Exterior Door Buying Guide

Your exterior doors act as the gateways to your homes, providing both style and an important level of security. Refresh the curb appeal of your home by learning how to choose exterior doors that will elevate the look of your home while providing the functionality these entry points require.  

With so many different terms and choices associated with entry doors, picking out the best ones for your home requires taking a few key factors into consideration, which we’ll break down for you.

Entry Door Locations

When we think of entry doors, the front door is the first thing that comes to mind but that’s far from the only entry door you’ll have on your property. New front doors and secondary entry doors, back entry doors will help to update the look of your home and may even improve the energy efficiency as well.

Front Entry Doors

Your front entry door is the primary entry point to your home and is often the focal point of the home’s exterior. More so than any other entry door, the front door needs to be in keeping with the overall design style of the house while providing the security features you need to keep your home locked up while you’re away. Your new front door can be a single door or a double door depending on how much space you have available.

Secondary and Back Entry Doors

Front doors aren’t the only access point to the home. Most home designs feature entry doors that lead from the home into the garage, from the garage to the side yard, and from the back of the house to the outdoor portion of your property. These secondary access points are important for fire safety and can be added as traditional exterior doors, Dutch doors, French doors, or even sliding doors.

Types of Entry Doors 

Once you determine where you need entry doors, it’s time to choose what types of entry doors you’ll feature in each location. You can always get a standard door, but there are also other entry door options to consider, including:

Dutch Doors

Dutch doors may look like a typical front door or back door but with a little secret. The top portion of the door and the bottom half of the door are two separate pieces that can swing independently of one another or together as one unit. They are a great option when your entry door leads to an outdoor living space, such as a wrap-around porch, pool deck, lanai, or patio because they help to combine your indoor and outdoor living areas.  

One of the best benefits of Dutch doors is that you can greet people that come to your door without providing them with access to your home. Dogs and children can be safely behind the bottom portion while you interact with delivery personnel or friendly neighbors.

French Doors

A sophisticated alternative to sliding doors is the use of French doors. Like sliders, French doors showcase glass so light can spill freely into your space. The main difference is that this pair of double doors swing in or out as opposed to sliding on a track. With French doors, one door is the passive door and locks in place most of the time. The other door is the one you’ll open and close for access. When you’re entertaining and want a larger entrance, unlock the placement of the passive doors and both French doors can open for a wider entrance.

Screen Doors

Screen doors aren’t meant to be the sole entry point of your home, but they are a common entry point for a screened-in porch or lanai where security isn’t the priority. In these cases, the doors help to keep creepy crawly critters, dirt, debris, and even your neighbor’s cat from entering your screened-in outdoor living space. These doors can also feature mesh screen instead of glass to allow for air flow into the space.

Security Doors

When you want a double layer of security for your home, there are add-on doors designed just for that purpose. Security doors are typically made of a heavy-duty metal material and feature screened, glass, or clear components between the metal sections. Security doors are often ornate in design and mount on the outside of your entry door, providing a second looking point for the home. This can be very beneficial when you’re opening your front door to talk to a delivery person or neighbor because you can keep the security door locked.

Sliding Doors

Most homes feature at least one sliding glass door in the rear of the home, leading out to a balcony, or at the transition to an outdoor living area. These large doors feature two or more panels of glass. One or more of those panels slide along a track, providing an entry point. Some doors may look like sliding doors, but they are actually folding patio doors that open on a track accordion-style, making it easy to fully integrate your indoor and outdoor living areas. Sliding doors don’t just provide an entry point for your home; they also allow an incredible amount of light to filter into your room, keeping the home bright and cheerful.

Storm Doors

Technically, storm doors aren’t true entry doors because you would not use them alone, but they are a consideration when you’re purchasing your entry doors. Storm doors are designed to mount on the outside of your entry doors and often feature a combination of metal and glass. They act as another layer of insulation and can provide protection for your front door, making them popular in areas with extreme climates, such as climates that receive snow that piles up. Like security doors, storm doors can remain closed once you open your front door from the inside, providing an added layer of security.

Prehung Vs. Slab Exterior Doors 

One of the most important factors in choosing the best entry door for your home is knowing whether you need a prehung exterior door or a slab exterior door. Before you can learn how to install an exterior door, you need to determine which option you’ll be using, as the installation processes can vary from one type to the other.

Prehung Exterior Doors

Prehung doors are mounted within a framework that completes the look. With prehung exterior doors, they arrive already milled and mounted within a coordinating door frame, complete with hinges and already milled for the addition of your door hardware. You can even learn how to install prehung exterior doors yourself and save on the labor costs.

