it also offers the substantial feel and longevity that makes timber particularly well suited to a front entrance.
But choosing the right timber front door involves more than finding a design you love. The timber species, size, construction, exposure to sun and rain, finish and hardware all need to be considered.
In this guide, we share what we've learned from more than a decade of making custom timber doors in our Torquay workshop, and the things worth considering before choosing a solid timber door for your home.
Explore our range of solid timber doors >
Why choose a solid timber front door?
A solid timber front door is distinctive. Against materials such as brick, concrete, stone or render, the natural grain and warmth of timber can soften the exterior of a home and create a welcoming focal point at the entrance.
But the appeal of solid timber goes beyond appearance. A well-made hardwood front door is substantial, durable and designed for a long life. Unlike many manufactured alternatives, solid timber can be sanded, refinished and repaired over time, allowing the door to age with your home rather than needing to be replaced when the surface begins to show wear.
Timber also gives you enormous freedom in the design. A custom front door is made to suit the proportions and style of your home, from a large statement entrance to a simple, understated design that blends into the facade.
And because no two pieces of timber are exactly alike, the natural grain, colour and organic features become part of the finished design. The result is a front door that is one of a kind and feels like it belongs.
Consider the door frame as part of the design
When choosing a timber front door, it’s worth considering how the door will work with the frame and the wider entrance rather than looking at the door in isolation. A matching timber frame can create a seamless look, while a contrasting timber can connect the entrance with other materials used throughout the home.
For one client project, heavily featured Recycled Messmate was chosen for the front door to complement the timber floorboards inside the home. A contrasting solid Jarrah frame picked up the warmer red tones of the timber cladding used on the garage, helping to connect the different elements of the exterior.
Glazing beside and above the door was also incorporated into the entrance, allowing more natural light into the hallway while maintaining privacy.
It’s a good example of why looking at the entrance as a whole can make such a difference. The timber, proportions, frame and surrounding materials can all work together to create an entrance that feels connected to the architecture of the home.
Which hardwood is best for a front door?
Choosing the right timber species is an important part of designing a hardwood front door. Beyond the colour of the timber, consider the grain, natural features and how these will work with other materials throughout your home.
At Bombora, our solid timber doors are available in Blackbutt, Messmate and Recycled Messmate. Each offers a distinctly different look.
Blackbutt has a light tone and generally consistent appearance, typically ranging from pale cream through to warm brown with subtle pink undertones. Its grain and natural features are relatively subtle, making it a beautiful choice for a timeless, understated front door.
Messmate has more variation in colour and character than Blackbutt, with tones ranging from cream through to mid brown. Gum veins and other natural features give the timber warmth and individuality while still allowing for a relatively understated finish.
Recycled Messmate is the most character-rich of the three timber options. Reclaimed from its previous life, it can feature nail holes, bolt holes, checking and other marks that tell the story of the timber. It's a beautiful choice when you want the front door to celebrate the organic character and history of Australian hardwood.
Consider how exposed your timber front door will be
Before choosing a solid timber front door, consider how much exposure it will have to direct sun, rain and changing weather conditions. The orientation of your home, the depth of the eaves or porch and whether the entrance is protected can all influence how the timber performs over time.
Timber is a natural material that responds to changes in temperature and moisture. Some movement is normal, which is why the construction of an external timber door, correct installation and ongoing maintenance of the finish are so important.
A well-protected entrance will generally require less maintenance than a door exposed to harsh afternoon sun or driving rain. For more exposed locations, keeping the protective finish maintained becomes particularly important to help reduce moisture entering or leaving the timber too quickly.
Before ordering a timber front door, it’s worth assessing the conditions at your entrance and discussing any concerns with us.
Why does a solid timber door need to allow for movement?
Solid timber naturally expands and contracts as it responds to changes in moisture and humidity. This movement is a normal characteristic of timber, but it needs to be considered when designing and constructing a solid timber door.
Our doors are made with vertical timber boards and horizontal breadboards across the top and bottom. These breadboards are an important structural part of the design, helping to keep the door stable while allowing the individual timber boards to naturally expand and contract.
