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Wooden Front Doors: Cost, Safety, and Buying Tips

An entryway is the focal point of a home’s facade. And the front door, its most prized asset. It’s easy to understand why many of us still like our doors to be made of wood. Nothing else matches the material’s warmth and satisfying heft. Or offers so many design options. Steel doors are stamped; fiberglass pops out of a mold. But a wood door can be custom crafted in virtually any shape or size and incorporate whatever molding profiles, panel configurations, glazing options, or carvings that you please.

Here we share what to consider when buying a new door so you can decide if solid wood doors are worth it for your home.

How Much Do Wooden Front Doors Cost?

A stock slab door at a home center starts at $150, a prehung around $400. Custom prehung doors can run more than three times that, starting at about $1,500.

It’s helpful to note, defects in materials or construction are covered by the warranty for two to five years. The factory finish is usually covered against failure for two years.

Buying a Salvage

For as little as $300, a salvaged wood door will give an entryway an authentic, one-of-a-kind link to the past. Be prepared to strip, repair, and refinish it yourself or pay about $700 more for a completely restored, ready-to-install slab. Measure as if you were ordering a new slab. Unless you find a door that fits your opening exactly, get one just a bit bigger and cut it down. “As a general rule, you can shave up to 1 inch off the top rail, 2 inches off the bottom rail, and 1 inch off each side, just as long as the cuts are proportional,” says Bob Reed, a millwork restorer at The Stripping Workshop, in Washington, D.C.

Do Wooden Front Doors Warp?

The knock on wood doors—that they warp—well, that’s largely a thing of the past, when they were made of solid stock. For the past 25 years, most major manufacturers have crafted their entry doors with glued-up engineered-wood cores, which overcome solid wood’s tendency to twist and cup. That handsome outer layer is actually just a thick veneer. Don’t think of this as cheaping out; with regular care, such a door should easily match the life span of your house.

That extra effort—in the form of a fresh coat of paint or polyurethane every couple of years—is the price we pay for choosing wood. But it’s a small one, considering the visual and tactile rewards a wood door gives us every time we come home.

Are Wood Front Doors Safe?

It’s a common misconception that it’s easier to break in through a wood door than a steel or fiberglass one. In fact, it’s not the door but the latch-side jamb that’s the weak link. To prevent a forceful kick from splitting the jamb, install an extra-long security strike plate using 3-inch screws sunk into the neighboring stud.

4 Safety Factors to ConsiderAnatomy of a Wood Door
Most have free-floating center panels surrounded by stile-and-rail frames. Joints are glued, either with dowels or mortise-and-tenon construction. Photo by Thomas Northcut/Getty Images
  1. Door thickness. A beefy 1¾ inches beats 1 3/8 inches and still accepts standard locksets. Any thicker, and you’ll need a special lock and bigger hinges.
  2. Hinges. Use 3-inch-long screws in all three hinges to anchor the hinge-side jamb securely to its stud.
  3. Glass. Standard door lights made of tempered glass won’t stop a would-be intruder from breaking them and opening a door from the inside. To thwart such a break-in, order hurricane-rated glass, which has an unbreakable inner layer of plastic.
  4. Lockset. Mortise locks are typically built with higher grade steel, and are therefore stronger than the average bored lock-sets from a home center.

Is a Wood Entry Door Right for You?

Consult this handy list to see if a wood door makes sense for your house.

Choosing and Ordering Your Wooden Front DoorPhoto by Keller & Keller

There are two types of doors to choose from: slab and prehung. Prehung doors come hinged to a weather-stripped frame, eliminating the need to square the door in its jamb, and with holes already bored for a lockset. They’re best for new construction, when rough framing is exposed. Slab doors, sold without hinges and often with no lockset boring, are generally used to replace existing doors when jamb and trim are in place.

Before buying your door, measure twice, three times even, to save yourself from installation headaches—or worse, having to buy another door.

3 Tips Help You Select Your Door

Pro2Pro Tip: Tom Silva, TOH General Contractor, says, “When replacing a vintage door with a new one, you often have go the custom route to match the 2-to-2¼-inch thickness of most older doors. ”

  1. Width comes first. Give your door dimensions in feet and inches; first the width, then the height.
  2. Use the lingo. A door 3 feet wide by 6 feet 8 inches tall, the most common size, is called a “three-oh, six-eight.”
  3. Know your right from left. Doors, like people, come left-handed and right-handed. A right-hand door has its hinges on the right side when you look at it from the outside. A left-hand door has its hinges on the left.

