Door Materials
Wood
Mostly used for interior doors in order to prolong its beautiful aesthetic. Wooden doors are suitable for hot and cold weather. The prices tend to be quite affordable, as long as it is not an exotic kind of wood.
Steel
Good for interiors and exteriors, and weather resistance. These doors don’t have any problem with corrosion, but are more expensive.
Fiberglass
Better for outdoors. The price is affordable and they tend to last more than steel doors.
Glass
Only used for interior doors, for obvious reasons such as security and etc.
Aluminium
Should only be used for interior doors. If they’re well manufactured they tend to last long time and are quite affordable too.
Hollow metal
Very durable and good for interior and exterior doors. There have no problems with extreme weather conditions. On the down side they get rusty after some time and they have a lack of insulation therefore the cold and the heat can get into the house.
Types of Doors
Traditional doors
Usually have raising panels as well some glass inserts with scrollwork or colored panes.
Craftsmans doors
Normally made of fiberglass or wood and have most of the times the presence of a window or stained glass on the top. They have a nostalgic feel which bring with it an air of romance.
Modern doors
Different colors of panes and glass are found in this style. The lines are clean and straight, minimalist style. The no-fuss designs fit in with almost no effort in modern homes.
Rustic doors
Made of heavy materials such as wood or stone and the thickness is significant. They definitely do add a rugged yet cosy personality to the home.
Arched doors
The curves of these types of doors makes them so distinctive and charming. They’re an integral part of many types of traditional architecture such as Indian architecture, Persian architecture, Islamic architecture and Mexican architecture.
Different types of mechanisms
Hinged doors
Most doors are hinged along one side to allow the door to pivot away from the doorway in one direction, but not the other. The axis of rotation is usually vertical. In some cases, such as hinged garage doors, the axis may be horizontal, above the door opening. Doors can be hinged so that the axis of rotation is not in the plane of the door to reduce the space required on the side to which the door opens. This requires a mechanism so that the axis of rotation is on the side other than that in which the door opens.
Sliding doors
Often useful to have doors which slide along tracks, often for space or aesthetic considerations.
Rotating doors
A revolving door has several wings or leaves, generally four, radiating from a central shaft, forming compartments that rotate about a vertical axis. A revolving door allows people to pass in both directions without colliding, and forms an airlock maintaining a seal between inside and out.
A pivot door, instead of hinges, is supported on a bearing some distance away from the edge, so that there is more or less of a gap on the pivot side as well as the opening side. In some cases the pivot is central, creating two equal openings.
How long does it takes to install a door?
It depends of the size and material, but on average it can take from 2.5 hours to 4 hours to install a standard single door for a professional with a helper. For a double door with a top window, it can take up to 8 hours to install.
Some types of doors are harder to work with because of their size and weight. For example, steel or rustic double doors can be extremely heavy and complicated to install compared to a lightweight wood door. Any extra features added to the door such as windows, glass or sidelites can make installation more complex and therefore will take more time. The fastest, easiest and probably cheapest option is to get a basic pre-hung door installed.
How much does it cost to install a door?
It really depends on how many hours of labor cost you have to pay for. Although many contractors have standard fees for door installation, the actual price will also depend on the difficulty and complexity of the project.
Door Locks and Installations
When it comes to door locks, you basically have three options to choose from, which differ in terms of the security they provide. Spring latch locks are not so strong. Standard deadbolt locks are stronger. However, the vertical and double cylinder deadbolt locks are the strongest and most secure of the lot. You can also get a lock with an alarm on it, which can be only be opened by your private code.
Installation of single or double cylinder deadbolts and keyed entry door knobs into precut holes is relatively simple (15 – 20 minutes task). However the more complicated task of putting mortise lock into custom wood door with no precut holes can take 1 – 2 hours.
