A double entry door is one of the most visible things on a home. It is the first impression, the last thing guests see on the way out, and in a Spanish Colonial or hacienda-style home, it carries more weight than almost any other architectural detail. Getting it right matters.
At DeMejico, we have been building Spanish double entry doors for over 33 years. Every pair comes from solid knotty alder wood, hand-carved in our Valencia, CA workshop using the same construction methods we have used since we opened. No composite cores. No factory stampings. The carvings are done by hand, the iron hardware is forged in-house, and every door is built to fit the opening it is going into.
This guide covers what separates a real Spanish double door from a mass-produced imitation, how each design element is made, and how to choose the right pair for your home.
Why Solid Knotty Alder
Every double entry door we build starts with solid knotty alder. Not alder veneer over a composite core. Solid alder, all the way through.
Knotty alder is the right wood for this application. It holds a carving detail without splintering. It takes a stain evenly, though the natural variations in color and the knots themselves give each door its own character. Two doors built from the same species will never look identical, which is part of the point. Mass-produced doors are stamped from molds. Ours are carved from wood that grew in the ground, and the wood shows it.
Alder is also dense enough to hold up as an exterior door. A solid alder door is heavy. That weight is not a flaw. It is a sign of what the door is made from. When you open a properly hung set of solid alder double doors, you feel the difference immediately.
We have been selecting and working this material for over three decades. We know which pieces to use and which to set aside. That kind of material knowledge does not come from a product spec sheet.
How the Carving Is Done
The raised panel work and carved details on a Spanish entry door are not decorative add-ons. They are structural elements of the design, built directly into the door’s face rather than applied on top of it.
On our Colonial-style double doors, the panel work follows traditional Spanish design: large raised sections framed by thick molded borders, sometimes with arch-top panels at the top of each door, sometimes with full vertical plank layouts that let the grain of the wood run uninterrupted from top to bottom. The choice of panel arrangement changes the whole character of the door. Arch-top panels read as formal and Old World. Vertical plank layouts read as more rustic and hacienda-style.
Where carving appears, it is done by hand. Our carvers work from patterns developed over decades in our shop. The depth of the cuts, the profiles of the molding, the way the shadow lines fall across the face of the door at different times of day: these are things that you cannot get from a stamped door or from a CNC router running a preset file. Handwork reads differently. It ages differently. The wear that comes with decades of use on a hand-carved door adds to it rather than degrading it.
The Iron Hardware
Every pair of double doors we build is finished with hand-forged iron hardware. Clavos, strap hinges, door knockers, handle sets. The iron is not purchased from a supply catalog and applied at the end. It is forged in-house to match the door design.
There is a difference between cast iron hardware and forged iron hardware. Cast hardware is poured into a mold. The surface is smooth, uniform, and shows no tool marks. Forged hardware is worked by hand while hot. The surface retains the marks of the process: slight irregularities in the finish, variations in the texture, evidence that a person made this object. That texture is what makes hand-forged hardware look right on a hand-carved door.
Clavos are the decorative iron nail heads that appear on Spanish and Mexican-style doors. On a mass-produced door, clavos are typically stamped metal discs screwed into the surface. On our doors, they are individually hand-forged and driven into the wood. The slight variations in size and spacing are not a quality control failure. They are the evidence of authentic hand work.
Strap hinges on a double door have to carry real weight. A pair of solid alder exterior doors can weigh several hundred pounds combined. The hinges we forge are built for that load, not decorative pieces that happen to be functional.
Arch Tops, Square Tops, and How to Choose
The top profile of a Spanish double door defines its character more than any other single element.
A full Spanish arch top curves from the top of each door into a single unified arch across the pair. This is the most formal of the traditional Spanish profiles. It reads as Colonial, Old World, and architectural. It works in grand entryways, formal foyers, and homes with high ceilings where the arch can be fully appreciated.
A square top is cleaner and more versatile. It fits into standard rough openings without requiring additional framing work, and it works in both rustic hacienda settings and more refined Colonial interiors. Many of our most popular double doors use a square top combined with arch-top panel work inside the door face, giving you the visual interest of arch detailing without the full arched opening.
A subtle free-flowing arch falls between the two. Not a full formal arch, but not a flat square top either. This profile reads as softer and more relaxed, appropriate for coastal or Mediterranean-influenced homes alongside the more strictly Spanish Colonial styles.
The right choice depends on your opening, your ceiling height, your home’s architectural style, and how formal or informal you want the entry to read. We have built all three profiles many times over. If you are not sure which works for your space, our team can walk through that with you at the showroom or over the phone.
Finish and Stain Options
Knotty alder takes a stain well, and the knots and natural color variations in the wood mean that no two doors finish identically even when built to the same design.
Our doors are typically finished in medium to dark stains that bring out the natural movement in the wood. Darker stains tend to emphasize the grain while softening the visibility of individual knots. Lighter stains show more of the alder’s natural color variation and make the knotting more prominent.
We also offer painted finishes for applications where the door needs to match or coordinate with existing exterior color. A painted finish reads differently than a stained finish on carved wood: the shadow lines from the panel work and carving details become more graphic and less naturalistic. Both approaches are valid. They just give you a different result.
The best way to understand how a finish will look on a specific door design is to see it in person. That is one of the reasons our 30,000 square foot showroom in Valencia carries a large selection of finished doors. You can see exactly how the stain interacts with the wood and hardware before you decide.
What Makes a Spanish Double Door Last
A solid alder door, properly hung and maintained, will outlast the house it is installed in. That is not marketing language. It is what solid wood construction delivers when the material and joinery are done right.
The key is how the door is put together. Our doors use traditional mortise and tenon joinery throughout the rail and stile construction. The panels float inside the frame, which allows the wood to expand and contract with seasonal humidity changes without the door cupping or splitting. This is how doors were built before the era of composite cores and adhesive-bonded veneers. It is still the best method.
The iron hardware also contributes to longevity. Forged iron develops a patina over time that is not rust but a natural oxidation process. That patina actually protects the iron underneath. It looks better as it ages. Cast hardware does not do this. It corrodes.
For an exterior application, a good quality exterior finish and periodic maintenance are standard. That applies to any wood door. What solid alder and hand-forged iron give you is a foundation worth maintaining. You are not protecting a veneer or a factory finish. You are protecting solid material that, cared for, will hold its structural integrity indefinitely.
Custom Sizing and Special Applications
Standard double door pairs run 72 inches wide by 96 inches tall. That covers most residential applications. But not every opening is standard, and not every project is residential.
We have built oversized double doors for commercial entries, hotel lobbies, restaurant facades, and custom homes with non-standard rough openings. We have built double doors with sidelights, transoms, and full surround systems that frame the opening as a complete architectural element. We have built doors for both interior and exterior applications, though the construction and finish requirements differ between the two.
Custom sizing does not change the construction method. The same solid alder, the same joinery, the same hand-forged hardware applies to a non-standard door as to a standard one. What changes is the milling and the layout of the panel work to accommodate the different proportions.
If your project requires something outside the standard catalog dimensions, bring the rough opening measurements and any reference images to the showroom. We have done this kind of work many times and can give you a direct answer about what is possible and how long it takes.
Shop Spanish Double Entry Doors at DeMejico
Visit our double exterior door catalog to see the full collection, or browse our complete door catalog including single exterior, interior, and accent doors. Our Valencia, CA showroom carries a large selection of finished doors you can see in person before you decide. Call us at (888) 257-9580 or stop by.
