How Important is your Front Door?

The first thing that catches your eye, and the last thing you see when you leave: the front door is a centerpiece of your home.

Curb Appeal

There are a few things that you can do to boost the curb appeal of your house, upgrading the front door is one of those things. Your front door design, condition, and colour are vital. An erroneous design decision for your front door could sink the visual appeal before someone even steps foot inside.

It is important to have one that is not only aesthetically pleasing to you and complements the architecture of the home, but one that is strong, secure, and will stand the test of time.

Maintenance

The front door is generally the most used door of a home and requires the right components and construction to make it last. Traditionally, doors were made from wood. The majority still are, but technologies have changed to allow for other compositions that require less maintenance. Wood doors can be beautiful, but they require lots of upkeep such as cleaning and refinishing every few years.

The market moved to steel-clad doors for a number of years, and they are still a commonly used product due to their low cost. But these doors give poor energy performance, and also lack durability. If you run into a metal door, or bump it with a hard object, the door can be forever dented.

Fibreglass doors offer durability and energy efficiency with an attractive appearance. Combine a fibreglass entry door with a composite jamb and a drainable sill, and door rot problems become a thing of the past. Fibreglass doors are virtually dent resistant, and come in smooth or wood grain textures which are easily paintable and stainable. You can do it yourself or have the door finished in the factory. A fibreglass door’s insulated core provides excellent thermal protection and higher R values than its metal or wood equivalent.

Installation

Another key component to a strong front door that has the most lasting effect on the future of the door’s performance is its installation. You can have the best door in the world, but if it isn’t installed correctly it will be less energy efficient, harder to use, and will give the door abnormal wear which may cause additional problems down the road. You want to use a professional installer who knows what’s involved in ‘hanging’ a door. A good installer will use the proper tools for the job: the correct screws for the application, a proper membrane to make sure the frame of the house is protected, the right flashing to ensure rainwater is draining away from the house, and proper insulation to make your door as draft-proofed and energy efficient as possible.

Security

Why else should you invest in your front door? For the safety and security of you and your family.  A common way a thief will break through a door is to kick it in; a great way defend against that is to make your door an out-swing door. There are a number of additional options your door professional can offer you to add to the strength of your door, such as a striker plate, keyed ball bearing hinges, or multi-point hardware. Weiser makes a fantastic line of secure door hardware. Recently, they started their SmartKey program which allows homeowners to rekey their doors without the need to hire a locksmith.

We are your certified Window Geeks

Centra Windows is not only the manufacturer but also the installer of its product, which enables us to offer a full warranty, eliminating any confusion between product performance and installation. We view the house as a system and understand how each of the elements must work correctly to maximize the comfort and energy efficiency of your home. Contact our local Employee Owners at 1-888-534-3333 or send us an email at info@centra.ca for more information about this topic and many more. You can also sign up for our biweekly newsletter, providing all the tips and tricks about the window industry.