Mid century modern front doors can really improve your mid century home’s curb appeal — and we’ve found 14 places where you can find them. My list includes doors made of wood, fiberglass, and steel. And, I spotlight three DIY options to consider, too.
Reminder: As with other products, remember to check with professionals regarding state and local building codes and other such requirements before you order.
4 companies with mid modern front doors made from wood:
1. Simpson Doors
We first spotlighted Simpson Doors when reader Doug tipped us to their midcentury Early American (aka “Cool-onial”) style doors. Several months later, reader Mitch saw that the company also had 9 mid century modern front door styles tucked in their catalog. All of the mid century door styles Simpson Doors offers are made of wood in the USA and can be custom ordered in a variety of sizes, wood species and glass styles. The company also offers many helpful tools such as their door test drive tool and glass taste test and per a comment from reader Kristine this Contemporary Flush door design tool.
2. Frank Lumber — The Door Store:
Frank Lumber has been in business in the Pacific Northwest since 1948 — and they stock eight models of solid birch wood doors, with many available options for customization in different wood species, glass and sizes. The doors themselves are made just up the road in Marysville, Washington, by Kylemont Custom Wood Doors, their partner company. Frank Lumber also prides themselves in giving expert customer service and advice for your door project — however if you are too far away to visit the shop in person, they will ship doors.
3. Rogue Valley Door makes mid century modern front doors:
Rogue Valley Doors offers three styles of handcrafted, made in the USA mid century modern front doors from domestically manufactured components. According to reader Virginia, who tipped us off to this company, prices for Rogue Valley Doors are comparable to other companies we’ve featured — such as Frank Lumber and Simpson Doors.
4. Mai Doors fancy wood mid century door designs
Mai Doors, based in Wylie, Texas, says, “Since 1981, MAI has been making doors of the finest quality Mahogany, Andean Walnut, and Knotty Alder.”
4 companies that make mid century entry doors from fiberglass:
1. Therma-Tru Pulse fiberglass mid century modern front doors:
It was big news a few years ago when we discovered that the very first mass-market door manufacturer — Therma-Tru — had introduced a new line of midcentury modern style front entry doors. The doors are part of their “Pulse” line — which comes in a variety of styles with lite variations — and are available in oak grained fiberglass, smooth (paintable fiberglass) and steel.
Getting a new door of any brand installed can be easy, or not so easy. We wrote about reader Barbra’s super easy experience with her new Therma-Tru midcentury modern front door installation, but also heard the long saga from reader Scott, who initially found it difficult to find someone to install a Therma-Tru door for him.
2. GlassCraft Door Company
Marcia discovered another source for midcentury style fiberglass entry doors. She writes:
I’ve got another manufacturer who has mid century modern front doors: GlassCraft Door Company in Houston, TX. The dealer in Temple where I found these quoted me about $1600 for the 6’8″ Beverly door on p 123 of their catalog, about $300 less than their online price list, so maybe the dealer gets a discount? That’s prehung, with brickmold & hinges, and unfinished, with choice of glass. Doesn’t include installation or handle sets. There are 8 factory finishes available (all wood tones), and 4 glass options. They show 377 dealers across the US. Not cheap, but maybe a good option for some folks.
3. Escon Doors — fiberglass mid century modern doors
Escon Doors jumped on the mid century modern design revival in 2016. It offers 16 different designs, with the door lights varying in number, size, and direction. Like the Therma-Trus, Escon’s midcentury doors also are in fiberglass, which some homeowners prefer for climate reasons. And, they come with matching sidelight options — kind of cool!
4. Builder’s Choice mid century modern fiberglass front doors
You can order three different styles of mid century modern front doors in fiberglass through Home Depot’s website. The doors are made by Builder’s Choice and are available pre-finished in a handful of colors — including candy-apple red and skylark blue. Depending on the chosen features, these doors retail for between $599-$959.
5. MMI fiberglass doors
Mid century doors in steel:
1. Home Depot steel mid century doors by MMI — four designs:
It’s been my experience over 12 years that hotlinks to product on Home Depot and other large stores change a lot. So if this link doesn’t work, use their search box to get to mid century style steel doors from MMI. I see four designs — swinging right or left — in a prepainted lollipop rainbow of colors.