How to Order a Prehung Door

Measure the width of the door frame’s rough opening between the jack studs. Then measure the height from the underside of the door header down to the top of the subfloor. The prehung assembly will be 2 inches narrower and 1 ½ inches shorter than the opening to leave enough room for shims and insulation.

How to Order a Slab Door

First, measure the width of the existing opening between the jambs inside the stops. Then measure the height from the finished floor to the underside of the head jamb. Your final door dimensions should be ¼ inch shorter and narrower than these measurements so that the door will swing freely in the opening. Next, determine the door’s thickness by measuring from the interior edge of the jamb to the interior edge of the stop.

Finally, check the opening for square. Put a 2-foot level against the sill, the top, and both sides. If any surface is out of level or out of plumb by more than ¼ inch over the length of the level, order your door slightly larger and trim it to fit.

How To Maintain a Wooden Front Door

Sunlight is the number-one finish killer, causing clear coats to degrade and paint pigments to fade. To maintain your wooden front door, sand and re-coat varnished doors every year, polyurethaned doors every other year. Painted doors should get fresh coats every five to six years.

Illustration by Jason Lee

Alternatives to Wood

If you decide not to go with wood, here are some alternatives. Keeping in mind, none of these alternatives have as many design options for you to choose from as wood does.

Both steel and fiberglass doors need less maintenance and get higher fire ratings than wood doors. And because they have foam cores, they insulate about twice as well. MDF (medium-density fiberboard) doors, made of glued wood fibers, are relatively recent arrivals to the marketplace.

Steel

Magnetic weatherstripping makes these entries as tight as a refrigerator, but they're susceptible to dents, dings, and rust. The embossed panels do not mimic wood convincingly. Steel is the least expensive wood alternative.

Fiberglass

Better than steel at imitating wood, resisting water, and standing up to blows, but susceptible to fading. Keep it clean by wiping it down with soapy water. The cost is comparable to a high-end stock wood door.

MDF

It looks like paint-grade wood but typically costs less and carries a fire rating of up to 90 minutes. These doors must be kept painted on all sides with an exterior oil-based paint to maintain their five-year warranty.

More on Wood Entry Doors:

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Grand Entry Doors is a national retailer offering high quality entry doors and unique custom entry doors. Based in Charlotte, North Carolina we are a family owned and operated business with a focus on customer service and complete satisfaction. We offer a wide range of full installation services. Grand Entry Doors makes every effort to make sure our customers get the right product at the right price.

When you shop with Grand Entry Door, you can rest assure that our doors are unique and not like the cookie cutter selection found in big box retailers. Our products consist of high quality doors constructed of mahogany, knotty alder and many other natural hardwood materials. Our products are manufactured top-rated vendors who maintain the highest quality standards in their manufacturing process. At Grand Entry Doors, our customers’ interests and needs are our top priority. Our team personally inspects and quality checks our vendors to ensure they maintain the highest standards in craftsmanship.

Your front door is an opportunity to show your personal style and add beauty, and value to your home. And that's where Grand Entry Doors can help. We're much more than just a source for high-quality doors for your home. Here, you'll find inspiration needed to transform your home’s entry. Whether it be one of our many styles of entry doors, from our selection of the highest quality manufacturers or a custom door to fit your needs; we’re here to help.

Underneath our doors’ attractive exterior, you'll find great value and high quality. Equaled by our manufacturers’ warranties in addition to our high-touch customer service, your choice is made easy with us. We're sure you'll love your purchase at Grand Entry Doors.

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Wooden entrance doors: a choice of existing options

For centuries, people have used wood as a reliable building material. Wood is used to create furniture and design houses. And the entrance wooden doors are part of this story. Due to the characteristics of the natural array, it remains a popular material for the manufacture of entrance doors. And sometimes the only suitable option. We made an overview of wooden entrance doors with photos - apartments and private houses - for your inspiration. Shall we start?

What are the main advantages of a solid wood front door?

