Your home’s entrance and exit should offer security along with enhancing the appearance of the interior and exterior of your home. This is important because it being the main entrance to the house means that it can also allow intruders. That is why choosing the best quality exterior door without compromising security and aesthetics is essential.
There are various door designs to choose from, and this makes it more challenging. What you buy for a front door depends on what you want the door to do for you. Some homeowners want exterior doors that provide high-energy efficiency so that they do not pay more on energy bills, while others want a door that makes their home unique. Regardless of the reasons why you are looking for a front door, make sure the door is strong for maximum security. Let us look at some of the types you will be interested to know.
1. Composite Doors
Composite exterior doors are made from a combination of materials, all with different beneficial characteristics, making a very durable and sturdy door. The materials combined to make this door are wood, PVC, insulating foam, and glass-reinforced plastic.
Composite entry doors offer excellent heat resistance due to the insulating foam. The door is also resistant to weathering and fading. Composite makes a very energy-efficient door, a factor many homeowners do not overlook. Although this door is more costly, the benefits you get from it are worth the price. to fully secure your house make sure that you also set up an alarm on your car place, if you not sure how to make that – you always can use garage door service
The door is available in many designs and styles to suit your home. You can also get it in many color options, although you cannot repaint it due to the material. Another essential characteristic of this door is its ease and cheap maintenance cost. They don’t fade; hence no repainting is required.
2. Wood
Wood is another common type of door with many beneficial characteristics. Most homeowners own wood doors because of their natural aesthetics. Wood doors are available in many wood species like pine, cider, and mahogany, all having different stains.
Wood does not conduct heat, making these doors energy efficient. They are also durable and sturdy, offering security and longevity, so you will not have to worry about replacing the door. Although wood does not have high thermal resistance, cracks on the door can easily be repaired using a wood patty or patching another piece of wood.
The downside of wood is it’s expensive to purchase and maintain costs. These doors are more expensive than the uPVC types, and they easily fade hence require repainting from time to time. Wood doors are prone to water. When exposed to moisture, the door swells and starts to rot. This rotting can be spread to the walls and other parts of the house, causing significant damages.
Wood exterior doors are prone to insects like termites. They feed on it, leaving ugly holes on the door that are hard to repair. This destroys the door slowly, and its weakening makes the house more vulnerable to burglars and intruders.
Besides the disadvantages of this door, it is the most suitable type for traditional homes, and you can also get styles suitable for modern homes.
3. Steel
Steel is a standard front door material because it is lightweight and less expensive to buy and install compared to its counterparts such as wood and fiberglass. Steel is also easy to shape, so various door designs and styles are made from this material. If you are looking for energy efficiency, this is not the best door type to buy because steel is a good conductor of heat, which compromises on its energy efficiency.
With the lower price, you get durability and a door that you can repaint into colors of your choice. However, this door material is not a good choice for houses along the coast. It rusts due to moisture and salt concentration in the atmosphere.
Steel replacement entry doors are also not strong enough and have a less thermal resistance. Rusting plus the low thermal resistance makes the door weak, in turn making your home vulnerable to burglary activities.
Get good installers to do the work of installing the exterior door that you choose. This will save you from poor installation problems like reduced energy efficiency in a very energy-efficient door.