 Slab Exterior Doors

When you’re looking for something a bit more custom, consider shopping for exterior slab doors. These are just the actual door itself, independent of the door frame and other exterior door parts, such as hinges and handles. They are necessary when you have custom sizes for your entry points, such as you might with a historic property. They can also be a convenient option when you’re looking for a new front door but not all the additional parts framing the exterior door.

Shop by Door Construction

A door’s final weight is largely determined by the size of the door and the construction of the door. Most exterior doors fall into one of three categories when it comes to construction. Both prehung and slab exterior doors can fall into any of these three categories.

Solid Core Doors

Solid core doors are constructed of one solid piece of a material, usually wood but sometimes metal. The single-piece design makes them incredibly durable, but they can also be heavy. Depending on the type of material you select for your solid core exterior doors, they can also become quite an investment. Fortunately, solid core doors will last you for a long time to come.

Hollow Core Doors 

Hollow core doors start with a durable frame which is then surrounded by a solid outer shell. This means that there are interior pockets of the door that are open, helping the door remain light. Hollow core doors don't make the best entry doors and are not a durable, sound-proof, or insulated enough option to use as your new front door or back entry door. They are, however, a popular option for interior doors or for the doors that lead to your garage because of their lightweight design. They are also a fantastic choice for a door that leads to an interior courtyard. 

Glass Pane Doors

Glass pane doors combine a material like wood with a pane of glass, making them durable while allowing plenty of light to shine through. Choosing glass pane doors is a great way to make a dark foyer seem brighter and more inviting. They can also provide you with a quick view of your property. The glass portion can be very minimal, or it can be a large portion of the door, depending on the number of glass lites featured and the size of each lite.

 Choose a Door Thickness

When you’re shopping for a new front door, chances are that you are looking for a door that measures 1 ¾ inches thick, as this is a standard measurement. Of course, there is a chance that you have a more custom door thickness, especially in older homes.

Understanding Door Handing and Door Swing

One of the terms you’re sure to hear as you start shopping for doors is handing. Handing refers to how the door swings open. This may seem very basic, but it’s actually a very important factor in choosing the best entry door for your home.  

To determine the proper door handing, stand on the keyed side of the exterior door.  

Right Handing

If you are standing on the keyed side of the door and the hinges are on the right side, with the door being pushed open once unlocked, you have a right-handed inswing door.  

If the door pulls open and the hinges are on the left side of the door, you have a right-handed outswing door.

Left Handing

If you’re standing on the keyed side of the door and the hinges are on the left side, with the door being pushed open once unlocked, you have a left-handed inswing door.  

If the door pulls open and the hinges are on the right side, you also have a left-handed outswing door.

Materials for Exterior Doors

Exterior doors need to be durable and secure, which are two key factors that are considered during the construction. As you shop for doors, there are a few different materials you’ll see used. A few of these materials may even be combined with one another or enhanced with additional elements, such as glass panes or stained-glass inserts.  

Wood

Most exterior doors are made of wood. Showcase the natural beauty of the material by choosing a door crafted of oak, mahogany, maple, fir, pine, cherry, or even walnut. Wood doors can arrive pre-finished for convenience or unfinished and ready to customize. Choose a stain and topcoat that will draw out the natural characteristics and wood grain of the door.  

When you’re looking for something more colorful, choose paintable wood doors crafted of a less expensive wood, such as western hemlock or pine.  

When you love the look of rich woods, but you need to be conscious of budget, look for exterior wood doors that feature wood veneer skins over an engineered wood core. Because they are sandwiched, they can even include layers of insulation, helping the energy efficiency of your home.

Fiberglass

When you’re looking for beauty without maintenance, fiberglass doors are a fantastic selection. Often, the look and texture of a wood grain is molded right into the fiberglass material, making it look like a traditional wood door but with the added durability that makes fiberglass so appealing. In fact, fiberglass is even more dent resistant than steel.  

Most fiberglass doors feature a foam insulation that also helps prevent the transfer of heat and cold from the outside to the inside. Fiberglass can be painted and stained much the same way that wood can.

Steel

When strength is a key concern, steel doors are a beautiful choice that provides incredible security. Steel doors aren’t actually crafted of steel the whole way through. These doors feature a wood core filled with insulation that’s sandwiched between steel panels for enhanced strength and a chic finish. 

Steel doors can be smooth and sleek for modern appeal or boast an embossed grain to resemble the look of a wood door. Because they are harder to cut down and work with, most steel doors are prehung and arrive ready for installation.

Door Panels

Two terms you’ll commonly hear associated with entry doors are panels and lites.  

Panels are the recessed or raised sections of a door that add visual appeal. Each one is framed out for added dimension. Door panels are one of the elements that really help bring a little personality to the door design and there are many different panel profiles to choose between, including:

1. Flat  
2. Rebated  
3. Double Rebated  
4. V-groove  
5. Single Hip  
6. Double Hip  
7. Beaded Edge  
8. Ogee

Door Lites 

Lites are very similar to door panels but refer to glass sections. Doors can feature a single lite or a number of lites. They can take up a small portion of the door design or become the star of the show, depending on how much light you want to spill into your foyer.

