How To Choose A Front Door That Is Best For You

If a home is a castle, its entrance is its drawbridge and portcullis; a suitably impressive introduction to a sumptuous interior. With such a visible and important home feature, it is unsurprising that so much care and attention is used when selecting the perfect entrance door.

We’ve compiled this handy guide to make the process that little bit easier and to ensure that you and your client find what you need.

Entrance Doors – Key Concerns

The entrance of your house sets the scene for everything to come. First impressions count and when you have guests, family or colleagues around, you want to ensure that when they knock on the door, they’re already impressed. To make sure that you get the right door, there are a few things to keep in mind, so when embarking on an entryway project, there are several things you should consider before you start. We have highlighted these areas as four key concerns when selecting an entrance door.

1. Safety and Security

The safety and security of the property owner or tenant should be your primary aim when selecting an entrance door. Any high-quality entrance door – regardless of the material – is specifically designed to resist impact and to retain its tensile strength even under duress. However, the jamb or frame can rupture around the locking area in the case of trauma, causing the lock to fail.

There are a couple of solutions for ensuring you have the maximum security for your family and home. It’s important to choose the latest development in anti-intrusion locks and hinge technologies. There are a number of security sliding doors that offer triple locks for added security and are made from extra strong material that will resist any attempts to get through.

If you’d prefer a hinge door, a security door can make a great addition to any traditional option and won’t impact the aesthetics or look of your home.

With this in mind, it is worth investing in a good-quality lock and a new door jamb to prevent forced entry. Robust dead bolts and double-entrance doors for a house can also help to boost security.

2. Energy

With rising energy prices and increasing concern around climate change, an entrance door needs to be as energy efficient as possible. Doorways are recognised as weak spots in a home’s energy-efficiency strategy, so steps need to be taken to keep the warm air in during the winter and outside during the summer.

Features such as InsulSafe™ and other double glazing solutions are perfect for people mindful of energy bills. Ensuring that your home is cool in summer and warm in winter reduces excess power consumption and wastage, by minimising how much heat or cool air escapes your living spaces through the front door.  

3. Aesthetics

Choosing an entry for a property is all about making an impression, so what do you and your family want to achieve? Perhaps it is a sleek and modern aesthetic that you have envisioned or it is an intricate design with decorative glass that you want.

Advances in technology have enabled manufacturers to produce stunning, magnificent and suitably striking models. Remember that an entry door installation is part of a wider aesthetic project across the interior and exterior of the property; create a harmonious, unified design that will make you and your family proud.

4. Front Door Frame Replacement?

Is the entrance area being drastically remodelled or re-sized? Will you keep the old door jamb and framing fixtures and simply replace the entrance door? Or will you need brand new surrounds to give the door more strength plus a brand new look? These are questions you need to ask before embarking on the project.

Materials

When choosing an external entrance door, there are three basic options to consider; wood, composite or fibreglass.

Wood Doors

Wood is the traditional material for manufacturing entrance doors. Generally associated with a classic effect, wood is the option to go for if your family wants an authentic finish in their entrance doorway. Wood can be the most expensive option when compared to modern variations, however the traditional look and feel of a wood door is hard to beat. Wooden front doors also require regular maintenance – including painting and varnishing – though they do tend to be hard wearing and difficult to damage. Wood is traditional, welcoming and more than worth the investment for people who love a classic aesthetic.

Fibreglass Doors

Modern fibreglass entry doors offer a practical alternative to solid wood doors, and are available with a moulded finish, which mimics the classic aesthetic of wood. In terms of security, energy efficiency and maintenance, fibreglass doors also score well, which helps to account for their popularity among homeowners. A Fibreglass door is a good choice in regions where the climate is harsh and where the exterior would typically take a beating from the elements. 

Composite Doors

This type of door can be created using various materials, for a truly fortified and secure door. Here at Doors Plus, we use Medium Density Fibreboard (MDF); a reconstituted wood panel product. More dense than plywood, it also features a smooth finish on both sides. Thanks to their affordability, smooth finish, ease of painting, and variation of design, composite doors are a great choice to a high end alternative. Our versatile doors are available both with and without glass, and with screen mesh, so you can choose a product that’s perfectly suited to your individual requirements.