How to Choose the Right Exterior Door for Your Home

External doors are essential for a house. They not only improve a home’s appeal from the outsider’s perspective, but they are crucial for security, indoor temperature regulation, and protection from outside elements.

Therefore, the choice of the right exterior door can be important for practical benefits while also enhancing the look and feel of your home. This guide will help you make the ideal choice for an external door to enhance your home’s appeal.

Why Choosing the Right Exterior Door Matters

Your home is your haven, a safe space. Would you imagine it open to any and all individuals trying to walk in? This is the simplistic explanation of why an external door is important.

How to choose the right front door? To answer this question, it is essential to first understand what is the right front or exterior door. Choosing the right exterior door not only matters in terms of appearance, but also how it impacts security and your home’s overall aesthetic value.

The right exterior doors for homes built from strong and durable materials, with reliable locking mechanisms, can be your first line of defense against intrusion.

Also, doors built with proper insulation can help reduce heat loss, keeping your indoor temperatures regulated. Thus, preventing your home from heating up during the summer and getting too cold in the winter. So, you would require less reliance on air conditioning or other temperature control systems, helping energy efficiency.

Understanding Exterior Door Types

Here, we will look at how many exterior door types are present for you to choose from. Based on material, design, and mechanisms, the following are the most common types of external doors.

External Wooden Doors

External wooden doors can be defined as a hinged wood assembly designed for the point of entrance and exit into a building. Wood is suitable for both aesthetic appeal and safety.

Wood is a strong enough material to prevent forced entry, while it can help your home resist the onslaught of outdoor elements, providing resistance from harsh weather changes.

UPVC External Door Options

UPVC external doors are made from Unplasticized Polyvinyl Chloride, a strong and durable plastic with high weather resistance.

UPVC is a strong material choice for external doors as they are resistant to external elements, such as rust, rot, and deformation.

External French Doors

External French doors appear as a pair of frames with glass slides that extend for the majority of the overall length. These doors usually open outwards and can be manufactured from different materials such as wood, UPVC, or aluminium.

They are fitted with toughened glass, which prevents accidents, allows protection from the weather, and can be fitted with multiple locking systems, increasing security.

External Sliding Doors

External sliding doors are extremely popular among homeowners due to their ability to be more space-efficient. Instead of swinging inwards or outwards, they slide backwards against the wall, often allowing for space saving.

They often feature large glass panes that are used to maximize natural light and offer unobstructed external views. The common sliding door materials include aluminium, wood, or UPVC.

External Stable Doors

External stable doors are designed as a door with two parts. They are identified by the independent top and bottom segments.

This type of door is notable for flexibility, with the top hatch that can be kept open for ventilation as the bottom half remains closed, maintaining security.

External Bifold Doors

An external bi-fold door has two panels, which are hinged together, opening by folding back in sections. They are useful in saving space, while also creating are wider opening.

Much like sliding doors and French doors, these doors also have panels that leave room for natural light, while being aesthetically appealing due to a seamless shift from outdoors to indoors.

Double Glazed External Doors

Double glazed external doors are characterized by a single frame with two glass layers, often separated by a small space. It works by insulating against heat transfer between the internal and external temperature zones.

The air gap between the two layers is less about trapping heat and more about slowing down the heat movement and reducing heat loss.

Exterior Door Materials and Finishes

Exterior doors can be constructed from different materials and can have different finishes, such as wood, steel, and fiberglass. While many modern doors are also made of UPVC and Aluminium, the three materials mentioned above are the most notable.

Wood, Steel, Fiberglass, and Composite

Wood, steel, and fiberglass are the most common materials used to make external doors. These materials each offer their unique benefits. Here is a chart explaining how each of these materials is suitable for different needs.

Factors	Wood	Steel	Fiberglass
Cost	Moderate or high	Low to moderate	High
Durability	Requires maintenance	Extremely durable	Durable
Maintenance	Requires periodic painting.	Requires periodic maintenance if scratched or dented.	Maintenance-free. However, a scratch or dent can ruin it.
Security	Fairly secure	Extremely secure	Sufficiently secure

Table: Wood vs. Steel vs. Fiberglass Door Material

So, when you are looking to install a new exterior door, depending on your needs, and looking into these properties, you can choose either one of the three discussed materials. Or, you can choose alternative materials, such as UPVC, aluminium, foam, timber, or a combination of any of these.

Finishing Options and Weatherproof Coatings

Considering how to choose an exterior door does not end with the choice of the material. Choosing the right finishing material can also be important. The types of finishing and coatings you can apply to your door include:

• Paint: A wide range of colors and finishes that can suit various environments.
• Stain: This is applied over wooden doors to add color, while also enhancing the wood’s natural grain.
• Varnish: Varnish is used to apply a protective layer over wood. This enhances wood’s durability and can also improve the waterproofing.
• PVC Film: A PVC film is a plastic film applied on the surface of a door, which offers a smooth, durable, and waterproof finish.

Things to Consider Before Buying Exterior Doors

The next step in this exterior door buying guide is to understand what some of the critical questions are to answer when purchasing an exterior door.

Security Enhancements

Here are some of the prevalent additional security enhancements that you can add to your door:

• Installing a door security bar. This prevents anyone from breaking in.
• Considering a doorbell camera for visual verification and surveillance of the doorstep.
• Installing door sensors and motion-sensor lighting for surveillance and deterring forced entry.

Energy Efficiency and Insulation Performance

Your choice of door type and door material must be determined by your needs, especially the aspect of temperature control. The door material’s insulation performance is important because it can help regulate the internal temperature.

Thus, if your home remains cool during the summers and warm during the winters, it reduces dependency on additional temperature control appliances and improves energy efficiency. And, it helps you lower your utility bills.

Soundproofing and Privacy Considerations

The external door for your home is a critical device that blocks intrusion into your private space. However, is the visual protection of your internal space sufficient for security? You can also add auditory protection through soundproofing.

Here is how you can achieve that:

• Use door materials that have an STC (Sound Transmission Class) rating of 30-60 or higher.
• Install soundproof weatherstripping to seal gaps around the doorframe.

Tips for Measuring and Installation

The installation of external doors will be actively dependent on the accurate measurement and careful attention to detail. Some steps that can be followed in this consideration are:

• Measuring the door frame across different points. This will help account for irregularities.
• The smallest height and width measurements should be recorded. This will ensure that the new door fits without issues.
• A rough measurement of the opening should be taken, especially considering a 2-inch wider space than the door’s size. This will maintain a rough space for the door jamb and the required clearance level.
• Also, measuring the door frame thickness will be necessary to install a compatible door.

Maintenance, Care, and Upkeep of Exterior Doors

There are three main steps for the care and upkeep of exterior doors: cleaning, inspection, and maintenance.

Cleaning: Weekly dusting and monthly washing with soap, water, and a soft sponge. The water and soap need to be thoroughly rinsed to avoid rust in the hinge and water spots.

Inspection: Checking for damage to the door frame as well as recording any signs of damage to the auxiliary parts, such as hinges and locks.

Maintenance: Regular lubrication of hinges and locks, refinishing wooden doors once every few years, and consistently sealing any gaps that appear on the door frame.

Final Thoughts

External doors are critical to the appeal, weather control, and security of your home. So, it is crucial to select the appropriate material, type, durability, added security measures, and finishing options to choose the perfect door for your home.

Select the Right Exterior Door For Your Home Today!

Can’t decide which type and material will be right for the external door for your home? Consider the aesthetic elements you prefer, the type of insulation you will require, your space-saving needs, and the ideal materials. For further aid, contact us, and our experts will help you out!