JELD-WEN Vs. Feather River Doors: In-depth Differences

When choosing new exterior doors, two top brands to consider are JELD-WEN and Feather River. But how do these premium manufacturers compare?

JELD-WEN offers mainstream fiberglass and steel doors focused on energy efficiency and reliability. Feather River provides high-end custom wood doors matching luxury home interiors through artisan craftsmanship.

This guide analyzes the key differences across materials, styles, efficiency, warranties and pricing to assist your purchasing decision.

Key Specifications Comparison Table

Before diving into the details, here is a high-level overview comparing core specifications between basic JELD-WEN and Feather River exterior door models across several categories:

Specification	JELD-WEN Doors	Feather River Doors
Core Material	Steel, fiberglass or engineered composite	Solid vertical grain fir or oak
Design Styles Offered	14 standard styles	Custom designs
Customization Options	Limited color and glass choices	Fully customizable aesthetics
Insulation Core	Polyurethane foam	Polyurethane foam or dense fiber
Initial Cost Range	$400 – $1,500+	$1,200 – $4,000+
Warranty	Limited lifetime	3 years
Weatherstripping	Standard flexible PVC or thermoplastic elastomer seal	Custom sealed system
Air Infiltration Rating	0.09 – 0.30 CFM	0.01 CFM
EnergyStar Certified Options	Yes	Yes
Manufacturer	Global	U.S. Based Small Business

This table gives you a sense of how JELD-WEN and Feather River doors differ across key metrics. JELD-WEN offers far more affordable products with mainstream designs from a huge international company. Feather River provides premium custom wood doors from a specialty American craftsman but with a higher price tag.

Now let’s analyze these core considerations in more detail…

Door Materials: Fiberglass, Steel & Engineered Wood

One of the biggest differences between JELD-WEN and Feather River doors is material construction. JELD-WEN offers both steel and fiberglass exterior doors alongside some high-end engineered wood composite options, while Feather River uses only the finest grades of natural solid wood.

JELD-WEN Doors

JELD-WEN doors provide homeowners a choice between three core materials:

• Fiberglass – Glass fiber reinforced resin that is highly durable, dent and warp resistant, and low maintenance. JELD-WEN’s custom-formulated fiberglass contains 70% reclaimed wood fiber for stability.
• Steel – Hot-dipped galvannealed steel with thermal breaks for strength, security and energy efficiency. Polyurethane foam core prevents heat/cold transfer. Pre-painted and easy to maintain.
• Engineered Composite – JELD-WEN’s “Somertone” doors have solid compressed wood composite cores for thermal efficiency and trouble-free performance.

So whether you prioritize superb insulation (fiberglass), security (steel), or classic wooden aesthetics (Somertone), JELD-WEN likely has a door to meet your needs.

Feather River Doors

Rather than offer different core materials, Feather River focuses exclusively on doing high-end wood doors extremely well. Their doors contain:

• Vertical Grain Wood – Edge grain fir and oak harvested sustainably from the Western U.S. The vertical grain structure maximizes stability and weather resistance.
• Precision Craftsmanship – Every door hand assembled by master artisans using marine-grade waterproof adhesives. Joints and finishes are intricately designed to restrict moisture.
• Custom Options – Choose any design and custom finish. Stain, paint, engrave, insert glass, mix materials…options are endless.

Overall if you want the uncompromising quality and aesthetics of wood, Feather River delivers with their specialty custom doors. But the tradeoff is much higher cost and limited insulation compared to JELD-WEN’s materials.

Design Styles & Customization

Beyond the core door materials, customization flexibility and design aesthetics matter too. Here’s how JELD-WEN and Feather River compare:

JELD-WEN Styles

JELD-WEN delivers an array of standard door styles spanning traditional to modern, including:

• Traditional – Classic craftsman designs like six-panel and crossbuck doors with optional mahogany grain finishes.
• Contemporary – Sleek modern styles like flush, square panel and louvered designs. Stainless steel options available.
• Rustic – Doors mimicking French doors, wrought iron finishes, and abundant glass elements.
• Cottage – Quaint country-style doors with patina distressing and arched tops.

While style flexibility exists with JELD-WEN, customization is still limited compared to Feather River. There are optional choices of:

• Glass inserts – 15+ patterns and tints.
• Sidelites/transoms – Matching fixed windows framing the doors.
• Caming – Lead or zinc decorative glass borders.
• Finishes – Distressed looks or different stain colors.
• Hardware – Upgraded luxury pulls and knockers.
• Weather stripping – For extreme climates.

But you cannot drastically change established designs.

Feather River Styles & Customization

Rather than offer pre-determined styles, the hallmark of Feather River is custom wood doors purpose-built for each customer. Their specialty is matching the interior aesthetics of high-end homes for a cohesive look.

Every aesthetic element on Feather River doors can be fully customized:

• Wood type
• Dimensions
• Trims and panels
• Glass design – Unique patterns like concentric circles, long elegant lines, or stained glass arrays.
• Finish – Unlimited paints or stains tailored to your color scheme. Even metal overlays or engraved signage.
• Weather barrier – Either precision mortise and tenon joins or marine-grade sealants.
• Knockers, pulls and hinges – Dozens of finishes from bronze to silver.

Anything you envision for your dream custom door entrance, Feather River’s craftsmen can bring into reality through quality woodwork and artistry.

The tradeoff is very high pricing given intensive labor and custom materials involved. But for magnificently designed wood doors that make an architectural statement, Feather River delivers.

Energy Efficiency & Weatherproofing

Energy efficient and properly weatherproofed doors save homeowners money in both heating/cooling costs as well as potential damage from exterior elements like rain, wind, humidity and temperature extremes.

