Stable Doors

Stable Doors, Split for Light and Air

A stable door is made in two halves that open independently. You can swing the top open for light and fresh air while the bottom stays shut against pets, small children and draughts. It is one of the oldest door designs there is, and it still earns its place on a kitchen, utility or garden entrance today. Ours are external stable doors, made from real timber and built to shrug off British weather rather than for a barn. Every door is supplied ready to hang and finish, so you can match it to the rest of the house. They sit within our external doors by type range, and if a single-leaf door suits the spot better, our back doors cover the same entrances in one piece.

Glazed or Fully Panelled

The top half is where the choice lies. A clear-glazed top throws daylight into a kitchen or utility and lets you see who is at the door. You will find it on the single-pane (1 light) and nine-pane (9 light) hardwood stable doors. The cottage oak stable doors, in 4 panel and 6 panel styles, carry a more traditional glazed face for a period or country home. Where you would rather keep the entrance private and solid, the fully panelled and straight-top unglazed doors give a closed, secure face with no glass at all. If you want more glass than a stable top allows, our glazed external doors run to fully glazed designs.

Oak or Hardwood

Every stable door here is real timber, in a choice of two woods. Our oak external doors bring a warm tone and a deep natural grain that suits a cottage or character home, and the cottage stable doors are built this way. Our hardwood external doors use a dense, dependable timber that stands up to the weather just as well, at a friendlier price. They cover most of the glazed and unglazed stable range. Both are made for years outdoors once they are sealed and looked after, so the choice comes down to the look you want and what you would like to spend.

Fitting Two Halves That Work as One

A stable door has to do everything a normal door does and stay weathertight where the two halves meet. Both leaves hang on their own hinges and lock together, so the door feels solid when it is shut and still opens as a pair when you want it to. Hung in a matching frame with good weatherseals, it keeps draughts and rain out as well as any single door. It is worth checking that the two halves stay aligned every so often, as that is the one thing a stable door asks of you that a single door does not.

Finishing and Fitting

Like any external timber door, a stable door is supplied unfinished and needs sealing before it goes into service. Treat every face and edge, including the tops and bottoms of both halves, with a good exterior wood treatment, and refresh it every year or two to keep the weather out. Oak takes a clear exterior oil that protects it and lifts the grain, while hardwood can be oiled or, if you want a colour, stained or painted. To hang it, add a matching external door frame with a weathered cill, and fit your own locks and hinges to suit.