by Joe Aguilar
HomeOwnerNet Columnist
Your exterior doors are more important than you may think. Besides providing security, your doors can minimize noise, save energy, and help your living space look beautiful. When shopping for doors, homeowners will have many types to choose from, including wooden doors, fiberglass doors, and storm doors. Each kind of door offers unique benefits.
Wooden Doors: A Gorgeous Tradition
Homeowners prize wood doors for their beauty and variety. Wood doors come in a wide array of species, including pine, mahogany, hemlock, fir, oak, and cherry. Since wood doors come in many sizes and shapes, they can easily be customized for your house, whether you own a Tudor, ranch, or Victorian home. However, wood doors do have some drawbacks. They require maintenance to prevent splitting and chipping, and changing weather can provoke warping. Wood doors can also be poor insulators. Some companies are trying to solve these problems with durable wood cores and weatherproof coatings.
Fiberglass Doors: Durable Money Savers
Typically, a fiberglass door is made of two fiberglass skins that have been filled with polyurethane foam. Due to their composition, fiberglass doors provide energy-saving insulation, advanced sound-dampening, and sturdy workmanship. Additionally, a fiberglass door will probably never rot or crack. Worried that a fiberglass door would look cheap or ugly? Manufacturers have developed fiberglass doors that mimic the grain pattern of wooden doors. A homeowner can also paint their fiberglass door to match his or her house.
If one of your doors is old but still in good condition, you might consider installing a storm door. Storm doors are placed in front of an exterior door to protect your house from weather, insects, and energy loss. If you can't decide between a storm door and a brand-new wood or fiberglass door, you should investigate local home and garden shows. At home and garden shows, you can preview different exterior door models before making an investment.
Sources
"Exterior Door Basics," BobVila.com"Exterior Doors," HGTV.com
About the Author
Joe Aguilar is a freelance writer in Boulder, Colorado. He has an MFA in creative writing from Oregon State University.
