Traditional Wood Front Doors Vs. Fiberglass Doors

The desire for elegantly and stylishly designed wooden doors frequently wars with a wish for durability and cost. Luckily, fiberglass doors are able to offer a compromise. With a wide range of designs and contemporary wood-like finishes, these types of doors are able to provide a grand entry as those that are made of authentic wood while offering the added benefits of ease of maintenance and durability. Here we are going to look at fiberglass doors verses wood doors and some factors that can help you make an informed decision on which to have at your home’s entryway.

Initial cost

Quality wooden front doors can be quite expensive to purchase. Apart from this, these doors have to be properly finished on all six sides so as to protect it from the elements before they could be installed. This makes the initial cost of installation quite steep, making the doors unaffordable to the general masses.

Fiberglass doors on the other hand cost much less than wooden doors. The majority of fiberglass doors come pre-finished in a wide range of colors and styles so as to meet different personal preferences and tastes. This makes fiberglass doors more popular with the today’s building owners than ever before. Fiberglass doors in simple terms are less costly than comparable wooden doors, despite offering a relatively similar look and better protection. Furthermore, the market for fiberglass doors today is much more stable than the market for wood products.

Feel and look

Fiberglass doors and their skins have progressed to amazing heights compared to how they were a few years ago. The today’s manufacturing process has created near perfect replication of natural wood grain. Furthermore, with the right kind of a finish, it is possible to get exactly the same texture and look of a wooden door. Quality fiberglass doors are engineered to replicate the same heft of a wooden door, the internal frames included. This has led to creation of more secure and strong fiberglass doors. Better still, when you swing the door shut, you will get the satisfying thump of the real wooden doors.

Maintenance

Fiberglass doors need only to be refinished after every five years depending on the prevailing weather conditions or the exposure to the elements. Furthermore, they are susceptible to the same types of warping and rot as wooden doors. Restoration on fiberglass basically requires only a good cleaning and then the application of a quality clear coat of a finish.

Wooden doors on the other hand need a considerable amount of maintenance, especially for homes that do not a have a large covered porch to protect them from the elements. If you want to keep your wooden door in good condition, then you will have to maintain an annual full scale inspection routine that is followed by a full restoration or touch up depending on its form. A full restoration undertaking can be quite expensive as it involves the removal of the door from the frame and then completely striping it followed by refinishing of all the six sides for a proper fit.

Home appeal

Traditionally, quality wooden front doors have always been a great way to increase your home’s appeal and value either for resale or for creating a rewarding home ownership experience. This has all changed with the coming of other equally great door making materials and that are less expensive compared to wood.

Here are some ways fiberglass doors can improve your home’s appeal.

Increased energy efficiency

Fiberglass made doors offer approximately five times the insulation value of wood doors while at the same time being very low maintenance. Their enhanced insulation capacity makes them the perfect products for decreasing your monthly energy bill. Reduced maintenance simply means that less effort, materials and time is wasted fixing the door.

Long lasting

Fiberglass doors are a great alternative to steel doors as they are enduring and strong. They resist dings and dents from the daily traffic. Furthermore, fiberglass doors never warp, twist, rot, rust, or even deteriorate with time. In simple terms, they are built to last or for the long-haul.

Curb appeal

Having a stylishly designed fiberglass at the front of your home is helpful for keeping the exteriors looking fresh. Not only this, this kind of a door can significantly increase the curb appeal of your home. Best of all, some fiberglass doors can be stained or painted to match the exterior of a home.

When all’s said and done, whether you are looking to sell your home now or sometimes in the future, or are searching for a perfect way to improve it for comfort purposes, choose either a fiberglass front door or wooden front door. Although traditionally people have been choosing steel or wood as the best materials to make their front doors, advances in alternative door making materials has made it possible to have different options for example fiberglass. All in all, fiberglass doors are durable, less expensive, stylishly modern and low maintenance.