This is also why the direction of the boards in our solid timber doors cannot simply be changed to suit a particular look. The construction has been developed around the natural properties of the timber and how it will behave over time.
Choose a front door size that suits the proportions of your home
The size of your front door can have a surprisingly big impact on the overall feel of an entrance. While a standard-sized door may work beautifully for some homes, a wider or taller door can create a stronger sense of scale where the architecture calls for it.
One of the advantages of choosing a custom timber front door is that you aren't limited to standard dimensions. The door can be made to suit the opening and proportions of your entrance, whether you're working with an existing doorway or designing the entrance as part of a new build or renovation.
When deciding on size, consider the door alongside the height and width of the entrance, surrounding glazing, ceiling height and the scale of the facade. The goal isn't necessarily to make the door as large as possible, but to create proportions that feel balanced within the overall design of the home.
Consider your door hardware early
Door hardware is worth considering early in the design process, particularly if you're planning a pivot door or using an oversized pull handle. The type and position of the hardware can influence how your solid timber door needs to be prepared before it leaves the workshop.
We don't supply hinges, locks or other door hardware, so these will need to be selected separately for your project and installed on site. If you're using pivot hardware, we can work with the specifications provided and create the required rebates into the door during manufacture.
Complete your entrance with a matching timber front door handle
A solid timber handle can become part of the overall design of your front door rather than simply being a functional addition. At Bombora, we make timber front door handles in our Torquay workshop, allowing the handle to be designed to complement the timber, scale and style of your door.
You can choose a handle in the same timber as your door for a seamless look, or introduce a contrasting timber to make the handle more of a feature. For larger doors, the length and proportions of the handle can also be selected to suit the scale of the entrance.
Our timber handles are handcrafted from solid hardwood and are available in a range of designs and sizes, with custom options available for projects requiring something different.
Explore our timber front door handles →
Protecting and finishing your timber front door
The finish you choose plays an important role in protecting a timber front door from moisture, sunlight and everyday exposure. Unlike indoor furniture, an external door experiences changing temperatures and weather conditions throughout the year, so maintaining that protection is an ongoing part of caring for solid timber.
Our timber doors are supplied raw, allowing the finish to be selected to suit the conditions and desired appearance of your project. It is important that all faces and edges of the door are properly sealed, including the top and bottom, before the door is exposed to the weather.
For a natural oiled finish, we recommend Osmo UV Protection Oil, which is designed for exterior timber and is clear so it allows the natural grain, tone and character of the hardwood to remain visible.
How often your door needs maintenance will depend on the finish you choose, the manufacturer's care and reapplication recommendations, and the level of exposure your entrance receives. A protected entrance under deep eaves will generally weather differently from a west-facing door exposed to strong afternoon sun and rain. Follow the maintenance instructions for your chosen finish and regularly check the condition of the door so the protective coating can be refreshed before the timber becomes exposed.
What can you customise in a Bombora solid timber door?
Choosing a custom-made solid timber door gives you the flexibility to create an entrance that suits your home rather than adapting your design to an off-the-shelf option.
At Bombora, you can customise the size of your door, choose from Blackbutt, Messmate or Recycled Messmate, and select a design from our solid timber door range. A matching timber frame can also be made for suitable projects, along with a solid timber front door handle designed to complement the door.
There are some elements of the construction that aren't customisable. The direction of the timber boards and horizontal breadboards are determined by the way solid timber naturally moves and form an important part of how our doors are constructed.
This balance between customisation and considered construction allows you to create a door that feels unique to your home while respecting the natural properties of solid Australian hardwood.
Find the right solid timber door for your home
Choosing a solid timber front door is about finding the right balance between design, timber, proportions and the practical requirements of your entrance. Taking the time to consider each of these elements will help you create a door that not only looks beautiful when it is installed, but continues to feel at home within the architecture for years to come.
Our solid timber doors are handcrafted to order in our Torquay workshop from sustainably sourced Australian hardwood. Start by exploring our solid timber door range, or get in touch if you would like to discuss the size, timber or custom details for your project.