How to choose a perfect exterior door for your home?

Your exterior door sets the tone for the rest of your house. It gives your guests an essential first impression and is responsible for making or breaking the curb appeal of your home. Apart from curb appeal, a perfect exterior door is also important for safety and energy efficiency. So, before you choose an exterior door of your house, here are some tips to keep in mind.

Choose the right material

When you commence shopping for a new exterior door for your house, you will see that you have a plethora of choices. One of the first things to decide is what kind of material you want for your exterior door. Some of the renowned choices are fiberglass, wood and steel doors.

Fiberglass doors are energy efficient and require minimal upkeep. They are available in almost all colors and textures and can be painted if you want to change the exterior color of your house in the future.

Wood doors are appealing and easy to customize, but they need consistent maintenance to protect wood from climate hazards and other elements. It is important to adopt safety measures to protect your wood door from deteriorating or warping.

Steel doors are long-lasting and cost effective. They may not be available in several texture options like fiberglass but can be painted. They require less maintenance in comparison to wood doors, but because any bare metal may rust with time, hence you should paint them over to prevent dents and scratches.

Fixtures and features

After the material for exterior doors has been chosen, you should select different fixtures and features. A lot of people go for inswing door i.e., opening inward doors. This is because of the conditions you will face during cold weather. If there is a lot of snow in front of your house, your door may fail to open outward. It is easier to open the door inward and get rid of the snow. With an inswing door, make sure the hinges are sited on the left. You should also choose between the assorted range of hardware options such as locks, door handles etc.

Size

Doors are available in several sizes which means that you can select a new one which is larger, smaller or of the same size as your present door. But, do not forget to keep the structural integrity of the wall surrounding the exterior door in mind before modifying the door. Also ensure, whether you want a single exterior door or double door. Lastly, make sure you add sidelights if you need additional sunlight in the entrance hall.

Color

The color of the exterior doors depends on the material of which the door is made up of and the exterior color of your house. You should also consider the design and color of your windows.

Once you have chosen an exterior door keeping the above factors in mind, you will never go wrong in selecting the perfect exterior door for your house. Make sure you remember the value of quality in the procedure and always invest in durable doors made with quality material.