First impressions

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Choose your style

Use the style of your house as a guide for your front door. Traditional homes suit a panelled door with decorative mouldings while a plainer door is more in keeping with contemporary designs. If your house has no particular style, a new front door is a great opportunity to give it one.

What’s the best material?  

Timber is the most popular material for front doors. It has the widest range of styles and finishes to suit all types of homes.

Timber entrance doors are solid, unlike interior doors, which is a big plus as far as security is concerned. It also makes them more energy efficient, as the door is a large area for heat to escape or enter your home. They can be finished in a timber veneer to get the warmth and character of real timber or in pre-primed hardboard that’s ready for painting.

Other materials available are steel, fibreglass and UPVC. These are great for doors that are in an exposed position as timber can be affected by rain and heat.

Let in light   

You can add interest to your door by selecting one that has glass inserts. It’ll also brighten up your home’s entry foyer. The options for glass inserts are endless from position and number of glass panels through to the type of glass you can have in them.

What colour for my door?

Painting in a bold and bright colour will make your door standout, especially against a house that’s painted in neutral colours. You can create a unified look to your home by painting your door in the same colour as your windows. A natural timber door that’s stained or varnished can work in traditional settings or on contemporary homes where mixing up materials like timber, stone, render and metal is popular.

Whichever colour you choose, use a durable enamel paint which can take the repeated use that a front door is subject to. On timber doors, make sure you paint all the edges to seal it against the weather.

Handles and locks

The biggest requirement when selecting hardware for your front door is security. Go for a quality deadbolt that can handle the force that a burglar is likely to throw at it.

When it comes to style, brass is a good choice for traditional doors while brushed stainless steel

The newest style is the pivot door. It doesn’t have hinges on the side like a traditional door but sits on pins going through top and bottom on one side.

So if you want to give your home a freshen up, your front door is a great place to start.