Front Doors 101: When Quality Meets Safety

Front doors are an essential component of any home. You’d be much colder without them, and you’d probably be unable to sleep at night for fear that someone might walk right into your household and steal all your possessions. However, shopping for an external door might be perplexing at times as it’s easy to become overwhelmed by the abundance of accessible possibilities and fail to make any decision at all!

The Materials to Look for

The material from which an external door is constructed is one of the most crucial aspects to consider when looking for the ideal one! Nowadays exterior doors are made of many different materials, but only a few stand out as particularly popular.

Solid Wood

Solid wood is perhaps one of the most common materials front doors are made of. These doors are made of a few solid pieces of wood that run the length of the door. To endure the elements while retaining their shape, they must be finished with a layer of paint or polish. They are also more expensive than their counterparts.

Many people are drawn to solid-wood doors because of their appearance – it’s impossible to imitate the visual appeal of a wooden door using other means. Wooden doors may also be sanded and cut to size, which makes them the ideal option. They do require regular care throughout their lifetime if they are to appear and operate properly.

Composite

The bulk of what appears to be hardwood doors are composites. These heavy-duty external doors made of premium quality materials will serve the purpose for many years to come while giving your property an aesthetically pleasing look. They will also provide outstanding thermal and sound-proofing performance, as heat and sound must pass through several distinct materials to get from one side of the door to the other.

Another advantage when opting for composite doors is their resistance to warping. This effect happens when wood fibres alter their form in response to variations in moisture and temperature in the environment. These little alterations can mount up to larger ones in larger blocks of wood when the fibres are larger.

After a while, the door may have warped to the point that it no longer fits correctly into its frame. This appearance can be greatly diminished by creating a door out of several different pieces of wood and materials that aren’t at all wooden. As a result, composite doors are a common choice for the exterior of a home, where humidity and temperature fluctuations are more severe.

UPVC

UPVC is a type of plastic that is widely used throughout the country. Because UPVC doors are the least expensive alternative, they are popular on the bottom rungs of the property ladder. Furthermore, they don’t require any care throughout their existence – you can install them and forget about them, except for the occasional replacement draught-excluder, which is inexpensive and simple to install.

UPVC is virtually impervious to the warping phenomenon we just discussed, so you can be almost certain that it will keep chilly winds away. They come with all of the locking mechanisms pre-installed, so no changes are required. If you don’t mind their simple white appearance and want to save money, then go for this option!

The Secret behind Glazed Doors

When searching for an exterior door, you may be tempted to go with a substantially glazed one. Glazing allows sunshine to penetrate through, which helps to brighten your space. Glazing can also improve the appearance of a door from the outside.

Glazed external doors, on the other hand, are more expensive since they are more complicated to design and build. If you want privacy, they may not be an appealing option unless you choose one with obscure glass.

Again, your decision will most likely be influenced by where you want to install your door on your home. If you’re going to install it on the front of your house, a small amount of glazing would be appropriate. If you’re looking for a patio door, many of them will allow you to view out into the garden, giving you that all-important sensation of space.

Important Security Features to Consider

Glazing or the absence thereof can also play an important role in the security of external doors. Laminated glass is more secure than ordinary glass because it is made up of two sheets of glass on either side of a sheet of laminate and can withstand all but the most well-resourced break-in efforts.

If screen doors aren’t your best option, then you should opt for ones that have both a cylindrical ‘Yale-style’ lock and a classic five-lever mortise deadlock. You should keep this unlocked while you’re in the house since you don’t want to have to seek it if a fire breaks out.

Letterboxes are another possible point of failure. It’s strongly advised that letter plates be installed at least 400mm from the door handle if you want to avoid allowing even the longest-limbed criminal to reach in and interfere with the lock.

Your Ideal Size

If you want to replace an existing external door, simply match the size of the old door to that of the new one. However, if your present door has warped, the dimensions you take may be somewhat incorrect, therefore it’s nearly always advisable to measure the frame.

You’ll need to take ten separate measurements to accomplish this. To begin, calculate the diagonal distances between the top left and bottom right, as well as the top right and bottom left. These two measurements should be a quite close – a difference of more than five millimetres shows that the door frame has to be adjusted.

Next, take three vertical measures down the door’s left, right, and centre. Again, these measurements should be fairly accurate. Take the smallest of the three measures and subtract a centimetre, giving you five millimetres of room at the top and bottom of the door. Finally, repeat the process to measure the width of the door, but this time measure the width across the top, bottom, and centre of the door. After that, you’ll be able to start looking for the right door.