Tips for Replacing Your Home’s Exterior Doors

When is the best time to replace your exterior doors?

If your home’s exterior doors are broken or in dire need of repair, then ideally, you should replace them as soon as possible. The last thing you want is to compromise the safety of your home. 

However, if they don’t require immediate replacement, then when is the best time? Actually, we feel like winter is the most popular season to replace the exterior doors in your home. You may be a little confused about why we mention winter since that is the last season you think of when talking about home renovations. Here are a few reasons why you should replace your doors in the winter:

1. Not all days in the winter are cold. In fact, it isn’t uncommon for temperatures to spike into the high 50’s in Delaware. Warm winter days like those are perfect for getting some work done. The temperature is warm enough that you won’t freeze but cool enough that you won’t struggle with heat exhaustion. 
2. Door installations are a one-day job. Unlike other projects, like decking, exterior door installations don’t take more than a day to complete. 
3. There are fewer bugs in winter. That’s right, bugs. As long as your door is open, you risk letting all sorts of nasty pests into your home. You don’t have to worry about this as much in the winter since most insects are in hibernation.

Why should you replace your exterior doors?

Necessity

The first reason to replace your door is out of necessity. Maybe it is drafty. A drafty door could allow cold air into your home, which increases your energy bill. If your door isn’t energy efficient, then you should consider replacing with an updated model that will cut down on energy costs over time. 

A more obvious sign your door needs replacing is from physical damage. Maybe your door shows signs of rotting, cracks, or the frame is broken. No matter the cause, a damaged door should be fixed sooner rather than later to protect your home from environmental damage, or even worse, a home invasion. 

Installing your dream door

The second reason to replace your home’s entry door is because you are finally ready to install your dream door. It’s that one you’ve dreamed about since you first saw your home or the new look you’ve been dying to try out. Maybe you’ve been inspired by your favorite HGTV show, or you saw something on Pinterest you had to try for yourself. 

Why you need a door may change what you are looking for

If your entry door is broken and you need to change it out of necessity, then finding the newest, trendy look is the least of your concerns. You want something good, and you want it now! We recommend choosing an exterior door that is cheap, easy to install, and features a simple design. An affordable, easy to install door means you can replace your current one right away, and upgrade it at a later time. Most doors we sell come pre-hung in the frame to drastically reduce the time it takes to install. Finally, please keep the design simple to ensure it will easily match the look of your home without spending too much time painting or staining. 

Let’s say your current entry door is structurally sound, but you are still looking for an upgrade. If this is the case, you most likely already have a design in mind. Your new door should look exactly how you envisioned, and most importantly, it must match your home for the perfect look. We recommend stopping by our showroom, where one of our experts can really narrow down what features you want to show you the product you’ll love. 

No matter what your reason is for installing a new exterior door, you want to know what the best option is for you. 

Choosing the perfect entry door for your home

Material

The first thing you should decide is what material you want your door to be made out of. The two most popular choices we carry are fiberglass and wood. 

Wood doors are traditional. Many people prefer the look and feel of real wood doors, and even though some fiberglass models mimic the look of wood, plenty of homeowners agree that it just isn’t close enough yet. Wooden doors come in a wide variety of customizable options, like what type of tree they are made from and if they will have a painted or stained finish. Depending on the craftsmanship and tree they are cut from, wooden doors tend to come at a higher premium than fiberglass. 

Fiberglass doors have not been around nearly as long as wooden ones. Nevertheless, they are becoming increasingly popular among homeowners. If you want something that will last, pick up a fiberglass door, since they won’t warp and weather over time like wooden ones. While most fiberglass doors are usually painted, some companies can mimic the grain of real wood, like Therma-Tru’s Classic Craft, so you can also apply a stain.

One more material to consider is steel doors, like our entry doors from Deansteel. The reason why we didn’t mention steel doors above is because they are declining in popularity for home use. They are the most expensive option out of our choices, but steel doors continue to remain a staple for many local businesses because of their security. One thing to keep in mind, we recommend against buying steel doors in coastal areas of Delaware like Lewes, Bethany Beach, and Rehoboth Beach. The salty sea air has a way of corroding metal over time.

Design

The next thing to consider is the style of your door. We feel that this is the most important thing to consider when choosing a new door. Like we mentioned earlier if you need to replace your exterior door now, simple designs work best. Many doors we sell come pre-finished, which will save you even more time.

Now, if you are looking for something more elegant for your home, then there are many options to consider. Will you paint or stain your door? Do you want glass? If you do want glass on your entry door, then how much? Are you looking for a classic design, modern design, privacy glass, or something custom? With soo many options to consider, it’s a good idea to visit our showroom where you can browse through our extensive displays to see what would look best for your home. 

Door hardware

Don’t forget, choosing the right hardware is just as important as picking out the perfect door. There are many different styles, color options, and security features to choose from. We recommend picking out the hardware when you purchase your door. It’s much easier to mix and match display samples on the showroom floor before you take your new door home. 

Top door brands we carry

We have a large selection of styles and brands for you to choose your next door from: 

• Therma-Tru
• Jeld-Wen
• Masonite
• Marvin
• And many more

Our in-house experts are always ready to help you choose the best door and hardware for your needs. Also, be sure to ask about our installation services.