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Thomas Studio recently completed a series of commissioned antique wood doors for a residence on Lake Austin, Texas. The 8-feet arched double-front entry doors were crafted out of 3-inch thick Burmese teak. The carriage entry doors featured laminated jambs, full-length edge splines with half lap joints. The hot-forged steel bracing, hardware and hinges are by Thomas Studio. The steel includes four 7-inch handmade ball bearing hinges per door. The finish was hand-rubbed oil and wax.
The 8-feet high porch entry double doors feature a full transom and double-insulated glass, protected by hot-forged steel ornate grills on the doors and transoms. The wrought iron was designed by Thomas Studio and forged by Frank Lily of Round Rock, Texas. Wood for the porch doors is antique old-growth Douglas fir, recycled from a 100-year-old cotton warehouse from Montreal, Quebec. Joints are through mortise and tenon. Hinges and hardware are from France. The wood finish is hand-rubbed oil and wax.
Thomas Studio crafted custom double entry doors and double porch doors facing the lake, using plantation (save the rain forest!) Burmese Teak for the entry doors and recycled Douglas Fir, salvaged from an 1998 Montreal, Quebec cotton warehouse for the porch doors.
The double entry doors are eight feet high by four feet wide, with a four foot high teak transom.
The three inch thick doors were constructed with random width panels, butt edged together with hidden full-length
high-density polyurethane biscuits, surrounded by an edge frame with overlapping mortised corners and fastened with stainless steel screws and matching teak plugs. The panels were intentionally left unglued to allow for expansion and contraction due to the high humidity lakeside exterior and low humidity air-conditioned interior.
The entry doors used wrought iron cross and diagonal straps inside and out, supported by handmade steel ball bearing
hinges. The doors were secured with Thomas Studio wrought iron mortise locks and a sliding deadbolt. The Burmese Teak entry doors and the Douglas Fir porch and mezzanine doors were finished with multiple coats of Thomas Studio proprietary blended oil and stains mixed with a final treatment of penetrating wax for UV (ultraviolet radiation) protection in the hot Texas sun. Thomas Studio will seldom use a hard finish such as varnish for exterior applications.
The three sets of double eight-foot lake side porch doors with four-foot arched transoms were constructed from the
recycled Canadian Douglas Fir 4" x 12" x 26' beams. Each beam was carefully selected to retain the original bolt and nail holes and bluestain to enhance the "antiquing" effect. Hidden pieces of bolts and nails were located and removed with the aid of a metal detector. Thomas Studio designed and produced the entry door wrought iron and also designed the porch and mezzanine door and balcony grillwork.
The lakeside porch doors and transoms were hand sanded to deepen the wood's softer veins while leaving the harder
veins raised which produced a natural antique weathered wood appearance. Locally quarried and carved Austin Cream Coquina (Scallop shell fossil) stone was selected for all the door and window surrounds. Delicate wrought iron grills were made to protect and enhance the doors and transoms without blocking the view of the lake and its century-old Cypress trees. The grills were hinged to ease glass cleaning.
Upstairs mezzanine doors were also made from the recycled Douglas Fir, using delicate wrought iron outside grill work that duplicated the wrought iron grills on the downstairs porch doors.
One of two upstairs mezzanine balconies with wrought iron railings, designed by Thomas Studio and produced by Frank Lily Wrought Iron of Round Rock, Texas.
Custom recycled Douglas Fir kitchen door with hand-braided wrought iron security grill. Hand carved Austin Cream Coquina Scallop shell fossil stone surrounds the door and its outside wainscoting.
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Fabricated steel and Ipe wood entry gates by Thomas Bronze Studio were
recently installed at a Lake Austin residence. The 16' double gates were
custom designed by Stephen Kubenka Architects of Austin and were fabricated
by Thomas Studios along with a smaller set of double entry gates. Thomas
Studio produces a wide variety of architectural art.
