fbpx

The Right Front Door Makes The Right Impression

The front door is the face of your home, the welcoming point for friends and family, and the right door can make or break a great first impression.

Aside from exterior aesthetics, your front door can upgrade the safety of your home, and one that is well-insulated and well-fitting can help improve your overall energy efficiency. With hundreds of styles, and colours to choose from, the hard part is deciding which material.

Genuine Wood

From wood, teak, and walnut to hemlock and pine, genuine wood is a classic and beautiful option for your front door, and some wooden doors have been seen to stand up better to the elements than man made doors.

The main drawbacks, however, include warping and bowing from moisture and heat, as well as offering a low R-value compared with steel or aluminum, although new construction methods have reduced their susceptibility to damage. Genuine wood doors also require regular maintenance, including staining, painting, or sealing.

Composite wood

Doors made of composite wood, or wood veneer, combine a medium density fibreboard (MDF) with a wood veneer. In some ways this offers the best of both worlds, in that they can resemble genuine wood, but provide the strength, R-value and weather resistance of a man made door. Unfortunately, they require as much maintenance as a solid wood door.

Fibreglass

Fibreglass doors are sturdier than aluminium and steel, and can be made to mimic the look of genuine wood. They can be painted or stained to your choosing, though they should be repainted every five years or so.

Aluminium

Newer to the market, aluminium doors offer the same advantages as aluminium siding, including an enamel finish that will never need repainting and won’t rust. Aluminium doors come in many styles and colours, including wood finishes. Like steel, aluminium can dent, and as they’re usually custom built, they tend to be more expensive than steel.

Steel

Steel is probably the most popular material when it comes to replacement doors. They’re the least expensive, durable, and are more secure than wood. They won’t warp, twist, or crack over time. Often, the interior features a steel or wooden inner frame filled with insulating foam, resulting in a door that provides as much as five times the R-value (the insulation rating) of an ordinary wood door.

Unfortunately, steel doors are susceptible to dents and scratches in the painted surface, which can cause rust.

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Call Now
Request A Quote