Q: My front door needs to be replaced. I can afford a nice, efficient door, so I want a natural wood one with decorative glass. What types of wood doors are available and how much maintenance should I plan on?
A: Natural solid wood is probably the most attractive material for a decorative front door. Depending upon the type of wood you select, it can also be one of the most expensive door materials. If you select large decorative glass panels, their cost is sometimes more than the door itself.
Installing an efficient front door should save energy and reduce your utility bills to help offset the cost of the door. Even though solid wood is not quite as good an insulator as steel or fiberglass doors with foam cores, the millions of tiny air cells in the wood block heat loss. A new door will also seal outdoor air leakage much better than your old one.
Wood doors that come with the top-coat finish from the factory require little regular maintenance. These new factory finishes are very durable, much more so than the paints used just a decade ago. If the door gets scratched and the finish is broken, touch it up and seal it as soon as possible.
If you buy an unfinished door for staining followed with a clear coat, the amount of maintenance depends upon the quality of the top coat you apply. It does not require a huge amount of paint to finish a door, so don't buy cheap paint to save a few bucks.
Adding a high-quality storm/screen door over the new wood door can reduce the maintenance. By blocking the rainwater and the force of storms, the finish lasts longer. Also, if there is a tiny break in the surface over time, less moisture will penetrate the wood. It would be a good idea to install clear window film on the storm-door glass to block the sun's ultraviolet rays.
The highest-quality and most attractive (and expensive) wood doors are often made of solid hardwood. This includes the stiles (vertical pieces) and the rails (horizontal pieces). If the door surface is sealed well, solid hardwood doors hold up very well. The hardwood surface of the door resists dents and scratches well.
For areas with severe weather conditions or if your budget is more limited, consider a door made with laminated veneer lumber. The surface looks like solid hardwood, but the inner material is made from smaller pieces that are laminated together. With small pieces bonded together with the grain in different directions, there is less chance the door will warp.
If you want a real wood appearance with more efficiency than an all-wood door, select a wood door with a foam insulation core. Other models have aluminum cladding on the exterior for less maintenance.
James Dulley is a mechanical engineer and do-it-yourselfer. Send questions to James Dulley, The Sensible Home, St. Petersburg Times, 6906 Royalgreen Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45244. Go to his Web site, www.dulley.com, to see his energy- efficient home, post questions for other readers and more.
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