There is no room for mistakes when it comes to selecting the right exterior door. Security, privacy, good looks and other features such as eco-friendliness have to be incorporated into a single door. Uninformed selection will leave you disappointed and with problems such as a high cost of maintenance and replacement. Generally, exterior doors are constant victims of harsh and destructive conditions unlike their interior counterparts, and they must be carefully selected to ensure that they are up to the challenge. Here is what you need at your fingertips to select the right exterior doors for your house:
What Material is the Door Made of?
The material is the first thing that you should keep in mind when choosing an exterior door. There are fibreglass, wood and steel doors. Fibreglass is a good choice because the material is quite durable and resistant to the adversities of cold weather. The door will not rot, warp, swell, split or shrink because of the persistent variations in temperature. Moulded skins used by most manufacturers make fibreglass doors resistant to the adversities of harsh weather. Steel is another material alternative. Steel is designed for maximum security because the material is sturdy and difficult to break. It can be galvanised to prevent corrosion and styled in various ways to meet your aesthetic needs. Lastly, there are wooden doors, although they aren't the most practical for exterior applications. This is because they do not offer maximum insulation and they require lots of maintenance.
What is the Condensation Resistance?
Condensation resistance refers to a measure of the amount of moisture that the door will allow to build up on its surface. It is measured on a scale ranging from one to a hundred. The lower the value on resistance scale, the higher the amount of moisture the door allows to build up. Condensation resistance is a vital consideration, especially if you want to buy a wooden door. This is because the build-up of moisture encourages rotting. Ideally, the resistance rating should be higher than eighty for maximum durability.
Is the Alternative Eco-friendly?
Wooden doors are eco-friendly because they are made using a renewable source (trees). However, this is not the case with fibreglass and steel. You should buy steel or fibreglass doors that have been certified by relevant standardisation authorities in your country or locality. These institutions track down the environmental impact of the door with respect to the manufacturing and delivery processes of the product. Before approval, they examine other elements such as the amount of recycled material used to make the door. You should go for such certified products to minimise environmental degradation. For more information, check out a company like The Roller Door Doctor.
Share26 October 2016
My yard is in the shade of both of my neighbour's homes for most of the day which makes it quite hard to grow some of my favourite plants. Even though the yard is shady I still want it to have some nice look ground cover and be a cool place to entertain people. I have used a combination of shade resistant plants and pavers to create a lovely space that is good for entertaining all year round. This blog has some tips on creating a pleasant atmosphere in your shady backyard, particularly if you have a yard that is too shady to grow many kinds of plants.