Choose the Best Entry Doors for Your Home
Your front door says a lot about you. It’s the first thing people notice about your home, so make sure it has curb appeal. Follow these steps to make sure your home has the best entry door, ultimately giving your home the right first impression.
The Basics
The first decision a homeowner needs to make is in the style of door they want. Creating that desired curb-appeal begins with choosing the appropriately sized style to match your home. The typical options are single or double style, which indicates the size of the entrance.
Single doors are individually swinging doors that are commonly found on average to smaller homes. An entry door should not overshadow a home’s size because it would simply look out of place. Single doors emphasize privacy but can be designed to give the same natural light benefits as a double door.
Double doors are dual doors that have the option open, usually in an internal fashion. This style is commonly known as “French” doors, and are typically found in larger homes. They are great for letting in more natural light for home entrances, along with providing a wider entryway for moving large objects into your home.
Material Matters
Once an appropriate-sized style is chosen, you need to consider what material works best for you. Entry doors are most commonly made out of 3 materials: wood, fiberglass, and steel. Each has their benefits when considering weather durability, security, and pricing.
A Timeless Option: Wood
Wood doors offer heavy structural integrity but are prone to weathering due to the elements. They often require maintenance to keep a proper coating of wood stain on it and tend to swell or shrink given the season. In the winter, wood doors shrink in their setting. Alternatively, wood doors will swell in the summer heat and moisture. This means that they aren’t very energy efficient, costing you more on your energy bill in the long-run. So on average wood entry doors are more expensive than other materials, given their maintenance and potential cost for restorations. Wood tends to be an older option when it comes to choosing a material, and other options have really improved in recent years.
The Freedom of Fiberglass
Fiberglass provides a lot of flexibility when it comes to choosing a door. The material itself is durable and supported, yet it allows for dynamic styling. Fiberglass doors can replicate the texture and color of expensive wood doors while keeping the same structural integrity for less than the price of real wood doors. Fiberglass is also very low-maintenance, so you don’t have to constantly re-touch the finish on the door. This creates a material that is relatively cheap compared to wood doors, given that there is little upkeep or responsibility to maintain it’s structure and appearance.
Standalone Steel
Steel is the least expensive of the 3 options listed. It’s a durable material like fiberglass, making it a reasonable alternative to wood doors. With today’s proper insulation techniques, steel doors are becoming an increasingly popular option because of their strong framing and long-lasting material. They are built to withstand heavy weather and maintain it’s quality through the elements. They are susceptible to scratches and dents, but they don’t require the amount of effort for maintenance like a wood or fiberglass option would.
Customize Your Look
There are lots of ways to make your entry door reflective of your personality and style. The entry door sets the tone of your home from the start, so you need to make it your own. Wood doors have stains that range in color and finish, which makes it easy to match the style of your home. Fiberglass also provides texture and stain options to replicate the look of wood doors, along with paint options if the “wood” look isn’t for you. Steel is usually painted over with a weather resistant paint and can turn the plain steel look into a vibrant entryway.
Go Even Further
Once the style and color of the door are chosen, we can look into further customization. Door handles and lock combinations are great ways to add curb-appeal since there are a bunch of ways to incorporate sleek looks into your door. Handles and locks are usually made of metal and have various finishes- gold, silver, brass, etc. When paired properly with the color of the door, it leaves a great impression and adds real value to the front of your home. Knockers can also add a rustic and old-fashioned style to your home, which is a great aesthetic alternative to only providing a doorbell. They are also equally as functional as they are unique to look at.
Windows and decorative glass around an entry door will add functionality, along with expanding the look of the entryway. The main reason to add windows directly to the door or around the framing of the entryway is to create natural light that can light up the inside of the home. These windows give you a line of sight to the front of your home, but there are alternative options to create windows that limit the ability to see into your home. This is the added value of privacy that decorative windows can provide.
Why Choose Feldco?
Feldco offers the best value at competitive prices when it comes down to quality entry doors. Wood is not the material of choice anymore; fiberglass and steel doors create the perfect entry doors for your home. Feldco provides endless combinations, so you’ll be sure to find the right fit for your personality and style.
Each door is also custom measured and manufactured to fit your home’s individual specifications. This creates an installation you can count on to be done correctly, ensuring dependable energy efficiency.
