Select an exterior door.
If you want to remodel a home, you might have considered installing a new exterior door. You might have always thought one door was just like another, but new doors have a variety of benefits. They can offer an old home a new look. They can also offer your home additional security. Finally, they can offer greater insulation to save on heating and cooling costs. When it comes to giving your home a facelift, a quality door should be considered.
Instructions
1. Compare door materials. Doors come in four categories: wood, veneer, composite and metal. Solid wood doors provide better insulation than veneer (hollow) doors or composite metal doors. Wooden veneer consists of a wooden panel set over a wooden frame. Veneer doors can warp after years of stress from hot and cold weather. Composite doors consist of a mix of two materials. For instance, you can purchase a reinforced metal and fiberglass door or a wooden door with an inner metal frame. Metal doors consist of aluminum or steel. They provide more security than a wooden door. If you purchase a solid wooden door, make sure it consists of solid wood. Many wooden doors have foam inlays within a wood frame.
2. Compare door faces. Door faces come in two types: flat and beveled (paneled). Flat doors consist of a flat inside and outside face. Beveled doors have routed or chiseled bevels on the inner and outer faces. These bevels create more surface area and allow the door to expand and contract during warm and cold weather. Bevels help keep a door from warping.
3. Compare the features. For instance, some doors come with only a knob. Others come with a hole for a deadlock or a safety-view hole. Others come with a safety-view hole and deadlock pre-installed. Pre-installed components save you the effort of installing them yourself.
4. Examine the hinges. Doors with inside or hidden hinges provide more security than those with outer hinges.
5. Decide whether you want glass. Glass provides a window for sunlight, but it also reduces insulating efficiency. Glass also reduces security because burglars can easily break it to gain entrance.
6. Measure the door size. The standard size for exterior doors is 36 by 72 inches, but many old homes have narrower 30-inch doors.
7. Compare costs. Solid wood doors cost $199 to $1,200. Fiberglass composite doors cost $500 to $1,500. Iron and wood doors cost $400 to $1,300. Doors with a mixed composite of wood, glass and metal cost $400 to $1,300.
8. Ask your retailer for installation options. Hanging a door can prove tedious and difficult for the uninitiated. Retailers often charge $25 to $100 for door installation.
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