Your Quick Guide to Entry Way Doors
The front door of your house makes a strong statement about who you are and plays a critical role in adding curb appeal (value) to your property. Fortunately, a nice-looking entry door won’t break your budget. Yes, it is true that you can buy a custom-made front door that has hand-forged hardware and beautiful art glass for about the same price as a later model Porsche would cost. You would definitely have an impressive entry if you decide to go that route. However, today’s sophisticated manufacturing techniques mean that even doors that are moderately price are nicely designed and well-made.
Value For Your Money
Prices for entry doors start at approximately $150 for a regular six-panel steel door and go up to around $3,500 or more for doors made of solid wood with art glass windows. To have a basic door professionally installed will set you back an additional $300 or so. Made-to-order doors that feature custom craftsmanship, rounded tops or unusual sizes can all increase the price depending on what the various options are.
Steel Doors
Steel entry doors combine stability and strength for a reasonably low price. Their reputation for weather resistance and security is well-deserved. However, solid wood and fiberglass doors are excellent performers as well. Steel doors are not actually made out of solid metal. Instead, these doors feature a steel skin in the 16-24 gauge range along with a polyurethane core. This core material offers great insulation, and steel doors have a high thermal barrier ratings. They either come with factory-applied paint or primed. Some of them have a vinyl coating which gives a wood grain appearance. The major weaknesses of steel doors is that they may rust, the surface has a tendency to scratch, they can be difficult to repair and are prone to dings and dents. In high-traffic areas, like the front entry of your home, the risks increase that accidental damage will occur.
Other Metal Doors
On the other side of steel’s pricing spectrum, wooden doors that are clad in bronze, copper or aluminum offer homeowners distinctive architectural accents and durability. Aluminum-clad doors come with rugged, factory-applied finishes featuring 10-year plus warranties and are very weather-resistant. Advanced extruding techniques help to ensure that the details and joint are very sharp. Bronze- and copper-clad doors come with finishes that change constantly, yet subtly, on account of oxidation. The variegated appearance helps to obscure scratches along with other imperfections that tend to accumulate with time.
Fiberglass Doors
In terms of pricing, fiberglass doors are in between wood and steel doors. However, they outperform both of them in terms of low-maintenance and toughness. The inner foam core of these doors contribute to their high energy efficiency and light weight. The layer of fiberglass covering the core is immune to insects, rot and moisture. Door manufacturers these days have gotten quite adept at getting embossed fiberglass to give the feel and appearance of real fir, mahogany, oak and other kinds of woods to the point that it’s really hard to tell the difference. Fiberglass doors don’t warp in extreme weather, are very stable and can be painted without needing much touch-up at all.
Wood Doors
If you want your door to feature plenty of style, warmth and character, then wood makes an excellent choice. Wood doors cannot be matched when it comes to natural substance and beauty. Featuring a stained or natural finish, they look fantastic with all different styles of homes. Doors made from lower-grade woods, unmatched wood pieces and featuring finger-jointed construction are very easy to paint. Wood is very easy to cut and shape for experienced craftsmen, so there are endless possibilities when it comes to customization. Usually, wood doors are the most expensive option. Prices for standard manufactured doors can range from $500 up to $4,000. For custom configurations and sizes, the price goes up from there. Some of most popular woods for doors include clear fir, mahogany, cherry and oak. However, more exotic options are offered by wood door specialists. The drawbacks of wood doors is that they require regular maintenance, particularly in extreme weather climates. Also, when doors are exposed to direct sunlight and moisture. Changes in texture or color, along with hairline cracks, is a sign that it is time to repair the door’s finish. The finish on your door will need to be touched up every two to three years or so.
Options Galore
Entry doors can be purchased all on their own. However, a majority of them are sold as door systems where the framework along with all the necessary cutouts for deadbolts and latches and hinges mortises come included. Some of these systems are very elaborate and may include arched-top transom windows, rectangular windows, one or two sidelights or double doors. Finished entry systems go up to 16 feet wide and heights nearly that tall. Entry doors can be all-glass, solid, and anything in between. There are also endless choices of art glass and grill selections that are available.