Here is how efficiency and weather protection compare between brands:

JELD-WEN Efficiency

Part of JELD-WEN’s selling point is offering EnergyStar certified doors that keep homes comfortable in all seasons. Features like:

• Multiple seals – Dual density bulb seals, rain drain caps, interlocking door bricks with fused thermoplastic seals.
• Polyurethane foam – Up to 500% higher insulating value than wood, restricting heat/cold transfer. Steel doors have added thermal breaks.
• Pre-finish – Factory applied durable paint, stain or faux finishes won’t crack, peel or blister.
• Advanced glass – Optional Low-E4, argon filled glass maximizes insulation.

Air infiltration rates between 0.09 to 0.30 CFM on average demonstrate respectable weather resistance.

Feather River Weatherproofing

Without advanced synthetic sealing, Feather River instead relies on elite carpentry using time honored wood joinery techniques:

• Precision fits – Each door completely custom sized with gapless interfaces between glass, panels and frames.
• Interlocking joints – Traditional curved tongue and groove or cut rabbet joins prevent moisture and air intrusion far longer than sealed trim. Options like pinned tenon and mortise adds further stability.
• Hand bent materials – Curved door components made from steaming high-grade wood prevent cracking or splintering while retaining flexibility for a snug fit.
• Marine sealants – On top of joinery, every possible seam gets treated with heavy weather barrier sealants used in oceangoing vessel construction.

The result is astonishing weather resistance with average air infiltration rates around 0.01 CFM – up to 30X better than JELD-WEN’s best doors. This comes at a high cost though both in terms of custom carpentry labor and regular upkeep sealing will require.

Warranties & Customer Service

Given a major door purchase represents a sizable investment protecting your home, the quality of warranties and customer service each company provides make a difference.

JELD-WEN Warranties

Backing their doors, JELD-WEN offers both a 20-year limited warranty on door slabs and a 10-year limited warranty on factory finishes and hardware under normal wear.

Covered defects include cracking, splitting, delaminating, rusting, and excessive fading.

The warranty is transferable when ownership of the registered home changes. But warrantable issues will always result in repair or replacement of defective components only, not entire new doors.

Feather River Warranties

In contrast, Feather River provides relatively limited 3 year total warranty coverage for material and workmanship defects, and only 1 year on finishes and hardware.

As a much smaller company they unfortunately cannot match the duration JELD-WEN offers on warranties.

But their quality standards remain very high given their focus exclusively on premium wood doors purpose built by hand.

Defects are rare despite the shorter 3 year ceiling.

Customer Service Reputation

When researching homeowner feedback around post-purchase customer service experience, JELD-WEN receives mixed reviews:

• Positives cite fairly quick responses and satisfactory resolutions from warranty reps.
• Negatives complain of repetitive questions before fixing clearly qualified issues. Approved repairs can take weeks or months to schedule.

By comparison as a small business, Feather River prides themselves on direct owner contact for any service needs. Their reputation is very strong around meticulously handcrafting doors then supporting customers like family post-sale with any adjustments or refinishing for long term satisfaction.

Response is direct and fast, though limited dealer network makes broader servicing a challenge. This hands-on approach reflects Feather River’s craftsman roots versus JELD-WEN’s corporate structure.

Pricing & Value Comparison

The final major difference between brands unsurprisingly comes down to cost and overall value based on what features are most important to you.

JELD-WEN Door Cost

Representing one of the largest manufacturers globally producing hundreds of thousands of doors annually, JELD-WEN can offer strong economies of scale at efficient centralized factories resultant of cheaper overhead and sourcing costs.

Their exterior door pricing reflects this, spanning $400 – $1,500+ depending on size, materials, and options selected.

While not the cheapest on the absolute bottom end, JELD-WEN delivers respectable value investing in advanced materials and energy saving technologies aligned with typical homeowners’ needs for security, durability and improved living comfort.

You pay more than a basic slab door but get better functionality and guarantees.

Feather River Door Cost

Alternatively Feather River doors come exclusively from a niche workshop purpose-building doors by hand in small batches versus mass factory production.

Their pricing fittingly falls on the luxury end ranging from $1,200 for simple unfinished single entry doors to $4,000+ for grand curved radius designs and custom carvings.

Raw materials alone of vertical grain heartwood from mature fir/oak trees costs exponentially more than JELD-WEN’s engineered composites or overseas steel.

Then hundreds of precision hand-workshop hours invest further expense before considering profit margins.

The tradeoff? Uncompromising quality, custom architectural aesthetics and a lifetime functional heirloom door unique as a signature.

While undoubtedly a major investment, one saving grace is such elite woodwork actually appreciates yearly in appraised home value vs depreciating like most manufactured products.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Closing Remarks

In summary, JELD-WEN and Feather River occupy distinctly different positions in the exterior door market between flexible everyday quality vs premium bespoke solid wood.

JELD-WEN offers strong thermal performance, contemporary aesthetics and reliable security at affordable pricing for average homeowners through advanced composite engineering and streamlined globalized production.

Feather River presents exceptionally crafted works of wood art built by hand in the US with incredible weather resistance thanks to precision joinery absent vacuums and solvents. But established designs take a backseat to fully custom looks at prices often exceeding well-loved family vehicles.

Depending whether your new entryway serves mainly a practical versus aesthetic purpose, hopefully the detailed comparisons above better inform your ideal brand aligning performance, usage and budget for welcoming guests to your home.

Let me know if any other questions come up differentiating these two quality exterior door manufacturers! I’m happy to discuss further nuances helping make an optimal decision protecting your abode.