3 ways to DIY your own mid century front door with Door Lite Kits:
1. Make It Midcentury door light kits:
Make It Midcentury is the newest player in the market for door lite kits, and they have an expansive, super stylish set of offerings. Indeed, I count 69 — yes, 69! — different exterior door lite styles. If you are an individualist who wants a front door with next to zero chance of looking like anyone else’s in the neighborhood, this company and its options are for you!
2. ODL door lites
Emily tipped us to this company, but it took me a while to figure the company out. It makes door lites. Check the materials they are framed in — I think it’s fiberglass, but check. See the diagrams above — find a retailer, and you can order the door lights and install them yourself or have a contractor do it.
- Go to “Spotlights” collection for the mid century modern sized door lights.
- ODL main website, including where to find retailers
3. Make your own, affordable midcentury door lite kits
Inventive reader Sarah — owner of the fabulous Gilbert Spindel designed round house — shared the steps she used to make her own mid century modern front doors using a plain wood slab door and her local glass shop. For just $30 — she did her own carpentry — Sarah was able to make the door above, a perfect complement to her 1964 home. Note: Get with your local building inspections department to ensure the glass and other materials you are using meet building codes. See more info below on what Therma-Tru told us about safety glass.
- Read our coverage on how you can make your own DIY mid century front doors
Find vintage mid century modern front doors:
1. Search out vintage mid century front doors:
And of course: You can always seek out vintage, salvage midcentury front doors. I see them at my ReStore quite often, and as I recall, they typically cost $40 or less. Thing is, ya gotta get the fit right, and I am not an expert on issues related to current life safety codes — that is, do old doors meet today’s building codes, fire codes, etc.; on this, get with your own properly licensed professionals to assess what you are dealing with so that you can make informed decisions. For example, see the info below from Therma-Tru about today’s requirements for safety glass.
— Safety glass and the “blaze” issue, —
Note: Glass on new doors lites may have a “blaze”:
We also want to add this learning: When Scott bought his Therma-Tru door, he discovered that each pane of glass on the door had a watermark that he found distracting. We asked the helpful team at Therma-Tru about this, and they explained:
….By federal law, safety glass must be used in doorlites and sidelites, no matter who the door manufacturer may be. This same law requires that each individual piece of glass must be clearly marked with a visible code number. This is generally called “the blaze” within our industry and is required as a federal safety regulation. Most manufacturers also choose to put their company name on each glass panel.
While this coding is not required on most windows, it is required on every individual piece of glass within a door and/or sidelite. When the glass is larger or has a decorative design, the blaze is not very visible. However, when the glass pieces are smaller and/or completely clear, the blaze does tend to stand out a bit, as Scott has experienced.
We understand that Scott has replaced our glass, and we’d like to suggest that he make certain that the auto glass installed meets the federal safety regulations, both to comply with the laws and for his family’s safety. He can check on this with the person who supplied the glass, or look for the code numbers on each pane of glass.
Finally, we want to thank Scott for his feedback. We are committed to providing the best product possible and appreciate his comments as we continue to look for ways to improve our products.
So note, dear readers: It sound like, no matter where you buy a new door like this — no matter who the manufacturer — you’re going to get a watermark “blaze” on each pane of glass… although the manufacturer’s logo may or may not also be on there, depending on their practice.
It’s great to see the growing number of options for front doors. Cuz, as they say, you only get one chance to make a good first impression!
David in Marietta says
I know it has been mentioned before but keep on the lookout for neighbors who may be getting rid of a door. I went on a run yesterday morning and saw a three vertical light door in someones carport. It appeared there was a new front door in its place. As 7 am was too early to go knocking, I came back that afternoon. I asked what they were going to do with the door. They said they were contemplating what to do with it as the new door had only been up a week. I offered to take it off their hands and they were more than happy to give it to me. For free.
Mary Skinner says
Wow, when we did our first one, no one was around but Crestview and my husband thought the kit was too expensive and the window too small so he built our own!
Renee Polley says
I purchased a Therma Tru for our 1953 mid-mod. We special ordered from Lowe’s and they sent someone out to measure it for ordering and we went through them to install. It was an easy process and looks great. They have some additional models than what you have pictured that were new as of March 2014 when we placed our order.
Michelle Cummins says
How do I take bedroom hollow doors in my 1960 home and either restore them or put in other 1960s doors. I want to sty true to the period of my house.
