The Art of Choosing a Front Door

The first impression is doubtlessly important. According to some researches, it takes between 30 seconds to two minutes to form an opinion about some person. It’s similar with houses too. The first thing people notice about a house is the door which should be a symbol of hospitality and warmth of a home. That’s why we can’t classify choosing the door as an easy task that requires no thinking at all.

There is some art in finding a door that look pleasant and inviting, but at the same time is firm and safe from any possible intruders. Let us see then, what are the available materials for doors and how can you find that ideal entrance to your house.

Wooden Door

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These kinds of doors are often used when you are trying to customize the design, because they’re easy to manipulate. If you don’t like ordinary things and don’t want to have the same door as your neighbor, wood will give you plenty of options to customize the design and add some specifics. You can embellish it with decorative glass, transoms, side lights, etc, because they’re much easier to install on wood than on any other material. One of the biggest disadvantages of wooden door is that it requires a lot of maintenance. Over some period, due to exposure to various elements the wood can warp.

Fiberglass Door

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Fiberglass doors beat wood at endurance in a second. Not only they can last much longer, but they can also be painted over or stained in order to look just as if they would be made of wood. They come with added protection from the elements, because of an insulated core. At the first glance the price of fiberglass door is much higher than the wooden door. In the long run, however, the investment pays off, because you are saving energy and don’t have to replace them as often.

Steel Door

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The safest and the longest lasting option is door made of steel. Because they have insulated foam inside the panels and steel on both sides they are made to be endurable and resistant to elements. However, if in some rare cases damage occurs, they’re rather difficult and expensive to repair. This can even result in the need for complete replacement. 

Types of Seals

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Compression sealed doors are using flexible PVC gaskets along the four sides of the entry way. Safer and more energy-efficient option is magnetically sealed door that are made of steel or some metal. Magnetically sealed doors are forming a tight seal by using magnetic seal alike the one used on refrigerator doors. They’re more expensive option than compression seals, but in the long run, they’ll save large amounts of energy.

  

Security Considerations

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Reports of burglaries and petty thefts should make you reconsider how safe is your front door, and how can you make it even safer. Installing a box strike and additionally securing it with fortified door jamb is the best combination. In a recent chat with an experienced Randwick-based locksmith, it was brought to my attention that, with sufficient abuse the box plate will eventually fall, but a layer of steel around the frame will make the burglars’ job much more difficult.

One of the most common weaknesses burglars tend to exploit is door that opens outwards. If you’ve already placed the door in such manner, than do your best to protect them. You can improve the resistance of hinges by different safety studs. In the end, cover the door by CCTV cameras and make the area well lighten, so the intruders would give up at the first glance on your entrance.

As you see, choosing the right front door isn’t easy, and requires some considerations, but if you do your job well, you’ll end up having both inviting and safe entrance to your home.