The Gateway to Your Dream Home: Selecting a Front Door

[bs_lead]First impressions are everything.[/bs_lead]

Before guests can see the intricate interior design work you have done in your home, you must give them a great first impression.

Before Choosing Your Front Door

Like an introduction when you meet someone, your front door is the introduction to your home. Your front door signals what can be found inside and stands as the focal point of your home’s exterior, so your decision on a front door should not be taken lightly.

Picking a new door for your home can be fun, but replacing your old door isn’t always as easy as swapping it out for a new model. The surrounding door frame, jambs, or threshold may have endured damage through the wear and tear of age, wind, rain, sun, snow, pests, or rot. Sometimes, your door frame can appear fine, but you may notice your door is difficult to open and close, which is a sign that the wall studs the frame is nailed to are bowed or have settled incorrectly. Depending on the material of your new door, the frame can be adjusted to fit the new door, but other materials, such as metal and fiberglass, can’t be planed or trimmed and require a replacement frame. 

Front Door Materials

Not only must you select a material that matches your home’s aesthetic, but your front door has to be able to withstand the elements. While giving a natural look to your entry way and offering a variety of finishes, solid wood or wood veneer doors do not hold up as well as other materials, as they crack, warp, rot, and lose their finish over time. More durable materials, such as metal and fiberglass, don’t last forever, but they are more capable of weathering the elements than wood.

Wood Doors

Despite being less durable than other materials, wood is the most common material used on front doors. This is likely due to wood doors’ range of costs and the versatility of types of woods, such as oak, cherry, walnut, mahogany, maple, fir, and pine. Not only can the underlying surface offer many options, but there is a plethora of stains, finishes, and styles available in wood doors. From a framed door with a wood veneer to a solid-wood door, the cost of a wooden door is between around $200 to $4,000 and beyond.

Steel & Aluminum Doors

The strongest, most durable door you can buy is a steel door. Steel doors offer the most security for your home and will not crack or warp like wood. Although steel doors can develop dents and dings, they can be popped back out and puttied over, much like a car’s exterior. Many steel doors have wooden frames beneath their steel shell, but there are options with steel frames. No matter the frame, the cavities between the framing and the surface of steel doors are filled with high-density foam insulation.

Steel doors usually offer flat surfaces, but they can be purchased with embossed wood-grain patterns or wood veneer exteriors. Like wooden doors, the cost of steel doors varies, but, generally, steel doors can be purchased for cheaper than wooden doors. For an alternative metal, aluminum doors can be very durable and are custom-built to fit your entryway, but their prices start at around $600.

Fiberglass-Composite Doors

Fiberglass-composite front doors are around the same price as wood and are slightly more than steel doors, but they offer a strong door and are maintenance free. Like steel doors with embossed wood-grain patterns, fiberglass-composite doors can be manufactured, designed, or stained to look like real wood, without the hassles that come with real wood. Any stain used on real wood can be mimicked on a fiberglass-composite door, so if you are looking for a real wood look with more durability, they are the best alternative to actual wood.

Styles

So, you have picked your material, but what style of front door do you want? Depending upon the material, there are countless styles and shapes available. Lumberyards, big box stores, local hardware stores, home improvement stores, and specified door dealers all offer a wide array of door styles for you to choose from. Customization is also an option, as many dealers and manufacturers offer the consumer the ability to choose their material, style, panels, and other options. In addition to purchasing your door from a store or dealer, you could go the fully custom route and hire a woodworker or millwork shop to make the one-of-a-kind front door and surrounding entryway of your dreams. However, the more customization and specifications you have for a door, the more time and money it will take to get what you want.

Colors and Carvings

Everyone wants their home to be unique, and one way to distinguish your home from others is to elevate your front door from a practical necessity to a design statement. Many people choose to accomplish this by simply painting their door with a pop of color. Darker colors, like black or navy, can add drama, bold character, or contrast to an otherwise plain home, while bright colors, like red, orange, or green, can liven up and brighten your home’s curb appeal. Another option for a distinct front door or whole entryway is to either purchase a carved door or have your door and surrounding framework personally hand-carved by a skilled craftsman. When designing your entryway, be sure to consider both the style of your home and your budget, as materials and carvings don’t come cheap.

Don’t Forget…

Selecting and installing a front door or designing a full entryway can be a difficult process, but if you follow these helpful tips, you’ll make the right decision for your home. Not only will this guide help, but BACK Construction and our skilled craftsman are only a phone call away. BACK Construction can assist you with all of your questions or concerns about your front door and can help you with all your renovation needs. Why try to rough it on your own when BACK can have your back? Call BACK Construction today!

If you have questions about remodeling projects, or just want some further tips, feel free to give us a call. Did you know that we also offer handyman services? Because of BACK Construction’s reputation of being the highest quality remodeler in Lexington, Kentucky, many people think we only do large projects. We offer the same quality for small projects as with a large project, because we have the same skilled craftsmen on each and every one. In fact, BACK’s handyman service is an Angie’s List Super Service Award winner.

Contact us today, no matter what size project you have, and we will provide our quality workmanship to handle your project with care. Our team of skilled, professional craftsmen will make sure your project is done BACK better!

Sources: 1, 2, 3

Choosing A Front Door: BACK Construction, Lexington Kentucky