Stable Doors

A stable door is one door split across the middle, so the top half can open while the bottom half stays shut. People fit them in kitchens, boot rooms and back entrances for the same reason: light and fresh air, with the dog and the toddler still safely inside. Ours are oak, and you can buy a complete door or build one from a separate top and base.

Stable Doors Overview

• A stable door is one door split across the middle, so the top half opens on its own while the bottom half stays shut.
• We sell complete stable doors, and we sell stable tops and bases separately, so you can pair the top you want with a solid oak base.
• Where a solid oak stable door or top has a glazed opening, it is supplied unglazed and machined ready for your glass. Engineered oak stable doors arrive pre-glazed with the sealed units already fitted.
• Our solid oak external stable doors and tops are Grade A solid oak, 44mm thick, and jointed with traditional mortice and tenon.
• Our solid oak stable tops have the rebate machined in and are reversible, so the finished door can be hung to open inwards or outwards.

Bottom & Top Halves

You can buy a complete stable door and hang it. If you want something closer to your own house, buy the two halves separately instead. The solid oak stable base is the bottom half, and it pairs with any of our solid oak stable tops.

The choice of top is really a choice about light and privacy. The French top is the brightest of the three, with one large glazed panel. The cottage top has a small feature window, so you get daylight without the whole entrance being on show. The four panel top spreads the light across four panes.

Match the top and base to the same finished door size, and check the product page for what is available. Our solid oak stable doors and halves can all be made to measure if the standard sizes do not suit the opening. The engineered oak doors are supplied pre-sanded and can be trimmed to fit.

Glass Fitting in Stable Doors

This is the part that catches people out, so it is worth being plain about it.

Buy a solid oak stable door or top with a glazed opening and the glass is not included. The opening is machined ready for it, and your fitter supplies and fits a panel to whatever specification you want. That is useful if you are matching glass elsewhere in the house or you want something obscured for privacy. Our stable tops are machined to take a full 20mm double glazed unit. Measure the aperture once the door has arrived, before you order the glass.

Buy an engineered oak stable door and the glass is already in, either clear double glazing or a leaded panel, fitted at the factory. Nothing to arrange.

Internal and External Options

Internal

Internal stable doors are for rooms rather than entrances. Ours are in a bead and butt profile, one prefinished and ready to hang, one in rustic oak you can finish yourself or have oiled by us before it ships. They suit a kitchen, a pantry or a boot room.

External

External stable doors are made for outdoor use, and they are part of our wider range of external oak doors. The solid oak ones are Grade A solid oak, 44mm thick, jointed with traditional mortice and tenon, and solid oak throughout rather than a veneer over a core.

The cottage design is handcrafted with a smaller window, so you get daylight with more privacy, and vertical v-grooved oak boards across the face. The four panel and French designs put more glass in the top half for a brighter entrance. Most are supplied sanded and unfinished so you choose the finish, and every one is made in standard sizes with bespoke sizes on request.

How the two halves work

The top half opens on its own while the bottom half stays shut, or both swing together as a single door. That is the whole point of the design, and it is why a stable door earns its place on a back entrance or a kitchen doorway.

On our solid oak stable doors and tops the rebate where the two halves meet is machined in at the factory, so there is less work to do on site. The French and cottage tops are identical on both faces, which means the finished door can be hung to open inwards or outwards.

Finishing and Looking After Your Door

Unfinished oak is treated before it is hung, not after. Coat every face and all four edges, including the top and the bottom, so no bare wood is left to draw in moisture. We recommend three to four coats of Impranol, and there are full instructions on our external door treatments page.

An external oak door wants a porch or a canopy over it, and a re-coat roughly every six months to keep the protection topped up. Kept up, a well-finished oak door stays sound for decades. You will also want external door frames and a weather bar, unless your door sits inside an enclosed porch or the product page says one is included. Hinges, handles and locks are in our external door hardware.

Common questions

What are the drawbacks of a stable door?

Two things are worth knowing before you order. If you choose solid oak, the glass is not included, so you are arranging that yourself. And an unfinished external oak door has to be treated before it is hung and re-coated afterwards, so it asks a little more of you than a door that arrives finished. One design in the range arrives prefinished and ready to hang, so check the product pages if you would rather skip that part.

Can you turn a normal door into a stable door?

Cutting a standard door in half is not a like for like swap. A purpose built stable door has the rebate machined into the frame where the two halves meet, and ours are made as two pieces from the start. Buying one made as a stable door saves that work.

Can I fit a stable door in a standard doorway?

Usually yes. Measure the height and width of the opening first and check the sizes on the product page. Our solid oak stable doors can be made to measure if nothing standard fits.

Can I use an internal stable door on an outside wall?

No. Our internal stable doors are made for rooms inside the house. For an outside doorway use an external stable door, which is built for outdoor use and can be treated and sheltered as above.