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Custom Wood Door Questions, Answered

Short, plain answers to what people ask before they contact a door maker, written for Florida houses.

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St. Pete Custom Doors builds and installs custom wood doors in St. Petersburg, South Tampa and Apollo Beach. These are the questions we hear most, each answered first in a sentence or two, then in detail.

Cost, Timing and the Process

  • What Happens at a Custom Door Design Consultation?We come to the house, measure the opening, look at sun and cover, talk through styles and wood, and then send a scaled drawing with a written, itemised quote. There is no obligation to go ahead.
  • How Long Does a Custom Wood Door Take to Build?There is no fixed time: it is set at the consultation once the design and wood are chosen; carving detail, wood availability and finish curing are what move it most.
  • Slab vs Prehung Front Door: Which Do You Need?A slab is the door alone, hung in your existing frame; a prehung door comes already hung in a new frame. Keep the frame only if it is sound, square and strong enough for the new door's weight.
  • How to Measure for a Custom Front DoorMeasure the opening's width at the top, middle and bottom and its height at both sides and the middle, then note the jamb depth, which way the door swings, and the rise of any arch. We measure again on site before building.

Florida Climate, Code and Permits

  • Do Front Doors Need to Be Impact Rated in Tampa Bay?In Florida's wind-borne debris region, glass in an exterior door must be impact-rated or protected by approved shutters, and every exterior door on a permitted job needs a product approval. The permit office confirms the rule for your address.
  • Do You Need a Permit to Replace a Front Door in St. Petersburg?Usually. Exterior doors on permitted work need a product approval. Since July 2026 Florida lets some single-family jobs under $7,500 outside flood zones be exempted on request, but most custom door jobs cost more, so we check before we quote.
  • Replacing a Front Door on a Historic Home in St. PetersburgIf the house is a local landmark or in a local historic district, you need a Certificate of Appropriateness from the city's historic preservation staff before changing the front door. A replica built to the original's drawings usually has the easiest path.
  • Why Does My Wood Front Door Stick in Summer?Because the wood takes on moisture and swells, usually through edges that were never sealed, and often helped by hinges that have sagged. Tighten the hinges first; plane only in the dry season, then seal the cut edge.

Wood Species, Finishes and Care

  • What Is the Best Wood for an Exterior Door in Florida?Mahogany is the all-round choice: stable, rot-resistant and good to carve. Spanish cedar is lighter and very stable, teak is the most weather-proof but hard to finish, and white oak is tough but needs stainless or bronze fixings.
  • How Often Should a Wood Front Door Be Refinished in Florida?In direct Florida sun, inspect the finish twice a year and expect to refresh it as often as every year; under a deep porch it can go considerably longer. Refresh at the first dull or chalky patch, before bare wood shows.
  • Hand-Carved vs CNC-Carved Doors: How to Tell the DifferenceHand carving is cut into the solid panel with chisels and gouges, so it has crisp facets, undercuts and small variations. CNC carving is routed from a digital file, so it is uniform; appliqués are moulded pieces glued onto a flat panel.
  • Wood vs Fiberglass Front Doors in FloridaFiberglass wins on upkeep, price and ready-made impact ratings. Solid wood wins on real carving, the depth of the grain, and being repairable and refinishable for decades. In full sun with no cover, fiberglass is the easier choice.

Door Styles and Hardware

  • Pivot Door vs Hinged Door: Pros and ConsA pivot door turns on a pin set into the floor and head, so it can be far wider and heavier than a hinged door and opens with a light touch. The trade-off is weather sealing, which takes more care on an exposed exterior pivot.
  • Arched Door Types: Radius, Eyebrow, Elliptical and GothicA radius (half-round) arch is a true semicircle; an eyebrow or segment arch is a shallow curve; an elliptical arch is flattened at the top; a Gothic arch comes to a point. The door is scribed to the curve that is actually there.
  • Double Front Doors Explained: Active Leaf, Passive Leaf and AstragalOne leaf (the active leaf) carries the lock and opens daily; the other (the passive leaf) is held shut by flush bolts at the top and bottom. An astragal covers the gap where they meet, which is what keeps wind and rain out.
  • Barn Door Hardware: Weight Ratings and ClearanceChoose a track rated well above the door's weight, fix it into solid backing rather than drywall, and size the door to overlap the opening on each side. A solid wood barn door is heavy, so the hardware decides how well it runs.
  • What Makes a Good Wine Cellar Door?It has to hold a cooled, humid room: an exterior-grade, insulated door with weatherstripping on all four sides, a threshold or sweep at the bottom, and insulated glass if there is glass. Looks come second to the seal.

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