According to a study made by door manufacturer Therma-Tru, an upgraded front door can seriously enhance the curb appeal of your house. When translated to figures, a $190,000 house’s value can increase by $8,000 or more by just investing in a newer door. We should also remember that our front door is one of the crucial access/safety points to our house, and hence should be sturdy enough to shield against outer elements. And furthermore, the resilience and the materials of the door primarily relate to its overall energy efficiency.
Taking all these points into consideration, upgrading your front door is not such a bad idea after all. So, without further delay, let us check out some simple tips that would help when you are refurbishing the front door.
1) Replacing the old hardware components –
Door hardware include stuff like door handles, dead bolts, latch bolts, plates, locks and even the house number on the upper facade. Such components can eventually get old and rusty, which not only makes your door difficult to use but also negatively affects the overall aesthetics of your house entrance. Well, worry not; you can replace many of the primary hardware components by actually spending below $30. Moreover, the replacing process is pretty easy, and can be done within a few hours of your weekend free time.
2) Painting the old door –
A paint job helps by virtue of its conspicuous visual effect. And for a good paint job, always take note of the color pattern used by the neighboring houses in your street. Then you can change the ‘door game’, by opting for a different (and presumably more vibrant variety) of paint that stands out from other dwellings in the vicinity, thus marking your home with aesthetic significance. And, the great part is – a quart of good-quality paint will probably cost you less than $20.
3) Modifying your existing door –
Make sure that the durability credential of your existing door is not in doubt. Then you can opt for various modifications on the door that could rather enhance its illustrative/creative quality. For example, you can choose and apply various graphical patterns, details and simple embellishments on the door facade, thus focusing on the entry point of the house. And, if you are feeling a bit more adventurous, you can go for glass installations on your door’s top section – which makes it functional and also improves upon the aesthetic scope.
4) Accentuating your front door with outdoor lighting –
Since our previous tip dealt with focusing, a great way to accentuate your front door is to install outdoor lights. These lighting fixtures can tepidly illuminate your refurbished door (or even your newly installed door), while also coming in handy for porch lighting during the night time.
5) Cleaning your front door in regular intervals –
By far the easiest (and arguably the most crucial) tip is to keep your front door clean. Considering your entry door is prone to outdoor dust and dirt, the door surface can be ‘naturally’ spotted and messy with the gradual accumulation of dust-coats, mud, damp-stains and even spider webs. Unfortunately, such innocuously mundane smudges can seriously lower the value of your home’s curb appeal. So, it is always a good idea to keep a small bucket of soap and water handy for those little cleaning sessions in the Sunday mornings.
6) Opting for a completely new door –
If the above tips are not enough, you do have to settle for a brand new door. To that end, a door like every other architectural component, can be crafted from a variety of materials, like – wood, composite, steel and even aluminum. Each of these materials have their advantages in certain conditions, and so it is up to you to make the the apt choice.
For example, wooden doors are mainly constructed from cheap stock wood types and also solid wood varieties. The stock wood with their engineered core are less susceptible to warping, but their veneer can get damaged quite easily. On the other hand, solid wood doors are prone to warping, but simple staining and even painting the edges can solve such predicaments.
Similarly, composite door types (like fiberglass composite) are more resistant to both warping and wear-and-tear, and are thus more prevalent in residences built in humid, tropical conditions.
As we move on to the metals, steel doors are known for their highest strength and hence improved security. However, they need to be repainted in regular intervals for upholding the finish. And lastly as for aluminum doors, they are generally customized and do not need to be repainted. But they can take their toll on the ‘devolved’ visual/aesthetic ambit.
And since you are opting for a new door, there are various resourceful ways you can still utilize your removed old door.
7) Hiring a reputable installer/carpenter –
Proper framing and installation of the new door is paramount when it comes to the prevention of air-leakage and thus increasing energy-efficiency of the house. This in turn will surely reduce your energy bills over time, while at the same time improving the curb appeal. You should also take note of the warranty considerations, as your investment for the carpentry endeavor might run over thousand dollars.
8) Protecting your newly installed door –
In the practical scheme of things, the weather-related outcomes of the door material can be subsidized by using protective elements that can shield your door (from outside). Some of these shielding components include a porch roof or a simple cantilevered overhang that can effectively protect the new door from the dampness of the upper-level warm air.
