What To Think About When Shopping For A New Entry Door
If you're renovating your home, one thing that will enhance it's curb appeal is to install a new entry door. Besides painting, a new exterior door is the one thing that can really affect the appearance of your home. That's because you can choose from so many styles, colors, and materials for your door. You can opt for something that is purely functional or go for a door that adds a touch of luxury to your home. Here are some things to consider when you shop for a new door.
Your Climate
If you live in an area where humidity is high, or if your home is subject to temperature extremes, you may want to think twice about installing a wood door. Woods doors are luxurious, but they can warp or crack due to humidity or climate conditions. Also, consider if your door is exposed to sunlight all day. If you have a south-facing door that isn't under shade, UV exposure will take a toll on the door over the years. This could cause damage to a wood door or cause the finish on a steel door to deteriorate. Excess UV exposure can even cause a vinyl door to fade.
Maintenance Required
Different materials require different amounts of maintenance. You'll need to keep up with repairs to keep your wood door looking nice. This could mean you'll have to paint or stain it every few years too. Steel doors may need to be painted occasionally when the old paint becomes chalky or fades. A vinyl door doesn't usually need to be painted, but you'll have to wash it to keep it free from grime and stains. Fiberglass doors don't require much care at all. You probably won't have to paint a fiberglass door and the material isn't damaged easily or destroyed by insects. Since fiberglass is made to look just like wood with color and texture variations, it doesn't show dirt as easily as some other surfaces, such as white vinyl.
Home Security
Of course, you want your door to look beautiful, but you don't want to sacrifice home security. Most door materials are very secure, especially if you buy premium versions with strong cores. Solid wood doors are very heavy and are extremely difficult to break through as long as the locks are strong and the door is installed properly. Steel doors are also strong, but they dent if kicked. However, the dents can easily be pulled out and repaired. Fiberglass doors are also very strong and they resist denting just like wood. When considering home security for your entry door, besides looking at the type of material used to make the door, you want to look at the placement of windows since the glass is the most vulnerable part of the door.
Appearance
There are so many choices when it comes to entry doors, that it comes down to a matter of personal choice. If you want a solid color door, such as one in the popular red color, then steel is a good choice because the door will be attractive while needing little in the way of maintenance. However, if you want a luxury look, you may want a wood door with a glass front, side windows, or a transom. The glass in doors comes with several choices too. You can buy insulated glass for enhanced energy efficiency, and you can buy glass that is etched for beauty, or frosted for privacy. If you love the look of a wood door, but don't like the price tag, consider going with a fiberglass door with a wood finish. It will look just like a high-end wood door, but it costs much less. Plus, you'll also gain the benefit of less maintenance when you choose fiberglass over wood.
One last thing to consider when you buy a new door is if you need to replace the entire frame or just the door. If you want to widen the door or add side windows, you'll need to replace the entire frame, threshold, jambs, and maybe even the wall studs. As long as the original door parts are not decayed, you may be able to buy a door of the same dimensions and replace the door only. If you plan to do the job yourself, be sure to note which side of the door holds the knob and which side holds the hinges before you buy a new one, since doors differ by right or left hand and outward or inward swing. Check out a retailer like Window Planet to get started.
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