What’s the first thing your guests will see when they visit you – your front door. The front door tells your guests what your sense of style is and what they can expect inside, keeps you protected from bad weather as well as thieves and insulates your home’s energy. Thus, it’s important to pick the right kind of wooden door for your home. Here are a few things to keep in mind.
Pick strong wood
Before anything else, your front door needs to be strong. It should be able to withstand wind and rain as well as keep burglars at bay. For this reason, you should pick a strong, heavy door for your front door. Engineered wood may be cheaper but it’s not suitable for exterior doors. The former can be used however for indoor doors. Hardwoods like teak and rosewood are ideal for exterior doors. Look for solid wood. Though doors with glass panels may look stylish, they are not very suitable for the front door. If you do decide to have such a door, you may need a grill door outside the wooden door.
Size the door correctly
Most doors are available prehung. This means that the doors have hinges that can be mounted onto the door frame directly. That said, when you pick a wooden door, you must ensure that it is the correct size. To find the proper door jamb size, measure the inside length and width of the door casing. You will then have to add ½ inch to the height and ½ – ¾ inch width to the door face. Most prehung doors are about 3 feet wide. Along with size, also check whether the door opens to its right or left. Along with the height and width of the door, you also need to look at the panel thickness. The thicker the door, the stronger it will be.
Stains and finishes
Wood goes through many stages of treatment on its journey from being part of a tree to being hung as your front door. The way wood is finished before it is made into a door decides the way it will look finally. The basic choice is between a paint finish and a polished finish. The paint finish gives you plenty of choices in terms of colours. This gives your home a modern, eclectic look. If you prefer a more classic, elegant style, you may want to look into the different types of polish available. A high gloss sheen adds to the door’s look as well as protect it from moisture and swelling.
Pick a style
Depending on your style preferences and the width of the door frame, you will have to choose between a single door and a double door. This is not the only style choice. Wooden doors are usually paneled. The most basic of all doors has two panels – one on top and one below. Other doors may have 4 or 6 panels. Some doors may also have carved relief for ornamentation. These have a more traditional appeal to them. If you’re looking for a contemporary look, a solid wood panel door would be a better choice.
Match your budget
Everyone starts shopping with a budget and you need to find a door that matches this budget. That said, do not choose a cheaper wood door just to bring the price down to your budget. It is better to spend a little more and invest in good quality wood rather. Your door should last you a lifetime ideally and if you do choose a cheaper door, you may just end up spending more on repairs and replacements later.
Today, you don’t have to go down to the market to get a door for your home. You can shop for a wooden door online just as you can offline. E-commerce platforms offer a great variety in term s of price points, types of wood, door styles, etc. Thus, whatever you’re looking for, you’re sure to find it here. If you’re not in a hurry, you can even get a better deal by waiting for a seasonal discount. Once you find the door you like most, it will be delivered home to you so it can be installed without any inconvenience at all.
