Joinery glossary: the parts of a wooden door

The fixed frame, sealed or screwed into the masonry, against which the door closes. It carries the pintles or hinges and the lock's strike plate. On an entrance door, the frame is solid wood, often the same species as the door.

The name given to the frame of an interior door: the frame set into the partition wall, on which the door is hung. It is often hidden by an architrave.

The moving part of the door, which swings or slides. A double door opens in two parts; one is often held shut by bolts and only opened to bring in furniture.

The skeleton of a leaf, made of stiles and rails joined by mortise and tenon. The frame holds the panels or boards and keeps the door square.

A vertical member of a frame. The hanging stile carries the pintles or hinges; the lock stile, on the other side, takes the lock and the handle.

A horizontal member joined between two stiles: top rail, middle rail (or lock rail) and bottom rail, usually the widest to withstand knocks and damp from the floor.

The infill of a framed door, set in the grooves of the stiles and rails without glue, so that the wood can move with the seasons without splitting.

The bevelled, thinned edge of a panel, which lets it fit into the groove of the frame and gives the door its relief. This is called a raised panel.

A long, narrow plank joined to its neighbours, usually by tongue and groove. A board door is made of vertical or horizontal boards, on ledges or on a lining.

The visible face of a door or a piece of furniture. An entrance door has an outer face, exposed to the weather, and an inner face, on the house side.

A second layer of boards fixed to the inner face of a board door, often crossing the first: vertical boards outside, horizontal boards inside, nailed together the traditional way. The lining makes the door stiffer, better insulated, and gives it two faces.

A crosspiece nailed or screwed across the boards of an unframed door (cellar door, garden gate, shutter). A door has two or three.

The diagonal piece set between two ledges, forming the Z of a board door and stopping it from sagging. It starts at the bottom, on the hinge side, and rises towards the lock side.

The lower part of the opening, in stone or wood, on which the door closes. It slopes slightly outwards to shed water.

A moulded piece fixed to the bottom of the outer face of an entrance door, which throws rainwater clear of the threshold and protects the bottom of the leaf.

A right-angled recess cut along a piece. The one on the frame stops the door as it closes and cuts off draughts.

A fixed part above a door, glazed, with a grille or solid, often arched. It lets light in when the door is closed.

The arched top of a door or opening. An arched door follows the curve of the masonry: each board is marked out and cut to fit it.

The glazed part of a door, held in a wooden frame. It can fill the top of the leaf, or the whole leaf, with or without a protective grille.

Angled slats fixed between the stiles, which let air through without letting you see through. They are used for shutters and cupboard doors.

A decorative profile cut into the wood, sunken or raised, along a frame, a panel or an architrave.

The horizontal piece, in stone, wood or steel, that carries the masonry above an opening.

The sides of the opening within the thickness of the wall. When they widen towards the inside, this is called a splay. A door is measured from reveal to reveal.

A surround, often moulded, fitted around an interior door. It hides the joint between the frame and the wall.

The opening direction of a door. Stand on the side from which you push the door open: if the hinges are on the right, it is a right-hand push door; on the left, a left-hand one.

A door hung from a rail fixed to the wall, which slides along the partition instead of swinging. It frees the space a hinged door would take up.

The thinned end of a piece of wood, cut to fit exactly into a mortise. It is how rails are joined into stiles.

A rectangular cavity cut into a piece to receive a tenon. Mortise and tenon is the most common joint in traditional joinery.

A small hardwood peg driven through a tenon and its mortise. It locks the joint without glue; its head remains visible on the face.

The groove is a long, narrow slot cut into the edge of a piece; the tongue is the projecting part of the next piece that fits into it. The boards of a door or a floor are joined this way.

A joint shaped like a swallow's tail, flared, which can only come apart in one direction. It is seen at the corners of drawers and furniture carcasses.

A 45-degree cut on two pieces meeting at a corner, as on a mirror frame or an architrave.

Cutting the boards to the dimensions of the piece. With reclaimed wood, the cutting is decided after reading each board: knots, splits, old nails.

Running a plane over a board to flatten it, bring it to thickness or smooth its surface. It can be planed lightly to keep the patina.

Running a wire brush that hollows the soft parts of the wood and brings out the grain. It gives an aged feel.

A finish that soaks into the wood, feeds it and protects it while keeping a matt, natural look. It is easy to renew.

A traditional finish applied in a thin coat then buffed. It gives the wood a soft feel and a slight sheen.

A finish that leaves white pigment in the grain of the wood, for a pale, greyed look.