The front door, most often, is the first thing people really notice about your home.
Yes, the overall house does have an impact as well, but typically, whenever you arrive at someone’s home for the first time, you give the whole property a perfunctory once-over, trying to get an overall feel for the place, but you really concentrate on the front door – either, because your hosts are already waiting for you, or because that’s the place where you need to go.
Additionally, your front door is also the barrier between your home and the outside world. It is (in most people’s thoughts) the one thing that makes the home a safe place once you close it behind yourself.
And so, front doors need to be two things: secure and (visually) appealing.
Thankfully, most modern front door designs are both!
And if you’re still looking to find your perfect front door – that door that fits your overall house design and provides the best security for you and your family – we have collected a nice overview of what’s there and what’s possible in terms of design.
Table of Contents
Materials
Wooden Front Doors
Wooden front doors are by far the most classic choice of material.
What many people do not
And yes, wooden doors can offer you a lot of security. If done right, wooden doors can withstand almost anything you throw at them. But this, of course, does come at a price.
So, yes, do go for wooden doors, even if
Metal Front Doors
If your main concern is security, you will naturally gravitate towards choosing a metal front door. And while other materials oftentimes offer just as much security, your instinct is still right.
Even in those cases, where other materials offer just as much protection from forced outside entry, a metal door always seems to be more impenetrable. In other words, the choice of visible material alone might be that one factor that deters someone from picking your home to try and break in to.
The most common, and
PVC Front Doors
PVC is basically a type of plastic, and front doors made out of this material offer all the benefits that you typically associate with plastic products: they are lightweight, durable, and are cheap in terms of production cost.
Modern PVC front doors hold up well against intruders, though other materials may have a slight advantage in this department overall.
What’s great in this material is the very simple fact that they do come in a vast array of
Fiberglass Front Doors
Fiberglass front doors slowly but surely become the be all, end all of front doors.
They combine the excellent security of metal doors with the good looks of wooden doors (if you choose a wooden finish) and also with the durability (no warping or expanding) and lightweight of PVC doors.
In short, fiberglass doors offer all the best of the other materials, with fewer of the downsides. They are an exceptional choice of material and will make you happy for a long, long time.
Types
Panelled
The panel door is the classic style of front doors.
Usually, the surface is divided into four or six panels, though there can be less or more.
Decorative moldings oftentimes surround each panel, and give the door a rich look that perfectly fits classic and modern home designs.
Windowed
Just as the name suggests, the
It goes without saying that this type of front door is particularly well-suited for homes with
Carved
Carved wooden front doors are increasingly popular.
These doors often have rails and stiles, and come with beautiful, often handmade, carvings either in one or more section(s) in the middle, or spanning the whole door.
As you may have guessed already, these extravagant doors do not come cheap, but their price is well spent and they do leave a lasting impression with all who see them.
Flush
Flush doors are basically made out of one entirely smooth panel. The materials used can range from basic plywood to hardy fiberglass, and therefore these types of doors can vary greatly in security as well as price.
Flush door designs work best with modern house designs, since they inherently come with a rather minimalist look.