When talking about front doors, the first thing they think about is home security. Plus, the front door is also responsible for the sound and heat insulation of the room. Yes, and the performance of a decorative role is a very important factor. And the front door made of wood copes with these tasks perfectly! Wooden doors have a number of advantages that their counterparts do not have:

Wood also has some disadvantages. The high cost of solid wood doors is logical - after all, a natural material that requires processing is used. The main disadvantage may be weak resistance to vandalism. Wooden doors can really be cut or set on fire. Therefore, for better safety, second internal closures are sometimes installed.

Which wood should I choose for my solid wood front door?

Different types of wood are used to make wooden doors. And each has its strengths and weaknesses.

The most elite material for the manufacture of wooden doors is mahogany. The mahogany front door will have a chic appearance. Of course, you will have to pay extra for this. But it's worth it!

Oak has a high mechanical strength. Cherries are quite soft and work well.

Ash is a unique variety with a rich color spectrum that ranges from pink to dark brown. And walnut and beech are particularly durable. The choice is yours!

Insulated wooden entrance doors

Natural wood - the material is quite warm. However, in the cold season, wooden entrance doors will not be able to save heat. When choosing wooden entrance doors for a country house in which you will live all year round, consider insulated structures. Firstly, such doors are equipped with a seal for the tightest fit of the door to the frame. This will protect the room from the penetration of cold air. Secondly, there are also insulating materials inside such a door. As practice shows, polyurethane is the most effective. It also significantly surpasses other materials in terms of thermal insulation, and has a very long service life - up to half a century.

Still, an insulated door will not save you from cold air from the street - when you open the door, it will still be in the room. To avoid this, an internal wooden door is useful at the entrance to an apartment or house.

Wooden entrance doors for a private house in the 21st century - to be or not to be?

The front door in a private house can be a very important element, the "face" of the building. Therefore, in addition to practicality, its appearance is of great importance. Let's consider in order the types of doors in a country house, in a country house or in a cottage. As well as the basic requirements for them.

Outdoor wooden entrance door

Unlike the doors of apartments in multi-storey buildings, the entrance doors of a private house should have the highest quality characteristics. They are more exposed to natural phenomena. Wind, rain, snow and temperature changes take their toll. For difficult climatic conditions, you can purchase three-panel wooden entrance doors made of solid wood. Such doors are the most reliable, durable and at the same time can have an attractive appearance. If there is no visor above the entrance to the house, then you should think about purchasing a door lined with waterproof plywood. And, of course, when choosing a front door, it is worth considering the style of the facade of the building.

It is important to install the correct locks on the doors. To ensure high-quality protection, experts advise installing two different locking systems.

Internal entrance wooden doors

As already mentioned, for better protection, as well as sound and heat insulation, you can additionally install internal entrance doors. Such doors are most often selected based on the style of interior design, when there is already a certainty in design. The second entrance wooden doors can also be equipped with built-in locks. See photos and choose the option that suits you.

Wooden entrance doors with double-glazed windows

Wooden entrance doors with double-glazed windows will become a real decoration of the house, emphasizing its sophistication and coloring. Glass can occupy only a fragment of the door, or capture most of it. Or it will be glass enclosed in a wooden crate. There are also various types of glass inserts. Smooth and ribbed, transparent and matte, stained glass, decorated with carvings - everyone will find an option to their liking.

Of course, a door with impact-resistant or armored glass will provide more protection against vandalism. For a private house, you can better buy modern double-glazed windows. Now available are energy-saving, maintaining the required temperature indoors in winter and summer, soundproofing and other options. More simple - single-chamber - as a rule, will have a lower cost.

Beautiful wooden entrance doors with glass look solid and dignified. And recently they have been very popular, because openness and a large glass area are in fashion.

“Finnish” wooden entrance doors

Finnish wooden entrance doors can be an ideal option for a cottage, dacha or country house. Its frame consists of a multi-layer beam of dense rock, equipped with a frost-resistant sealant, which ensures the highest quality indicators. These are, first of all, strength, environmental friendliness, heat and sound insulation, energy saving, geometric invariance (absence of distortions). Such doors can withstand temperatures down to -50 degrees Celsius, and still look great. Finnish wooden entrance doors can have blind or glazed panels of various colors.

