My guide for buying exterior doors

There are many different type of materials and designs these days for exterior doors. The most common material are steel and wood.

Exterior door manufacturers are also now using alternative materials such as vinyl to create doors which require almost no maintenance. There are many advantages to a solid wood exterior door, including the natural beauty of the wood and the strength of the door.

Wood doors can be found in a wide selection of woods with cedar, walnut, mahogany, pine, and oak being some of the most common. You will need to give your wood door periodic maintenance to give it protection from changing weather conditions.

While many manufacturers will treat their wood exterior doors with a preservative a protective coating will still need to be applied regularly to protect them for the long run. Wood exterior doors are subject to expansion and contraction in response to both heat and moisture.

The performance of the door will often depend on where it is installed. Installing a wood exterior door in a climate which is moist and hot will mean it will need regular maintenance annually. So before you buy consider all the choices you have about exterior doors.

Steel is another material that many people are familiar with when it comes to exterior doors. These typically have a wood frame filled with insulating foam and then covered by an outer skin of steel. The wood frame gives the door strength and stability while the foam insulation provides greater energy efficiency. There is very little maintenance involved with a steel door.

Fiberglass exterior doors are produced in a way very similar to steel doors except the outer skin is fiberglass. These doors are very energy efficient and durable. The outer skin of fiberglass can even be embossed to give the look of real wood.

One of the newest materials used to make exterior doors is vinyl. These doors feature a several chambered vinyl structure with added strength coming from aluminum, steel or wood. These doors are very energy efficient and can hold up well to almost any weather condition.