There's nothing that makes a better first impression in interior design than an impressive front door. You might not notice it; after all, a door's a door, right? Not quite. A great front door sets the tone for the style and design of your home. It lets visitors know what to expect, and makes a subtle statement that lasts. With the plethora of materials and styles available these days, finding the right door that fits your aesthetic and budget can be frustrating. Our handy guide helps you make sense of the noise, without the hassle.
When it comes to picking a door, one of the most important considerations is where it's going to be located. Doors can be either indoor or outdoor. Indoor doors or interior doors are ones that separate spaces from one another like bedroom doors, living room doors, or bathroom doors. Exterior or outdoor doors are the ones that separate spaces from the outside, and have the dual role of being functional and aesthetically pleasing.
Exterior doors have to be tough enough to withstand wind, rain, scorching sun, and intruders. While older models made from wood might seem like a solid choice, they tend to warp, crack, and delaminate after years of exposure to the elements, making them a poor choice. Metal doors night seem like a better option, but don't last forever, either, and can peel or corrode depending on their level of exposure to the outdoors.
Still, wooden doors continue to be one of the most common choices for homeowners. They're versatile, pretty, and come in multiple configurations like oak, cherry, walnut, mahogany, maple, teak, cedar and fir, or softwood varieties like pine and western hemlock. Many stock wood doors are a composite made up of wood-veneer skins over an engineered-wood core. This minimises warping and makes doors affordable. While a solid wood door can go for around $600 - $1000 USD, a composite door retails for around $200, making them a great low-cost alternative. To get the best bang for you buck, look for tough, furniture-grade veneers that are at least 1/16 inch thick.
If you're looking for a better quality alternative, go for brands that employ laminating to increase the material's sturdiness. Brands like Lamson-Taylor, Pella, and Simpson minimise bowing and warping by laminating two pieces of wood to create the stiles and rails with an insulation core, which retail for around $300-$500.
For premium options, opt for solid wood. A 3-foot-wide x 6-foot 8-inch-high, six-panel pine door runs at least $600, while hardwood doors are even more expensive. Figure on about $2,000 to $4,000 for a complete system that includes a prehung door in its frame, hinges, locksets, sidelights, and weatherstripping. Look for doors with durable stains and clear finishes like polyurethane or high-gloss sheens for the best value for your money. When applying a finish, make sure to also apply it to the top and bottom edges of the door to prevent the wood from absorbing moisture and swelling. Also look for careful detailing. As a rule, the more intricate the carvings and moldings, and the thicker and wider the stiles and rails, the better the door. The same goes for panel thickness.
Other options include fiberglass-composite doors that are tough and maintenance-free. They're a great choice for harsh or humid climates that pose a risk to traditional wooden doors and can be manufactured to mimic the look of wood with grain texturing and wooden stains. Underneath, these doors rest on a sturdy framework of wooden stiles and rails filled with a polyurethane-foam insulation.
Another cost-effective option is a steel door. They're a great choice if security and durability are your top priorities because they don't crack or warp like wooden or fiberglass doors. They're cheap and widely available, are a filled with a high-density foam insulation.
Whatever your pick, make sure to go for higher quality models with added features like a thermal break — a vinyl strip or part of the wood frame that separates the inside and outside door skins to prevent outside cold and heat from being conducted through the skin and frame, and frost from forming on the inside surface.