The Difference Between Walston Door Company Doors and Box Stores

How to Differentiate Between High-Quality Custom Barn Doors and Mass-Produced Ones

You’re probably familiar with the old saying, “You get what you pay for.”

That quote could not be more true when it comes to custom barn doors compared to what the box stores produce for the masses. However, this might not be super obvious upon first glance (or even second glance, for that matter). Most people aren’t as immersed in the world of barn doors as we are, and the box stores count on that.

The fact of the matter is that box stores have become rather good at disguising their deficiencies in quality of craftsmanship, materials, functionality, and barn door designs. This is especially difficult for those shoppers who are looking for barn doors online. Most don't even realize what they've purchased until it's already in their home being unboxed.

So, what’s the big difference between the custom barn doors we sell at Walston Architectural Products in Kansas City and the box stores? Let’s dig in.

#1 – A Huge Quality Difference

Ever go grocery shopping and get both the name brand and the discount brand of a product just to see how they compare? Both brands make the same products, but there are times when the discount brand is just…off. Something’s not quite right about the flavor and quality.

Like any discount brand, box stores are notorious for cutting corners. They use the most inexpensive wood and materials (a cost-saving tactic). They use a lot of assembly line methods that prioritize speed over quality (another cost-saving tactic). They also only offer their barn doors in certain models with very little to no customization options (yet another time and cost-saving tactic).

Box stores are all about putting out products for as little and as quick as possible. The result is a barn door that is wholly unoriginal, isn’t exactly what you want, and runs the risk of crackling or splintering down the line when the wood begins to show its age.

By comparison, Walston Architectural Products' custom barn doors use only the highest quality materials to ensure they can handle the rigors of daily use and don’t need to be prematurely replaced. Additionally, every inch of your custom barn door is handcrafted by a human being with any custom painting or finishing you have requested. Finally, our custom barn doors are 1 ¾” thick while box store barn doors are as little as 1 ⅛” to 1 ⅜” thick. Walston Architectural Products doors are designed as sliding doors to smoothly glide on the rail versus other doors that bounce and rattle.

Once again, you get what you pay for. When you buy a custom door from Walston Architectural Products, you’re getting a quality of door the box store folks simply can’t match.

#2 – Custom Barn Door Designs

Earlier we referred to how box stores only sell a limited number of models and don't offer much by way of custom options. Walston Architectural Products, on the other hand, makes every door in Kansas City by local craftsmen and offers a full suite of customization options.

Additionally, to make the shopping process easier for our customers, we have broken down our door designs into three main categories based upon price point. They include:

• Builder Series (lowest price point): Available in three affordable size options and always kept in stock. This includes our popular Horizontal Plank Door, Painted Geometric Door, and Reeded Door. Our Builder Series is a fantastic way to get a high-quality barn door when working against budgetary constraints.
• Designer Series (mid-tier price point): Using advanced manufacturing techniques combined with computerized numerical control (CNC) technology, Walston Architectural Products is kicking the traditional “barn door” style to the curb and reinventing it. You’ll find barn door designs that are unique at comparable prices to what you’ll find in the box stores. Our newest designs include the reeded door, the fluted door, the slat door, and the Logo Door, which enables clients to upload their own unique brand or insignia to be carved into their custom barn door.
• Premium Series (highest-price point): If you pay a premium price, you can rest assured you’re going to get the most premium quality custom barn door ever made by human hands. The premium series cannot be found in the box stores. It includes doors such as the white oak geometric door that has hand selected wood planks and the traditional “barn” style 1 panel Z doors that are made with solid wood. Within our premium series, customers can request custom sizes, custom wood species, and custom stain colors.

Needing Barn Door Installation Near You? Here Are Your Options

Of course, no custom barn door is complete without the installation as a finishing touch. Once Walston Architectural Products has your product(s) ready, you’ll have three options for shipping. You can either pick them up from our Kansas City shop, have them brought directly to your home and professionally installed, or you can have them shipped with detailed self-installation instructions.

Please check out our Delivery, Installation, & Shipping page for detailed info on that.

Start Shopping for Barn Doors for Sale! Walston Architectural Products in Kansas City Makes It Easy!

As the leading door company near you in Kansas City, Walston Architectural Products carries a wide variety of custom barn door designs that are meant to suit every budget and aesthetic. We have everything from modern barn doors to rustic and everything in between. The best way to get started is checking out our online shop of barn doors.

Looking for barn door installation near you? If you’re within 25 miles of our shop in Kansas City, we’ll be more than happy to take care of the installation.

Interested in seeing our barn doors in person as opposed to online? Set up a one-on-one consultation with us at our shop and we’ll be happy to show you around. We get it…sometimes you need to see something for yourself before you can make a decision.

Have more questions about custom barn doors or the installation process? Contact us directly via our contact form or call us at (816) 726-3841.