Custom made front doors
“Copying a front door decorated
with wood carving”
It happens quite often that
a carpenter or joiner relies on my craftsmanship, i.e. my expertise as a wood
carver, and my knowledge of ornaments and decorations. Many of them take on a
commission, but often they do not know how to include and execute ornaments and
decorations in wood. At times like these a collaboration between the
carpenter/joiner and wood carver is inevitable. It goes without saying that the
final result can only benefit from such a partnership.
As subcontractors we have
been making ornaments and decorations for in and outdoor joinery for well over
25 years now. A local carpenter was troubled with the following situation: he
was asked to copy a classical double front door. This late 19th
century door was ravished by the sands of time. Chronic exposure to moisture
had caused irreparable damage, and besides, the door no longer met the
standards set by the client and the requirements of contemporary outdoor
woodwork.
However, the customer had a
keen eye for detail and historic value and therefore wanted the carpenter to
produce an exact replica of the existing front door. The idea was that after renovation
the façade truly had to be an eye catcher in the historic city of Tongeren
(Belgium).
The city of Tongeren is
located in the south of the Belgian province of Limburg, not far from Liège, the French speaking part of Belgium. Starting from 15 BC Tongeren quickly
developed as a Gallo-Roman settlement. It is the oldest city of Belgium. The
Gallo-Roman museum and the gothic 14th century basilica are just a
few of the touristic highlights. Furthermore, the “Kroningsfeesten” or Coronation festivities are organized every 7
years and every Sunday it is possible to visit the largest antique and second
hand market in the Benelux. ( =Belgium, Netherlands, Luxemburg)
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| The original front door with carving, Tongeren(B) |
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Some detailed images of the ornaments
African Padauk
The door was manufactured in
African Padauk; also known as African Coralwood. This type of wood is
categorized as durability class I. An extremely durable, valuable and stable type
of wood originating from central and tropical west Africa. Beautiful coral red
to purple brown heartwood that is suitable for high-end applications such as
outdoor joinery.
African Padauk heartwood has
a coral red color, hence the name African Coralwood. It is also used as a dye
in the textile industry. I experienced this first hand.
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"Padauk ' used as a dye in the textile industry," experienced firsthand.
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The wood pulverizes
easily and stains skin and clothes, which causes slight skin and airway
irritability. When unfinished direct light results in rapid discoloration of
the wood from red to brown.
The color of the heartwoods
differs depending on the geographical location. Under optimal growth conditions
the color is coral red with black stripes (Gabon) or uniformly red in Cameroon.
Near the edge of the growth area (Congo, Congo-Brazaville) the heartwood
contains ugly white spots. This, however, does not alter the durability or
mechanical properties of the timber.
The wood grain is relatively
fine with an even structure, but, as is the case with all types of tropical
wood I worked with, African Padauk wood has an interlocked grain. This type of
grain makes it difficult to apply wood carving to larger panels, compared to
types of wood with a straight grain. But for this particular door there were
only a few decorative elements (several frames with wood carving). Therefore
the presence of an interlocked grain did not constitute a major problem.
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| The front door with carving and prime color |
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| UNIQUE FRONT DOORS, Custom made |
