The entry door is the door that is used as the main entrance to your home. When choosing an entry door for your home you can choose between fiberglass, steel and wood. Each type of door has benefits that you should take into consideration when making your choice.
Wood entry doors offer a very traditional look. Many people choose wood doors for their homey appearance. In the past, wood entry doors were susceptible to warping when exposed to extremes in the weather. The door, which would be perfectly aligned in the summer, would suddenly become hard to open or close when the weather turned cold. Once the homeowner adjusted the door, summer weather would return, and the humidity would cause the door to stick and need readjustment.
Modern wooden doors are a great improvement over the prior generation. New construction methods make wooden doors a nice choice for the home’s entry. The door should be painted or stained for protection, but otherwise should not require much maintenance.
Many homeowners choose a steel entry door for the lack of maintenance requirements as well as the strength that they offer. Steel doors are a nice choice for those who do not require a traditional look in their home. While steel doors can be painted, they lack the traditional appeal of other types of doors.
Modern steel doors typically have a core made of foam insulation. They also often come with weatherstripping already applied. This makes steel doors an energy efficient choice. Installation is also a simple process. Steel doors typically come with the lockset and door knob holes pre-drilled, which eliminates the need for homeowners to have specialty equipment for drilling through the steel door. Most steel doors arrive already primed and ready for painting.
Fiberglass entry doors offer a compromise between the durability of steel with the more traditional look of wood. They are energy efficient and easy to install like steel. However, rather than the smooth appearance of steel, fiberglass doors have a wood-like texture. Once a fiberglass door is primed and painted or stained, it is hard to distinguish from a wooden door. Fiberglass doors make an excellent choice for entries that are located in high traffic areas.
Regardless of the type of entry door that you choose, you can customize the appearance of the front of your home further by adding glass accent pieces. Many doors come with decorative glass, in the door itself, along the sides or above the door. The glass may be insulated, which allows the door to retain much the energy efficiency as the regular door. Also available is beveled, stained or etched glass, which, while decorative, will lower the efficiency of your door.