Entrance Doors

Quite literally the first impression about your home and the first focal point of anyone coming or going, you will want to familiarize yourself with your entrance doors options, and this is where our door specialists can step in and assist you! Out of all the doors in your home, the front entrance door can be seen from the street, from a neighbour’s yard, from across the road and as motorists pass by. The best foot forward is to narrow down YOUR style, do you like modern, trending looking doors with added sidelights or transoms? Do you like the look of warm and welcoming wood? Are you more interested in an entrance door that is low maintenance and no painting? Once you can narrow down what appeals to you and how you want your entrance door to function, then you are well on your way to investigating all your possibilities!

Trending & Traditional Styles

You know your home better than anyone else…it’s architectural features, outside landscaping and façade & roofing materials used, so you would be the best judge of what styles of entrance doors would work beautifully to capture the essence of your home. Our door specialists are here in case you want assistance or a second opinion on narrowing down what would be a smart look and overall ‘budget friendly’ investment. There are five categories that you can consider…traditional entrance doors (raised panels, glass inserts and typically made from wood, fibreglass or steel), modern entrance doors (sleek, straight lines and sometimes accompanied by square raised panels of translucent/frosted glass providing that minimalist & larger appearance), rustic entrance doors (often used with brick/stone or wood homes, these doors are rustic for their thickness and clear glass/score lines and raised panels), arched entrance doors (custom made with a curved design, typically made of wood) and craftsman entrance doors (made from wood or fibreglass with features like shaker-inspired appeal, straight lines, one upper window/wood outlined panes or three rectangular shaped raised panels located at the bottom)

Quality Materials

Entrance doors can be chosen from a variety of materials that each carries their own individual pros and cons. There are four different quality materials to choose from, PVC, steel, wood and fibreglass. Steel doors are a favourite among homeowners for their versatility, strength, longevity, low maintenance and can accommodate a custom design of decorative windows. Steel entrance doors are cost effective and with no windows, are impressive with their insulating factors (with magnetic weather stripping, these doors provide an air-tight seal). Wood entrance doors are now manufactured with the use of wood laminates which makes them more resistant to warping and wood veneer panels where insulation can be injected between the panels giving these doors better insulation qualities, and require regular maintenance (painting, stain or varnish will extend the life of wooden doors). Fibreglass doors are ideal in climates with regular changes in temperature, they are moulded around a polyurethane core which aids in resistance to cold and damage from impact. Fibreglass doors have a ‘wood look’ because of their natural grains from moulding techniques, and when stained or other wood finishes are used, these doors look authentically wooden, they are easily maintained and are energy efficient when weather stripping is used. PVC entrance doors are a top choice for their corrosion & elements resistance, their lightweight material that is reinforcement with steel in the interior which makes them rigid and strong, along with less heat loss & heightened energy efficiency (low maintenance is a big perk too!). Aluminum is used as a primary ‘go to’ door for patios, screen doors and storm doors, providing little to no thermal insulation factors, they are lightweight and possess potential sliding performance and has a weather resistant finish that is easy to clean (but not ideal to be used as front entrance doors).

Additional Options

Having an all-glass entrance door is maybe what appeals to you to let in as much natural light as possible, but our door specialist would like you to consider some factors first. You should consider the lack of privacy, lack of security and believe it or not, wildlife such as birds can mistakenly fly into an full glass entrance door. There are measures that you can take to increase the durability, energy efficiency and privacy of your full glass entrance doors, like choosing frosted glass for lots of light but heightened privacy and double paned glass for more security and increased energy efficiency.