Top Options Available For Residential Door Design And Materials

While building a new home or remodelling their existing one, not all homeowners think much about the doors. But you need to understand that the door to your room is as vital as its wallpaper, paint colour or furnishing. The right doors for your home can not only elevate its interior décor and curb appeal but would also help improve the energy efficiency of the establishment. Smartly designed doors can become a statement piece for all rooms of your house and add to its overall aesthetic value. 

You should properly explore the options available to you and ultimately install doors that provide a perfect balance of style and functionality. Among other things, selecting the right material and design for your door would be extremely vital. 

Selecting the door design 

No matter whether you want interior or exterior doors for your home, you need to make sure that it complements its décor theme and architecture.  

• Slide-and-fold doors: These doors are meant for large spaces. They look almost like a virtual wall and can provide barrier-free entry to the terrace, balcony or patio. As such doors can be folded and pushed to one side; they can help save space in a room, while offering a gorgeous view of the outdoors. Owing to their design, you can open the slide-and-fold doors both outwards and inwards. 
• French Doors: You can add a touch of the classic 17th CE Renaissance architecture to your home by installing these hinged double doors. They can open either inwards or outwards, and are one of the most aesthetically appealing door designs. French doors usually have multi-point locks and just one opening handle from inside. 
• Sliding Doors: Such doors open horizontally by sliding along a track, typically parallel to a wall. They can be mounted on top of a track or below it. As the glass pane slides over the other in this door design option, it does not take up much space. They allow for larger entryways in comparison to the typical hinged doors and are hence ideal for more compact spaces. 
• Casement Doors: These doors are hinged from the side and have a single sash. Casement doors can be designed to open either inwards or outwards. The uPVC variants of such doors are particularly renowned for their commendable insulation properties. 
• Lift-and-Slide doors: Featuring pretty expansive panels, these doors sit on their track and are opened when their handle is rotated at an angle of 180, which essentially lifts the door onto its rollers and allows movement. These doors often come with a double compression seal that offers efficient weather sealing.

No matter whether you select casement or sliding doors for your home, or opt for some other design, the choice will ultimately depend on where you plan to install the door, the size and aesthetics of the space, as well as your personal preferences. Many homeowners feel that they should have a single style of the door throughout their home. But so is not the case. Do not be afraid to mix it up and experiment, to create living spaces that you truly cherish. 

Selecting the door material

After you have got a basic idea of the style of doors you need for your home, you have to proceed to select the material. Both practical and aesthetical factors have to be considered while making this choice.  

• uPVC: Doors made from uPVC are sturdy and lightweight. They typically feature multi-chambered air-filled sections and multi-local systems. An uPVC door would be easy to maintain, as it does not rust, corrode or flake. You just need to wipe the doors will a damp cloth to maintain their appearance. 
• Wood: For decades timber has been the most popular door material in the world. Wooden doors bring an element of warmth and softness to your home décor, and gel well with both traditional and modern architecture. Unfortunately, wood has the tendency to get attacked by termites, rot and splinter over time. Their upkeep can be pretty expensive as well. 
• Aluminium: Aluminium framed doors can add a sleek, modern look to your home. These doors are long-lasting and durable, and do not swell or crack like wood. However, aluminium doors may discolour and corrode owing to the oxidation in the presence of salt-laden air. Hence, it is not a good fit for coastal areas.
• Fibreglass: Fibreglass is a composite material and doors made with it are comparatively new in the market. Such doors do not corrode like aluminium, rust like steel or warp like wood. However, fibreglass doors can be pretty expensive. 

While all the options mentioned above have their own pros and cons, uPVC doors can prove to be the most functional, budget-friendly, and attractive choice for modern homes. You can always explore the website of the top door and window manufacturers of the country to find the choices available in regards to residential doors, to make your purchase process simpler.