Modern & Traditional Front Doors - Which Material is Best?

When choosing your own style front door there are a number of options available and criteria to consider. You’ll need to be looking not only for the best design to suit your house exterior but also at the door’s durability. In particular how it will stand up against changing weather conditions, how it provides the required level of security for your home and how will it also save on those all-important energy bills?

Typical front doors tend to be made from either wood, uPVC, metal (steel or aluminium) or made from composite materials, all of which have their plus points and negatives.

Aluminium panel front door with high insulating core

 Metal doors will tend to be either steel or aluminium doors. The main benefits of both types are that they are incredibly durable, weather resistant, high security and fire rated. Both will be made with a metal panel exterior with a high insulating wooded core; the main disadvantage would be that the metal can dent, but this would be under extreme pressure and fairly easy to fix - there are also kick plates which protect the lower section of the doors if concerned. Specialist coatings are available for both although aluminium will hold up best against weather conditions as steel has been known to rust overtime. In coastal areas in particular where the air has a heavier salt content, specialist marine treatments can be applied to aluminium front doors to ensure longevity. Steel also can’t be combined with a storm door, however, aluminium can without fear of the hazards of heat build-up.

Traditional front door example

 The more traditional option would be wood, usually in oak, cherry, walnut, mahogany or maple etc. Wood doors can prove to be expensive and also risk warping, cracking and deteriorating over time as temperatures and weather conditions change so frequently the wood can swell and move creating problems opening and closing the door and damage the exterior. There are ways round such issues by, for example, opting for durable stains and in particular high gloss screens for painted wood.

Thickness of the wood door will also impact as well as the way the wood is cut; thicker doors will not be affected so easily but this will inevitably push the price up. Wood doors will, however, always require regular maintenance in comparison to the other options on the market. For a cheaper alternative with similar overall look, you could opt for wood veneer. Wood veneer doors will still have a wood core but will minimise warping depending on the quality and thickness of the veneer. Insulating cores will also be available.

uPVC is a very common alternative and maintains a number of advantages as the doors remain rigid no matter the weather conditions. They are classically weather proof and damp proof and also require little maintenance other than cleaning, however, these doors have been known to discolour over time and in some cases direct sunlight has been known to breakdown the material and create cracks. This can be avoided by ensuring the supplier is reputable and that product is of a high quality. The most attractive element to uPVC is that the doors can be very reasonably priced for what you get for your money, but uPVC doesn’t necessarily suit all styles of home, especially if the home-owner wants something a little more traditional or contemporary.

In summary, all front doors whether modern doors or traditional doors have their pros and cons, but the same underlying rule will always apply. Choose quality and you’re much less likely to be looking to replace your front door in a few years.