Two-leaf wooden entrance doors for a private house

The use of two-door structures is advisable for large entrances. Many wooden bi-folding doors can open both outward and inward. The first option is most preferable for saving space, as well as for fire safety purposes. Wooden canvases of such a door can have different widths. If both sashes are used, they are usually the same. There are models where one side of the door is mainly used, and the second is used as an auxiliary, and is used in rare cases. Then the first one will be much larger in width. The main advantage that double-leaf entrance doors have is the ability to move at the same time, at least two, as well as move large furniture.

Wooden doors to the sauna

The sauna is a place where a wooden front door just begs to be. One of the most important criteria that wooden entrance doors to the bathhouse must meet is the material and design. Since these shutters are in conditions of constant humidity and exposure to various temperature conditions, preference should be given to oak, aspen, alder or linden. These types of wood most acceptably tolerate the above factors. When installing the door, you should also take care of its tightness - the doors should fit snugly to prevent cold air from leaking into the room. Wooden entrance doors to the bath can be single- or double-leaf, in addition, for more color, they are often decorated with carvings or forged elements, as shown in the photo.

Wooden entrance doors for apartments

You can also find wooden entrance doors in apartment buildings. Compared to metal "comrades-in-arms", they retain heat better and act as sound insulation. Plus, such doors have great advantages in design. As in private houses, the installation of double doors is practiced - external and internal. Rate this photo:

See also: Modern entrance doors for beauty and security

External wooden doors at the entrance of the apartment

Most often, single-leaf doors are installed at the entrance of the apartment. Although there are other options - for example, one and a half. The material for the manufacture of apartment wooden doors is often oak, birch, cherry. As a more budget option, pine can be used. Pine front doors also have an attractive appearance, but are much cheaper.

The second entrance wooden door to the apartment

Doors to the apartment do not need strong protection from atmospheric phenomena. And yet, the double design of the entrance doors will be much more practical. The internal wooden entrance door to the apartment will serve as additional protection against noise or smells in the entrance. Such a door will also act as an obstacle for burglars.

The inner door leaf must match the dimensions of the outer one, and in design and color palette harmoniously fit into the interior of the hallway. Double doors can be installed both on one frame and separately.

And some more photos of wooden doors 🙂

Beautiful wooden entrance doors can really decorate both a house and an apartment. Their impeccable appearance will always look respectable and graceful.

We hope you enjoy our selection of photos. Write in the comments what you think about using wooden front doors?

Photo of entrance wooden doors - advantages, disadvantages and assortment

When choosing an entrance door to a private house, apartment or office, many buyers prefer wooden structures. This is due to the aesthetics and special external appeal of such canvases. But solid front doors have other benefits as well, which we'll explore in this article. We will also talk about the variety of entrance wooden doors, consider options for their implementation in the interior of the room.

Advantages and disadvantages of wooden entrance doors

Among the advantages of wooden panels intended for installation at the entrance to the room, there are:

By installing a wooden front door at the entrance to a house, office, apartment, you will emphasize your wealth and good taste, since such products of high quality and original design are quite expensive.

In addition to the price, a few shortcomings of wooden doors include:

Assortment of wood entrance doors

Modern manufacturers offer a wide range of solid wood entrance doors, which differ:

Separately, it is worth highlighting the noble doors with top and side transoms.

Prices for entrance wooden doors depend on the above parameters and on what kind of array is used in production. The most budgetary are coniferous fabrics, in particular, pine. Such entrance doors are used in the country or as an internal sash. More expensive are models made of alder, beech, larch, mahogany or cherry. Such samples are quite strong, hard and resistant to mechanical and atmospheric influences. Solid oak front doors are considered premium. They are distinguished by their unsurpassed appearance and strength.

On magazine photos, entrance doors made of wood are sometimes difficult to distinguish from veneered or paneled MDF, but in practice, the first samples look much more profitable and their service life is much longer. Also, in order to save money, some manufacturers offer canvases in which only the frame is made of solid wood, and relatively inexpensive materials are used for sheathing - chipboard, MDF, etc. Such doors look no less attractive, but in terms of strength and thermal insulation they are significantly inferior to solid wood ones.

Wooden entrance doors in the interior

Front solid wood construction decorates the exterior of a country cottage, office building, entrance to an apartment or townhouse, but such products give a special charm to the interior decoration of a hall, hallway, corridor. It is difficult to name an interior style in which wood products will look inappropriate, they are versatile and easily combined with any finishing materials.

But still, there are some recommendations from designers regarding the introduction of a wooden front door into the interior: