Reverse molded plant-on panel component, method of manufacture, and method of decorating a door therewith

A method of making a plant-on wood composite component for decorating a planar surface, comprising the steps of:

• providing a mold press having an upper mold die and a lower mold die, wherein the upper die has a planar zone, a contoured zone and angles zones, and the lower die has a planar zone, a contoured zone and angles zones complementary to the zones of the upper die, respectively;
• positioning a cellulosic mat between the upper and lower dies;
• and
• compressing the cellulosic mat between the upper and lower dies and heating the cellulosic mat to a temperature sufficient to form a door skin having at least one panel portion lying on a first plane, a skirt portion having a first surface adapted to be exteriorly disposed and an opposite second surface adapted to be interiorly disposed in order to be adhesively secured to a planar surface, and an outwardly extending contoured portion surrounding the panel portion and interconnecting and integral with the panel portion and the skirt portion, the skirt portion extending peripherally about the panel portion.