Lite Sizes 

Basically, the larger the lite, the bigger the glass panel in your door and the more light that will enter your home through the door.  

• ¼ Lite: This means that roughly a quarter of the door is crafted of glass. This is often at the very top of the door and can be a great choice when you don’t want people to look in, but you do want light to stream inside. 
• ½ Lite: With these doors, roughly half the door showcases glass. 
• ¾ Lite: In this case, three quarters of the door are crafted of glass and the rest is completed with panels.  
• Full Lite: When you’re looking for maximum brightness, a full-lite door is the best choice. This means most of the door is crafted of glass panels, with the exception of the framework holding the glass in place.

Lite Shapes

Not only can the number of glass lites and the amount of glass vary from door to door, so can the shape of the lites.  

• Oval 
• Square 
• Rectangle 
• Arch Top

Types of Glass 

Once you know that you want to feature a front door with glass elements, it’s time to determine which type of glass makes the best choice. There are four primary varieties to choose between, including: 

• Clear Glass: When you want to keep the inside of your home bright, clear glass is a fantastic option. It allows in maximum light but people from the outside can see right into your foyer, so that may be a consideration.  
• Privacy Glass: Keep your foyer bright while maintaining privacy by choosing entry doors with privacy glass lites. This glass can be frosted or feature a dimensional design that helps to obscure the view. 
• Decorative Glass: Make an artistic statement with your front door when you choose entry doors feature decorative glass elements, such as stained-glass panes. 
• Low-E Glass: When home efficiency is the goal, low-E glass is a fantastic solution. This type of glass helps to prevent temperature transfer from the inside to the outside. It helps to keep the heat out in the summer and the cold air out in the winter.

Anatomy of an Exterior Door 

Most exterior doors are constructed in the same way, with stile and rail construction. This may sound complicated, but it really isn’t. Basically, all the vertical pieces are referred to as stiles and all the horizontal pieces are referred to as rails.

Stiles 

Each vertical piece, or stile, has a name that differentiates its placement on the door. The hinge stile is along the side of the door that features your hinges. Likewise, the lock stile is the vertical piece where your locking mechanism is installed. Most doors also showcase panels and the vertical stile that runs down the middle of the door between those two panels is referred to as a mullion. 

Rails 

The horizontal rail that runs across the top of the door is called the top rail and the one that runs along the bottom of the exterior door is called the bottom rail. Horizontal rails that run in between the top rail and the bottom rail are referred to as intermediate rails. 

Sticking 

The trim work that butts up to the rails and stiles to frame out the panels is referred to as sticking. Just like baseboards or crown molding in your home, sticking comes in many different styles and shapes. It can be a major factor in the finished style of your door. Like door panels, door sticking comes in different profiles, such as:

1. Square  
2. Beveled   
3. Quarter Round  
4. Ovolo  
5. Ogee

Astragal

When you have double doors for the front of your home, there will be an additional component present, called an astragal. The astragal is a vertical piece that is affixed to the passive door of your double doors. When the doors are closed, this piece helps to provide weather proofing between the two doors by providing an airtight seal.

Anatomy of a Door Jamb 

Now that you understand the parts of the exterior door itself, it’s time to consider the jamb surrounding the door. Some doors feature a sleek and minimal door jamb, especially if you have a narrow entry point. When you have a little more space available, surrounding your front door with a beautiful door jamb enhanced with additional panes and windows is a great way to make the entire entry appear larger and more inviting.  

The jamb refers to three separate pieces that frame out the door. One stretches along the top and one extends down from the top jamb down to the sill beneath the door.  

Get a closer look at each of these door jamb components. 

Side Jamb  

The outside, vertical framing surrounding a door is referred to as a side jamb and it is present on both sides of your new front door. 

Mullpost 

If you have exterior panels that make your new front door appear larger and statelier than it is, the vertical framework that separates that panel from the door itself is referred to as the mullpost. Not all front door designs will feature a mullpost; some simply feature the three jambs. 

Head Jamb 

The horizontal piece that runs above your exterior door is referred to as the head jamb. If you have a transom window above your front door, the horizontal strip at the bottom of your transom window is referred to as the transom sill.

Exterior Door Sill

Just as a windowsill exists beneath your window, a door features a sill at the threshold of your home. This horizontal piece runs between the side jambs and acts as the transition between your exterior flooring and your interior flooring. The sill is installed at an angle, so that when it rains or moisture builds up, that moisture runs away from your home and not inside the home, making it an extremely important part of your exterior door installation.  

