How to Choose the Best Exterior Door for Your Home
Consumers Looking For New Exterior Doors Will Be Faced With An Abundance Of Options And A Range Of Materials, Styles And Features. This Exploration Can Quickly Become Overwhelming. The Best Exterior Door Serves Several Important Functions. It Beautifies Your Exterior, Protects Your Home And Its Contents, Improves Energy Efficiency And Ensures Your Family’s Comfort, No Matter The Season.
Whether you’re looking for a main exterior door, patio door, side door or garage entry door, we’re here to help you find the door that fits your style and needs. Explore this guide to exterior door materials, styles, functions and features to help you make an informed choice.
Material Matters
The material your door is made of will affect its style, function, and cost. Since each material has its own set of advantages and disadvantages, what works for one homeowner may not work for another. Here are the most common types of door materials.
Wood
A wood door can be the perfect choice for a home’s entryway. Its natural, timeless beauty enhances the curb appeal, especially for homes with more traditional styles like Colonial or Craftsman design.
Wood front doors have a warm, inviting charm that is hard to replicate. And each wood door is unique because of the wood’s unique, natural grain and rich colors. Depending on the wood species you choose, your door can have a refined and elegant finish or a cozy and welcoming one.
However, there is one major drawback to wood doors: their higher price tag. Fortunately, there are other beautiful material options that replicate the look and feel of wood at a fraction of the cost.
Steel
Steel doors provide optimum strength; a major advantage in terms of security and durability. They are strong, require little maintenance and often consist of an insulating foam core, wrapped in a tough layer of steel, which enhances their energy efficiency. Steel doors are often more suited to a contemporary aesthetic and can be painted in a colour that harmonises with the hues of your home.
If you’re choosing a new garage entry door, be sure to check local bylaws, as you’ll likely need to opt for a wood or steel fire door for added security.
Fiberglass
For a durable, attractive, and more affordable entry or side door than wood, fiberglass is a great option. Fiberglass doors provide excellent security and strength, as well as good insulation that helps control the temperature in your home year-round.
Fiberglass is a popular choice that combines energy efficiency, durability, affordability and beauty and comes in a range of designs and finishes to suit your preferences. Raised grain patterns strikingly recreate the look of natural wood.
Fiberglass doors are also designed to provide good soundproofing, making them a great option in noisier environments for homeowners who want to muffle street or construction noise.
JELD-WEN Canada offers fiberglass exterior doors to suit any style. For example, choose a full-height, ready-to-paint fiberglass door or a craftsman-style fiberglass door that mimics the grain of oak.
Glass
Depending on your privacy needs, doors with small or large glass panels enhance the curb appeal of your home while letting coveted natural light filter inside. Opaque or semi-opaque glass can be included, depending on the level of privacy desired.
A front door with lots of glazing can be a good choice for a modern or contemporary home.
Composite
Composite doors can be made from a variety of materials, including plastic, wood, foam and glass. The end result can look like wood, but requires less maintenance and is less likely to warp. These doors are also well insulated and provide good security. Depending on their construction and materials, composite doors can be more expensive than other options.
