When you’re renovating the home and shopping for a new front door, you need to do more than just find a style you like. You might find that certain exterior doors help to keep out the heat or noise levels, in addition to being an attractive part of the home.
There are three basic materials to choose from when you’re ordering a door, each with its own unique properties. Most people think about wood doors when they think of doors, but fiberglass and steel have become popular alternatives over the years for a variety of reasons. With this handy list of items to consider, you’ll be able to choose the perfect front door for your home.
ClimateDifferent materials will react to the weather with more or less severity. Fiberglass is probably one of the best materials for areas that see four seasons, but it can leave some to be desired with regards to heat insulation and they don’t look as attractive as pure wood doors. Doors can receive a coat of varnish that helps to protect them from the heat, but they usually don’t do well in heavy snow or rain. Wind might only smooth out the wood on a door, especially in arid desert-like climates. Moisture isn’t typically a problem with wood exterior doors because of the insulation they have, but steel doors can rust if they are not treated properly. In addition, heavy weather might strip away paint or scratch steel or fiberglass.
Care and Maintenance
Wood requires a lot of maintenance compared to the other materials, but the amount of maintenance isn’t much in general. It’s a good idea to give new wood doors a coating of varnish to help protect the wood grain from whatever moisture is in the air. You can treat or stain wooden front doors too, but beware that exposure to the sun can fade the color or paint on wood doors.
Noise Levels and InsulationWooden doors have a reasonable amount of insulation, but fiberglass or steel might better insulate the home from loud noises. Bear in mind that some sounds will get through no matter what you do, like stereo systems with a lot of bass or a train running through your neighborhood. In those cases, it might be best to just choose a door you find attractive.
Final ThoughtsDoors won’t completely insulate your house, but they are a good first step. Older properties that haven’t upgraded to double-paned windows will see a major benefit in energy savings when they upgrade.
Bio: ETO Doors has showrooms in Las Vegas and New York, with headquarters in Los Angeles, California. Customers can visit ETO Doors online to order doors and have them shipped anywhere in the United States.