Sills are also adjustable in angle and height, ensuring that your sill and sweep come in contact to ensure proper weather proofing. If having an ADA compliant design is important, choose ADA sills that have angled pieces on both sides of the sill, making it easier for wheelchairs and walkers to travel over the transition smoothly.

All That Surrounds Your Front Door

Sometimes a standard door is surrounded by more than just a door frame consisting of jambs. A single front door can appear larger and statelier by surrounding it with wood and glass elements via sidelites or transom windows that elevate the look of the door.  

These additional parts surrounding your exterior door are extremely popular in traditional homes and historic properties. Sidelites and transoms are also a great alternative when you don’t quite have enough room for a double door, but you want more than just a standard front door.

Sidelites

On both sides of the door, you may see vertical panels with glass lites. These panels are referred to as sidelites. These sidelites can be fixed or vented. Vented ones are on a hinge and open to allow for air flow through the home. Sidelites can be used with solid doors or with new front doors that feature glass lites. 

Transoms 

The window that’s mounted above your exterior door is referred to as a transom. They can be rectangular, rounded, or elliptical in shape. Adding a transom window over your new front door is a great alternative to getting a door with glass lites because the transom allows light in while the solid door makes it easy to maintain your privacy and security. 

Exterior Door Hardware

Exterior doors are the secure entry point of your home, so having the right hardware is key. When it comes to choosing your exterior door parts, start by choosing between a keyed or keyless hardware set. Keyed and keyless hardware sets are available in cylindrical lock, mortise lock, and multi-lock designs depending on your preferences.  

As you shop, stop to think about whether you prefer a thumb latch, traditional knob, or contemporary handle latch. A handle latch can be the easiest to use if anyone in the household struggles with dexterity problems, making it a fantastic option for an ADA compliant entry.

Keyed Door Hardware Sets

When you’re looking for traditional door hardware, keyed hardware sets are classic. These sets come in a multitude of designs, each of which locks and unlocks with a traditional key. 

Keyless Entry Door Hardware

When you’re putting the finishing touches on your new front door, ditch the heavy, jingly key ring and make the switch to keyless entry hardware sets. These handle and deadbolt sets use a sleek keypad instead of a traditional key to lock and unlock the door.  

You can use the same code for everyone in the family or you can set up different codes for different people. Instead of collecting keys when you no longer want someone to have access to your home, you can simply remove their passcode. Keyless entry door hardware comes in a variety of different styles and finishes, making it easy to coordinate the hardware to the style of your new front door.

Door Hardware Finishes

All the hardware on your front door should match to create a cohesive look. Once you find the handle set you want, check out all the various finish options. Nickel, bronze, brass, black, and chrome tones are all available, depending upon the style of your door and the home itself.  

If you already have a lot of exterior lighting solutions, you may want to coordinate your exterior door hardware sets with the finish of your exterior lighting fixtures.

Door Hardware Accessories

Door handle sets aren’t the only hardware that’s needed to complete your exterior door installation. There are many other door hardware accessories you can add to your home in the same finishes and styles to bring the whole look together, including: 

• Door Hinges 
• Door Stops 
• House Numbers 
• Doorbells and Chimes 
• Door Viewers 
• Door Knockers 
• Hand Rail Hardware

Weather-Proofing Your Exterior Doors

Your new front door is the final barrier between your home and the outdoors. Keep your home as energy efficient as possible by installing proper weather proofing with your new entry doors.

Weather Strip 

If you notice a draft around your front door currently, you may not need a whole new front door. You may just need to replace the sweep and weather strip. 

There’s a foam-filled stripping that should be installed along your side jambs or mullposts and along the head jamb or transom sill. This foam weather stripping helps to weatherproof the remaining three sides of the door when it is closed, preventing a draft and dirt from getting through.

Sweep 

Just as you sweep your floors, a sweep is installed along the bottom of the door and moves along with the door as it opens and closes. This strip is somewhat flexible, allowing your door to clear the sill while still keeping out air and outside debris when the door is closed. 

Questions to Ask Before Making Your Final Selections

If all of this seems a bit overwhelming, break it down into simple, manageable chunks by asking yourself a few key questions before purchasing your new front door or exterior access door: 

• Where will the exterior door be located? 
• Do I want a solid door for privacy or a door that allows light to come in? 
• Do I need a right-handed or left-handed door? 
• Is my entry door a standard thickness of 1 ¾ inches? 
• What style entry door best suits the look of my home? 
• What material makes the best choice for my entry door? 
• Do I want to surround the door with additional decorative elements? 
• Am I learning how to install an exterior door myself or choosing professional exterior door installation? 

Once you understand the different types of exterior doors and all the key factors of choosing the best entry door, it’s easy to discover a style that will showcase the style of your house and greet friends and family to your home.