The entrance door of your property is one of the first things a visitor’s eyes are drawn to when arriving at your home. Replacing your uPVC or composite door with original timber can be an effortless way to bring elegance to the front of your home. As time will tell, a high-quality wooden door holds the inability to age, with homeowners having used timber elements to construct their front doors since the 18th century. With the option to lacquer, paint or sand your door over time, you will always have the ability to refresh the character at the entrance of your home.
Here at Ranebrook Windows, we supply bespoke timber doors that provide a beautiful balance between stylish joinery and secure design. The door options are now so vast it can be difficult to know where to start, so we have created this list of six key points to help you pick the right entrance door for your property.
1. Aesthetic and style
One of the first things to consider when choosing a wooden front door is the style and architecture of your home. Whilst we understand that your home is your castle, and you will want to add your own personality stamp on your front door, it’s also important to be sympathetic to your property. The front door should complement the overall design and character of your property.
If you have a traditional or period-style home, a solid wood door with intricate details and panelling would be a suitable choice. Art Deco properties suit doors with intricate lead detailing, sympathetic to the era of the home. For a more modern or contemporary home, a sleek and minimalist design with clean lines might be more appropriate. For example, if you live in a Georgian property, it might look quite disjointed to add a very contemporary door to your home. Nevertheless, that does not mean you cannot add your personality. Things like colour options, glazing styles and ironmongery can all add personality to your entrance.
2. The type of wood
In the UK, our doors face serious weather challenges, including heavy rains, blustering winds, and temperature swings. External wood doors must be tough enough to handle Mother Nature’s tantrums while still looking incredible year after year. With the right timber and construction, they function as sturdy sentries guarding your sanctuary. The type of wood that you choose for your front door set will affect the appearance, thermal efficiency, price, and installation process of your front door.
Timber doors can be manufactured from both softwood and hardwood. Always look for doors that use engineered laminated timber sections, as this dramatically increases the timber’s strength and helps prevent any bowing or warping. Hardwood front doors are notorious for being durable and could potentially last an entire lifetime with proper maintenance. They also stain more evenly and effectively, as well as hold their shape for a longer period. In addition, hardwood timber front doors are incredibly versatile as they can be finished with a vast range of oils, waxes, or paints. Hardwood is denser and more hardwearing than softwood in its raw form and is much more expensive; however, using engineered laminated sections negates many of their differences. Both types of wood are generally treated to be resistant to rot and fungus, with a number of finishes available.
While hardwoods are more commonly used for bespoke front doors, softwoods can be a good budget alternative as they are significantly less expensive. While softwood front doors made from, e.g., pine are not as durable, they can provide you with the finish you desire for a number of years.
3. Colours
When selecting a colour for your front door, consider the colour of the brickwork that surrounds it. If you choose a pastel door and the brickwork is also pale, the door may appear washed out. A bold, brightly coloured door next to darker brickwork may also create too much contrast. If you are looking for a little more colour, think about a deep red front door or a dark blue. Both are versatile, classic colours that act like neutrals. That means they work with many different house colours and materials. And if you change the colour of your home, any of these neutral hues will adapt. Black and white are the most popular front door colours as they go with almost everything and never go out of style. From modern anthracite grey or classic white, we have a choice of hundreds beautiful colour finishes. You could pick any colour from RAL, British Standard or Farrow & Ball colour pallets. You can even go for the inside white and another colour for the outside.
A factory-finished timber door will typically have a longer life span than one supplied unfinished and will often have more extensive warranties. Our multi-coat microporous paint system also means you do not need to repaint your entrance door for many years – dissolving the bad reputation that timber often gets.
4. Security
The security of your entrance door should be at the top of your priority list when deciding what entrance door you will choose for your house. Although it is desirable that your entrance door fits seamlessly with your home décor, the security of your home should be equally as important.
Features such as the locking systems installed on the door and its robustness are important aspects which should be looked at closely. We use a multi-point locking system which have, at least, three locking points and the system sits inside the door making it more difficult for it to be tampered with. These types of locking systems are one of the most secure front door locks. Essentially, the more points that have to be manipulated before breaking into your home, the better!
A few great ways to make your front door more secure are installing a deadbolt lock, smart lock, adding a Peephole or Door Chain etc. Also, think about upgrading the glass to laminated and toughened as it effectively creates another barrier of entry to your home.
It is important to consider a whole range of security measures to keep your home secure, but the front door is a great place to start.
5. Glazing
If the design of your front door includes glass, your glazing choice can completely change the whole look and feel of your front entrance. One of the most popular decorative features for front doors is glazed panels, this could be clear, frosted, or opaque glass.
If your entrance hall is dark, this is the perfect way to bring in more light. Some people use transparent glass in their front door to check on the identity of callers, while others opt for frosted glass to maintain privacy yet benefit from the additional light in their homes.
Why not make a statement with a transom light? This is a glazing panel that goes above your front door. You can use a clear glass rectangle, a fan shape or even add a house number. You could also consider adding a single sidelight window next to one side of the door, or one on each side. Not only will this make a statement, but it will allow more natural light into your home. Consider balancing factors such as the natural light gained from clear glass with the look and privacy from patterned or obscured glazing.
It is vital to choose a product with toughened or laminated security glass to ensure that you are not increasing the vulnerability of your home to break-ins or accidental damage to glass panels.
6. Thermal Efficiency
A door’s thermal efficiency is the amount of heat that is allowed to escape into the environment from the inside of your home. This is measured as a U-value. The lower the U-Value of a front door set, the less heat it will let out and the more thermally efficient it will be for your home.
Timber is a great insulator, as the air pockets within the wood allow warm air to be held inside them, rather than being transferred elsewhere. This in turn helps to conserve heat within your home. Our Timber doors typically have favourable U-values, often ranging from 1.2 to 1.6 W/m²K, displaying their energy-efficient capabilities.
By combining natural insulation, favourable U-values, and sustainability, timber doors provide an excellent solution for energy-conscious individuals seeking an environmentally friendly and energy-efficient option for their homes.
When it comes to choosing a front door, wooden doors have always been a popular choice due to their timeless beauty, durability, and natural charm. When beautifully crafted and matched to your style, a timber door stands in a league of its own. Remember, a wooden front door is an investment that adds value and charm to your home for years to come.
It is always important to do your research when it comes to choosing a new wooden front door. Search for more inspiration, speak to different companies, visit their workshop, or showrooms and do with a list of questions to ask.
If you are planning to replace your new front door, we would love to have a chat to see how we could help! Simply email info@ranebrook.co.uk or call 01322332237 and a member of the team will be happy to help.
