A brand new front door has the power to transform your home and create an awesome initially impression for visitors. However, it pays to do your investigation effectively beforehand - picking the incorrect size or style could prove an expensive and time-consuming mistake.

You will discover various elements to bear in mind when choosing a door, such as size, design and style, building, material, price range and accessories.

Size

Off-the-shelf doors could be identified in a number of normal well known sizes. These are commonly classified by width, and range from 30" to 36". In case your frame does not conform to a standard size you could possibly be able to trim the door to match; numerous wooden doors is often lowered by up to 12mm along every edge.

In some circumstances you might be far better off shopping for a total door set, which consists of a frame and matching door. This could be a particularly excellent move should you have an older home, where the original frame might have warped and even cracked more than time. Alternatively, you could determine to spend a bit far more and have the door made to measure.

Style

Because the front door will set the tone for the entire household, it is essential to choose a style and colour in keeping together with the overall architectural style. An ornate panelled and glazed door would suit a Victorian or Edwardian residence, one example is, whereas clean, minimalist lines are generally the top choice for modern properties. This applies to other fittings for example door handles and letter boxes too.

Building

The way the door has been constructed plays a part at the same time. Significantly less highly-priced dowel doors are created from kiln-dried wood which has been assembled employing fluted dowels (small wooden pegs) and adhesive. Premium M&T (mortice and tenon) doors are manufactured from specially selected kiln-dried timber and put together making use of traditional mortice and tenon joints and adhesive for superior weather-proofing properties.

Material

The most common type of natural material used in external doors is timber, particularly oak, pine and hemlock. Solid timber is prone to cracking and warping more than time, so nowadays most wooden doors are manufactured from engineered timber. This is created by gluing together tiny sections of wood to form a multi-layered building which is stronger and extra stable than solid timber. The components are covered in wood veneer afterwards - a process which ensures matching colour and grain across the door panels.

Engineered timber is far better for the environment, as the manufacturing process produces significantly less waste. However, unless the door is supplied ready-finished you will have to coat it with paint or a high performance wood stain to weather-proof the surface, and re-treat it on a regular basis.