Steel Entrance Doors – Pros and Cons
The door of a house is the very first thing someone sees. Steel entrance doors are the most common due to their strength, longevity, and price, but are they really worth it, or is it best to look at other types of Entrance Doors?
In this article, we will look at the advantages and disadvantages of steel entrance doors to help you make an informed decision.
What is a steel door?
Doors are essential to home security and curb appeal and reflect the owner’s pride in their home. It is important to understand how Steel Entrance doors are constructed to help make the right buying decision.
A steel entry door is made of two sheets of steel sandwiched on either side of a foam internal layer and a steel perimeter that gives its rigidity and strength. The Foam internal filling provides insulation.
What are the benefits of a steel entry door?
Now that we’ve seen how a steel door is built, let’s talk about why you might want one for your home.
1) A steel door is as safe as you can get:
We’ve got to start with the most obvious one here – safety. Nothing measures up to a steel door when it comes to keeping your loved ones and your possessions safe. While other door materials (like wood) can be broken into, with a little effort, steel can not, and thus provides the perfect security. This is what makes a steel entry door ideal both for commercial properties, as well as residential houses.
Put together a steel door and a sturdy lock, and you and your family can sleep soundly, safe knowing that no one will break through your door.
2) Steel is very low-maintenance:
While we all want a door that keeps us and our stuff safe, we don’t really want yet another part of the house to be clean and taken care of regularly. That’s another category in which steel takes the lead as far as door materials go.
Steel requires almost no effort on your part. Unlike wood, it doesn’t rot, and you don’t need to worry about applying lacquers or other treatments to maintain the material. With a steel door, all you need is some warm, soapy water and a cloth to wipe it down every once in a while, and you’re set.
3) It holds up in extreme weather:
One important aspect of doors and windows is how well they can withstand extreme temperatures since they’re constantly exposed to the weather. Unfortunately, while solid choices in their own right, other materials like wood or PVC will, in time, become damaged by brutal winters or extremely hot summers, since the temperature causes the material to expand/contract.
Not a problem with steel. A steel door maintains its shape and size, even in extreme weather, so you don’t have to replace/repair it.
4) Most steel doors are fire-proof:
A steel entry door will provide excellent cover in case of fire, which can’t be said about some other door materials like vinyl or wood. While some wooden doors may provide fire protection, they don’t compare to steel.
Steel doors are typically marked by a small sticker indicating their overall fire rating. If this is a particular concern for you, we recommend asking the manufacturer for a specific fire rating. But on average, a steel door is designed in such a way to resist extreme heat for around 20 minutes, which technically gives the residents ample time to evacuate in case of fire.
5) Steel is a very strong material:
This means it won’t dent or become easily damaged, giving you many years (and even decades) of use before you need to consider replacing it. A steel door can take a direct impact without being permanently damaged, which can’t be said about other materials.
Have you tried kicking a steel door? We wouldn’t recommend it. Unlike wood, for example, a steel door won’t bow, crack, or break.
6) Steel protects you from armed intruders:
No one wants to think about the possibility of an armed robbery on their property. Unfortunately, when considering the safety of your home, you need to look at all possible scenarios to ensure you’re prepared for anything.
If you’re concerned about a potentially armed intruder, then steel is the best choice to give you some peace of mind. While even the strongest steel will eventually fail under heavy fire, it’s the best choice for facing an armed intruder.
7) Steel doors are surprisingly energy-efficient:
It’s a common misconception that a steel door is probably a poor insulator. And that would be true if the door was made solely out of steel. But thanks to the insulating foam layer in between the two sheets of steel, your steel entry door will surprise you.
Because a steel front door is rigid and strong, it offers good Design Pressure values and resistance against high winds. Due to the foam core, the door offers fairly decent R-Values.
8) They’re pretty soundproof:
If you’re interested in a complete soundproofing effect, you probably need to look into professionally soundproofing your home. No door material is quite so solid to block out all sound. However, steel is up there with the best of them, thanks once again to its extremely sturdy nature. The sheer thickness of a steel door makes it difficult for sound to permeate, meaning you don’t need to worry about your neighbors hearing you, and you don’t need to worry about music, arguments, or loud people in the street.
9) A steel door is more customizable than you think:
You probably expect a bland, metallic look when you think of a steel door. That’s not the case. A steel door offers several customizable options – it can replicate a natural wood look, have a window installed, and be colored any shade you like.
10) A steel door boasts a great value-cost ratio:
Yet another reason to opt for steel entry doors is the unbeatable price. Considering that steel doors are cheaper than wood doors and offer more protection, a steel door is a great investment as it’ll perform well for many years.
Are there any downsides?
The only disadvantage to a steel door that we can think of is that you can’t cut them to size, which means you need to be specific about your door measurements or else you’re stuck with a door that won’t fit. But other than that, steel entry doors get an overwhelmingly positive rating in all categories – safety, aesthetic, maintenance, and price!
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