TAMPA, FL - Door manufacturer Masonite International has filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission its intention to make an initial public offering.

The IPO will cap a dramatic turnaround for Masonite, a storied brand in wood manufacturing which has recast itself with an aggressive acquisitions and retooling strategy since emerging from bankruptcy.

CEO Fred Lynch says in the past year Masonite has lowered costs, introduced over one hundred new products, completed three strategic "tuck-in" acquisitions (mostly interior wood door plants) and finished the construction phase on a new automated interior door plant. New proprietary e-commerce tools "will improve our business results and those of our channel partners,” said Lynch in announcing the results. “These actions have positioned Masonite to benefit from what we expect to be a multi-year, multi-leg recovery.”

Masonite, a global designer and manufacturer of interior and exterior doors for residential and commercial construction, as well as residential remodeling, was founded in 1925. It now  employs 9,100, and serves 6,000 customers in 70 countries.

Masonite International says it intends to trade on the New York Stock Exchange, where it traded until its shares were acquired by investors KKR and it was delisted. It filed its latest registration statement with the SEC on Feb. 27.

Deutsche Bank Securities, Barclays and BofA Merrill Lynch are serving as joint book-running managers of the offering and Deutsche Bank Securities and Barclays are acting as representatives of the underwriters. RBC Capital Markets, Wells Fargo Securities, Zelman Partners LLC and Scotiabank are acting as co-managers of the offering.

Masonite has cued markets for the likelihood of a stock offering, adopting a financial reporting regimen in January 2012 in anticipation, voluntarily issuing quarterly earnings reports and a year-end financial statement. Its year end report shows dramatic improvement in revenues and profits, most of it driven by buyouts of other companies during the downturn.

Fourth quarter net sales increased 9 percent to $418.2 million. Net sales in the North America segment increased 14.5% to $306.5 million; European sales were flat at $92 million.

For the year ended Dec. 31, 2012, sales rose by $186.8 million, or 12.5 percent %, to $1,676.0 million for the fourth quarter and year ended, respectively, over the comparable 2011 periods. Excluding the impact of foreign exchange, net sales would have increased $225.2 million or 15.1%, to $1,714.4 million for the year; $1,009 billion were North American sales.

As the home building and home remodeling sectors revived, Masonite is well positioned to take advantage of the opportunity.