A wooden exterior door has traditionally been the first choice as the main front door entrance to a home and still is. Wood is widely used not only in the making of a timber front door to a home but also for wooden garage doors, patio doors and exterior French doors. Wood gives a warm appearance and feel and is used extensively in the construction of a house from the roof, the floor structure to cabinets, windows and doors.
Hardwood such as sapele or mahogany is commonly used in the manufacture of wooden exterior doors, however oak is now becoming very popular. Softwood can also be used but this type of timber will require anti rot treatment prior to the making of the doors and frames. Wood is a very versatile material and can easily be shaped into a wide range of styles.
There is a major drawback with traditional wooden doors, they often require regular maintenance throughout their life. This maintenance usually involves lots of sanding down and repainting or staining. Failure to regularly maintain external doors will result in water ingress which may lead to warping and twisting of the door. Natural material such as wood is forever swelling and contracting depending on the environmental or weather conditions. The swelling can often make the door stick and difficult to open or close. Contracting of the wood may make the door draughty.
Wood is still widely used in the manufacture of all sorts of doors, however to counteract the effects of changes in environmental conditions, manufactures have devised new manufacturing techniques known as engineered doors.
This process involves the use of high specification glues and laminated timber core construction. The door framing is spliced into strips and glued back together again with the wood grains of each strip opposing each other. High temperature and high pressure is used during the gluing process. The end result is timber that is more stable and resistant to warping or twisting and used entrance doors, wooden exterior French doors and windows.
In addition to the use of laminated technology and weather stripping, many manufacturers provide doors and frames that are factory prefinished to very high standard, producing glass like feel surfaces. Many colours and stains are available for you to choose from. A prefinished laminated door will offer many years of trouble free service.
A few examples of beautiful external wooden doors
A wooden door although relatively strong if fitted with the right type of locking system can be forced open by a determined thief. If you require the maximum security from a door then check out exterior metal doors. These exterior steel doors provide a high level of security with a combination of an all steel door, steel frame and multi point locking systems. Don’t be thinking that a steel type door is only for commercial buildings. This is not the case. A whole range of steel based doors are for sale specifically for the home. You can even have them overlaid with wood veneer giving you the look and feel of a wooden door but the peace of mind with a steel inner core.
If you enjoyed this article try reading further about mahogany exterior doors.
Read further on an engineered oak front door.