Steel and fiberglass front doors require the least amount of maintenance. They're made from durable materials that resist dents and scratches, with a long-lasting finish. Wood front doors require a bit more maintenance if you choose a wood exterior.
Steel. Steel is the best material for a front door if security is your top priority. This tough metal is stronger than all other door products. It provides excellent protection against forced entries and is less likely to crack or warp.
A steel door is your best bet if security and durability are top priorities. Steel units are stronger than wood or fiberglass doors, and they won't crack or warp. Any dents or dings on these doors can be pulled and puttied with an auto-body repair kit.
Wooden Doors
Being naturally insulating, they are excellent at retaining heat inside. For interior or external doors, a solid wood door is an excellent option for helping to keep your home warm.
Steel doors are prone to dents and rust and can't be stained like wood or fiberglass, they need to be painted, and possibly repainted. Fiberglass doors offer the best of both worlds and act as a good compromise between wood and steel.
Drawbacks of Fiberglass Exterior Doors
The disadvantages of fiberglass doors include: Price – While not as costly as some types of wood, fiberglass is one of the more expensive options on the market. Sizing – The material is difficult to trim, so it's not well-suited for exterior doors that aren't standard sizes.
Steel and fiberglass front doors require the least amount of maintenance. They're made from durable materials that resist dents and scratches, with a long-lasting finish. Wood front doors require a bit more maintenance if you choose a wood exterior.
A fiberglass front door is your best bet for peak energy efficiency. Fiberglass doors have an exceptionally insulating polyurethane foam core that provides a high R-value. The R-value is a standard measure of insulation effectiveness; higher numbers mean better insulation.
Steel doors traditionally are foam filled and have a higher r-value than wood or glass. For many, the limited design choices available in steel doors coupled with the maintenance requirements make steel a poor exterior door choice.
Timber doors are naturally insulating and will always be the first choice for listed buildings and homes located in conservation areas, and multi-chambered uPVC doors will always be the first port-of-call for affordable energy efficient replacement doors.
You really can't beat steel when it comes choosing a long-lasting door. Not only do they resist fire damage, they're extremely secure and they can last for 100 years or more.
Robust in nature, solid wood doors will withstand the test of time and maintain their quality all the while. Wooden doors are the highest quality door on the market.
With a core usually made from paper, cardboard or plastic in a honeycomb pattern and thin veneer of higher quality wood, hollow core doors are a great choice for internal doors.
Steel doors are strong. And some like the ProVia Legacy Steel line (which is carried at NEXT Door and Window) won't crack, dent or warp and are the most durable on the market (close to commercial-grade steel). Steel doors can be more energy-efficient than wood doors, but they will vary depending on construction.
The R-values of most steel and fiberglass-clad entry doors range from R-5 to R-6, excluding a window. For example, a 1-1/2 inch (3.81 cm) thick door without a window offers more than five times the insulating value of a solid wood door of the same size.
Rigid foam insulation packs in more R-value per cubic inch than fiberglass insulation does. If conserving energy is your main goal and there are no other influencing factors such as moisture, rigid foam may be your first choice.
Rigid foam board insulation is available in many materials, including polystyrene (R-3.8 to R-5.0), polyurethane (R-5.5 to R-6.5) and polyisocyanurate (R-5.6 to R-8.0). Since it has the highest R-value, rigid foam is typically reserved for foundations and basement walls.
Vacuum insulated panels have the highest R-value, approximately R-45 (in U.S. units) per inch; aerogel has the next highest R-value (about R-10 to R-30 per inch), followed by polyurethane (PUR) and phenolic foam insulations with R-7 per inch.
And steel can get hot when exposed to sunlight and high temperatures, which makes it a little less efficient than fiberglass. Verdict: While both steel and fiberglass are energy-efficient options, fiberglass outperforms steel in this area, making it a favorite door replacement option for many homeowners.
The single-hinged door is the most common interior type of door. Room design must allow space for hinged doors to swing. Interior doors typically are lightweight and have two hinges; exterior doors are heavy and often use three hinges.
Teak wood, Sal, Segun, and Pine, are definitely some of the best wood that one can opt for while constructing a door. However, I would like to add Deodar wood to that list as well.
The exterior door installation price can vary due to the cost of materials, labor, and supplies, including hinges, screws, mounting hardware, and threshold. Interior doors such as a bathroom or bedroom door may not close easily because of the house settling or if the door has warped because of age or moisture damage.