Mary Elizabeth says
Michelle,
When my husband and I moved into our 1959 house, all the original plain hollow-core doors (called flush doors) were scratched and dinged by animals and by a wheelchair owned by former occupants. We have replaced them with unfinished birch plywood doors, which we finished ourselves. We could also have used luan, which we did in another house to replace doors with laminate, and which is MCM appropriate.
In our case, we replaced the doors because it was difficult to sand down and refinish them; they were really damaged. The plywood layer is fairly thin, so when you sand enough to repair the deep scratches, the outer layer gets worn off. If, however, your doors just need refinishing, you can strip and sand them and finish them with a color to match the stain used in the rest of your house. Both the big box stores and specialty door stores have a selection of plain interior doors that fit the 1060s modern aesthetic. If your house is a colonial style and the doors you are replacing have recessed panels, you can find those also. Expect to pay anywhere from $30 to $100 each for your hollow-core bedroom doors–more for bifold doors, such as you would put on a coat closet.
If you strip and refinish your doors, you should remove them from the openings first and work on a flat surface. It’s also a good idea to remove the hardware. I won’t get into the mechanics of sizing a new door to fit the space and cutting the holes for the hardware. If you don’t have a handy person in your family and all the tools you need, get a carpenter to do the work. I think you will love the look of your new or refinished doors.
Regina says
Thanks for all of this information on front doors! I got so frustrated trying to find a more energy efficient front door that I gave up because I was not putting in a new door unless it was mid century. I ended up refinishing my door and am so glad I did! I replaced the clear glass with frosted tempered glass to bring it up to today’s safety standards. Had a local mill replicate the trim around the windows that broke when replacing the windows. Was able to strip the interior down to get a natural maple finish and painted the exterior a blue that pops from the street.
Christine Garrett says
Crestview Doors in Austin rocks.
pam kueber says
They are out of business, Christine.
Donn Reese says
This past summer we finally installed a new door that better fits the mid-century era of our home and our style. The contemporary door we replaced was very good, being a big box insulated metal door but it lacked any real character and curb appeal
I had been watching the many posts here regarding different sources for mid century doors but one of the hurldes for us is being disconnected from the continental US – the shipping can easily double or even triple.
I ended up working with a local window & door company to create a door that we then had painted. Since the type of door we wanted was the triple-diamond version it was easy enough for them to use standard square window kits installed diagonally into an insulated, smooth surface fiberglass door.
Added to that are 5 1/2″ backset door knobs with starburst backplates on the outside AND inside, not to mention the accompanying starburst door bell to complete the look.
Photos to share are available.
-DonnR
Mary Elizabeth says
Donn, we would love to see your door! As I said in my comment about garage doors, we often do better working with the local independent suppliers, who are more flexible than people know. And it probably cost you less than if you had had something shipped from the mainland (which my friend Jane, who lives on the island Martha’s Vineyard, calls “shipping from America”).
Jennie says
We want to replace our inexpensive “fiberglass” garage door with a door that has a true true mid-century (modern) look. Does anyone have access to companies (with pictures) that are still in the business of making them?
Thanks!
pam kueber says
Jennie, I don’t know the answer to this one.
Mary Elizabeth says
Jennie and Pam,
I have also wondered about this, as my garage has its original lovely oversized mid-century doors, and one had to be repaired once after being damaged by a contractor’s delivery van. I worry about what I will do if they become irreparably damaged or begin to rot (they are wood). So I looked up local companies in my area who do custom garage doors, and I see that they have many options for window and panel arrangements, including one that is the same as mine and would be custom fit to my garage. Also, most of the companies make steel doors that come in only a few colors but that you can custom paint to match your house, trim, etc. Hope this helps.
pam kueber says
Mary Elizabeth, I think you are spot-on. Great reco!
virginia says
I am replacing three doors in my 1955 house, and found a new source to tell you about! I did use Therma-Tru Pulse Solei for two, but for the front door I found that Rogue Valley Doors has several mid-century options. Rogue Valley is slightly more expensive than Frank Lumber doors if you are local to Seattle, but less expensive if you incorporate shipping or compare them to Simpson. Look for the “Urban” collection on http://www.roguevalleydoor.com
May says
The house I grew up in had the first door pictured under the Frank Lumber items. It was painted a 70’s dark avocado-ish green. Ah….memories.