A Guide to Choosing the Right Front Door Material for Your Home

What makes a great entry door? Style, certainly – an excellent entry door will look amazing and match the rest of your home’s architectural theme. But your front door’s material also plays a big role in its look, durability, and overall value. 

If the time has come to choose a new entry door for your Asheville property, it’s imperative to make sure you pick the right door material. Read on to learn more about different front door material types and discover the best exterior door material for different door options. 

The best exterior door material types

You can find front doors made of a wide range of different materials. But these days, four front door materials are the most common and popular thanks to their durability, cost-effectiveness, or some combination of other factors.

Fiberglass

Fiberglass doors are industry-leading for several big reasons. They don’t require much maintenance, so it’s easy to keep them looking good for decades to come (and they can last for 20 to 30 years). 

Plus, fiberglass is an energy-efficient material. Many fiberglass front doors come with fiberglass shells surrounding insulating cores, protecting your home’s thermal envelope and preventing it from losing energy when your HVAC system is running. 

Fiberglass doors are available in many different colors, types, and window options. No matter what your home looks like or what color palette it might have, you’ll be able to find a fantastic fiberglass door that fits its current style. 

Wood

Wood is another popular entry door material. It's a classic, visually engaging choice – many Asheville homeowners choose wood front doors purely because of aesthetics. You can find wood front doors in just as many styles and types as fiberglass doors and with just as many window arrangements and patterns.

However, wood has some downsides that fiberglass doesn’t. It can rot and warp if it’s exposed to a lot of rain, and you’ll need to regularly maintain and treat your wood door’s surface to prevent insects from chewing through it. Bottom line: wood doors can look great, but they must be regularly cared for to maintain their appearance and avoid needing a door replacement.

Steel

Steel front doors are often seen on modern or minimalist homes that feature lots of geometric angles and sharp lines. These tough doors are difficult to dent or crack, so steel is another top choice for security-minded homeowners.

The downside? If you choose steel for your front door material, it can be difficult to repair if it gets dented or scratched, which can still happen despite steel’s general durability. However, steel is an effective insulator, and it’s easy to paint steel doors in whatever color you like. Or you can opt for a textured steel door, such as Waudena’s Norwood series.

Vinyl

Vinyl is a lightweight and energy-efficient front door material, perfect for more cost-effective or budget-friendly doors. They're pretty easy to install, although they aren't as long-lasting or durable as fiberglass alternatives. Keep in mind that you can find vinyl doors with woodgrain finishes that emulate the look of wooden doors, just like fiberglass doors – Thermatru’s Woodgrain Doors show off just how amazing it looks.

Pair entry door material with entry door type

Fiberglass, vinyl, wood, and steel all have their pros and cons. However, certain materials are typically better for specific types of entry doors than others. Let us explain.

Normal entry doors

Any of the above door materials could be just what you’re looking for in a standard entry door. Steel doors are tough and have a minimalist appeal that might be what you’re looking for, and vinyl is affordable, but wood and fiberglass doors are more common.

Fiberglass doors are especially smart picks since they’re great insulators, keeping your home warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Even better, you can find many top fiberglass doors with woodgrain finishes – this way, they look just like wooden front doors without the risk of water damage, door replacement, or the need for regular maintenance.

Storm doors

What about storm doors? These durable doors are best made of fiberglass or steel, not wood. They’re designed to keep your front door protected against all kinds of hazards, after all, like hail, debris strikes, and heavy water damage.

Patio doors

Patio doors aren’t normally entry doors. But if you have a unique home with a less common entryway, or if you simply want to make sure your patio door is built to last, it’s wise to think about which door material is appropriate for the frame.

Sliding glass patio doors are best made with vinyl or fiberglass. Fiberglass, in particular, is affordable and tough enough to withstand the wear and tear of sliding door motions.

If you have hinged or French patio doors, though, wood is a more common option, lending its aesthetic elegance to the doors’ overall appeal. If you want to make sure your hinged patio doors last even longer and don’t require as much maintenance, go for a fiberglass set with a wood finish. That way, you can get the best of both worlds by blending the look of wood with the versatility and resilience of fiberglass.

Need to see entry doors in person to choose?

Reading about different types of entry doors and their materials is all well and good. But if you’re like many homeowners, nothing beats seeing those doors up close and personal and getting to know what they actually look and feel like before making a big purchase.

That’s why Window World of Asheville is the perfect place to pick your new entry door. We offer front doors, storm doors, and patio doors in a variety of different styles and material types, and we’re sure we can help you find the best door for your needs in no time. Contact us online to learn more, request a free quote, or visit our showroom to check out our door selection in person!