Your New Entry Door – 10 Steps on Making Your Selection (Part 1 0f 2)

A new entry door can not only spruce up the appearance of your home, it can also make your home more comfortable and save you money by making it more energy efficient! Most people probably haven’t put much thought into the process of selecting an entry door, but there are 10 areas to consider before making your purchase that will ensure you are happy with your investment for many years to come. This post cover 5 of the 10 things you should think about.      

1)  Door Configuration: Things to consider include how much glass do you want in your door? Do you prefer a smooth door or one with a wood texture? Would you like the wood grain to be prominent?

2) Swing and Hinge Orientation: Think of the most practical long term use of your door and which way you want it to swing. Some homeowners prefer to have their door swing out for safety reasons. This not only makes it easy to exit in the event of a fire, but also makes your home more secure, as it prevents thieves from kicking your door in. Another thing to take into consideration is whether or not you will have a storm door. Typically with a storm door and exterior door, one will hinge on the left and the other on the right.

3) Door Slab Material and Texture: What material do you want your door to be made of? Fiberglass or steel?  Some people prefer a steel door, citing that it is stronger and can offer magnetic weather stripping, which makes the door stronger. Others like fiberglass because they require very little maintenance and are resistant to warping and denting.

4) Jamb Thickness and Color: Determine the thickness of the jamb from the inside out. For example, if the outside of your home is brick and the inside is plaster, you would measure from the beginning of the brick to the end of the plaster. What color do you want your door jamb to be? Contractors who specialize in doors and exterior contracting can offer you a variety of colors, but the big box stores only offer white.

5) Threshold Depth and Color: How deep do you want your threshold to be? Do you want it to cover all of the old material? What color would you like the threshold to be? Many homeowners opt to make it the match the door’s hardware.