Wooden Front Doors Reviewed

When it comes to the appearance of our homes it is important to strike just the right balance between looking good and looking secure. Everybody likes to be able to take a sense of pride from where they live and first impressions do count for a lot.

At the same time though it is important that your home doesn't look like a soft touch to any potential intruders who will usually target the easiest option when searching for viable targets.

A good wooden front door is the ideal balance between aesthetics and security, particularly with modern external door manufacturing techniques. Wood exudes a warm, welcoming sensation, and the variety of wood types and finishes available provides tremendous flexibility when it comes to finalising your choice of door. Wood also benefits from being a natural material inheriting distinction due to the individual grains of each cut.

From a security perspective, a new wooden front door fitted with quality mechanisms is no soft touch, working as an effective visible deterrent from some distance. When it comes to security, it is important to remember though that any chain is only as strong as its weakest link, so for the optimum level of security it is important to take care of other potential access points and go for high quality materials and equipment.

Common Door Features to Consider

Wooden front doors are abundantly available in various types of wood with some of the more popular woods including:

• Solid oak
• Mahogany
• Pine

As well as the listed timbers, the majority of these doors are constructed from additional materials and hybrid materials to produce a more secure, longer lasting front door. Some of the composite front doors are practically indistinguishable to the eye from regular timber doors.

Like any front door, those constructed from wood need to be weatherproof. External doors and front doors usually already fit this criteria, but in some cases - particularly with lower priced doors - they can need weatherproofing to be performed upon the door prior to installation.

In addition to the particular material and how it is finished, new doors will often include some form of integrated glass panelling for reasons of both design and functionality. The glass adds a beautiful contrast to the wooden door, while also allowing light to enter through into the home. If the door of your choice includes a glass panelling option, the next task is to choose the type of glass to use. Common features of glass for doors include:

• Doubled glazed for insulation
• Tri-glazed for superior insulation properties
• Toughened security to withstand force
• Decorative etched, stained or both

On top of the door, other items can often be ordered including handles, letterboxes, spy holes, knockers and door frames. Some manufacturers will provide the option for pre-fitting of any customised extras during the ordering process. These services can save you time and money and can help to speed up the door installation process whether you are performing it yourself or are outsourcing it to a professional.

Popular Wooden Doors

When it comes to popularity, oak front doors are the more commonly found variation of wooden doors and are hugely popular due to the flexibility of choice. Wood is perfectly suited for those looking to achieve either a traditional or modern look to the entrance of their home. The Turin oak front door for example is a modern wooden front door which utilises glass panelling and subtle styling.

Another popular oak external door is the Warwick oak topaz front door which features a more traditional design which can be given a modern twist depending on the type of glasswork that is included.

While not as common as oak as a wooden door material, mahogany also makes for an excellent choice and usually comes in a darker tone of wood which is a contrast to the lighter tones typically seen in oak.

Which ever type of wood you end up choosing for your new front door it will provide a welcome and long lasting addition to the front of your home.