Archive for the 'Door Materials' Category

A Look at the Perpetual Popularity of Custom Designed Wood Doors

Thursday, October 24th, 2019

Wood entry doors have always been a beloved fixture of homes, no matter what style or decade they were crafted in. Same goes even today, where wooden doors, especially custom ones, signal attention to detail, beauty and tradition. Let’s take a look at why wood doors remain popular year after year.

Rich Character and Beauty

You can’t quite replicate the rich character and beauty inherent in wood doors. They define style, and hark back to a time when traditional and simple were things to strive for. This deep-set beauty is perhaps due to its natural wood grain and heavy, durable feel. Plus, they’re often stained rather than painted, offering a stunning statement for your front entry.

Choices

There are many choices at your disposal when you decide to go with wood doors. From modern, bamboo and teak to traditional oak or mahogany, the possibilities are endless. So whether you go with a rustic cedar or knotty pine, you can’t go wrong with the end result. Most components of the door can be made of wood, from the panels to the molding to special features.

Heck, you can even customize the door’s finish with stain or paint. Stains are usually a better choice for many people, as it shows off the wood’s natural grain.

Material

You also have a choice as to composition, whether solid wood or solid engineered wood core, both of which offer durability and insulation. High-quality wood can also reduce the amount of outside noise that makes it into your home, with the added benefit of helping with security concerns and energy savings.

The type of wood you select will have vastly different looks for your home. For instance, bamboo has a sleek and modern appearance and is a more sustainable, eco-friendly option, while oak has a tougher, more traditional look. If you decide to go with cedar and knotty pine, you’ll get a more rustic look. There’s a wood out there for every style!

Custom Fit and Look

Perhaps the best part about wood doors is that they can be custom made to fit any opening, plus you can trim them to fit a specific size doorway. You can even have windows inserted, or glass inserts and other decorative accents. That’s because wood is so easy to work with.  

Energy Efficiency

Wood is a great insulator, keeping warm air inside in winter and cool air inside in summer. It keeps room temperatures even and stable throughout the year, offering high levels of energy efficiency while lowering utility bills at the same time.

Contact Dallas Door Designs

We specialize in custom wood doors in Dallas. Contact us to let us know what you need! Or, request a free estimate online.

Exploring the Pros and Cons of a Wood Front Door

Thursday, January 31st, 2019

Choose the right front door color.

If it’s time to consider a new front door to enhance your home, you may automatically assume a wood entry door is best. That may be so, but there are many factors to take into consideration before making a decision. Wood doors are certainly a timeless classic, a popular option for many homeowners. But they have their drawbacks as well. Let’s take a look at the pros and cons.

Pros

Wood doors bring a rich sense of character and beauty to any home. This is mostly due to their natural wood grain that can be complemented with staining. They have a durable feel, too, offering a stunning, timeless statement to your front entry.

Just like with wood furniture, you have many options of wood to choose from:

  • Modern and sleek bamboo or teak
  • Traditional oak or mahogany
  • Rustic cedar or knotty pine

You can also choose from a variety of door panels, molding and special features such as engravings, designs, glass and windows. Hardware options are diverse, ranging from black wrought iron to contemporary nickel or brass. Finally, you can customize the finish of your door with stain or paint.

Most entry doors are solid wood or feature a solid engineered wood core, giving you added durability and insulation. This is great if you have security concerns and if you want to save on energy bills (who doesn’t?). Plus, this can help you reduce the level of noise you hear from the outdoors.

Wood doors can be custom made to fit any size opening or trimmed to your doorway. It’s an easy material to work with, easily adaptable to any space. Plus, you can have windows or space for glass inserts cut into a wood door.

Cons

Wood doors need care and maintenance so they stay looking great and performing at peak levels. You should seal them before or right after installation; otherwise, the wood will absorb moisture which can lead to warping or swelling over time. You’ll have to reseal every two years or so.

You’ll also have to re-stain or paint, or at least do some re-touches, every couple of years. That’s because your wood doors can chip with normal wear and tear as well as exposure to the weather.

Due to their heavy material, wood doors can sag over time, but you can fix this problem with routine maintenance or updates to the hardware and frame.

Overall, wood doors make an excellent choice for any homeowner!

Contact Dallas Door Designs

 Request a free estimate with Dallas Door Designs today or contact us at 214-973-0373. We are proud to offer installation and custom wood doors in Dallas.

 

Personalize Your Door With Glass

Sunday, December 30th, 2018

Choose the right front door color.There are a multitude of ways in which you can personalize a door to make it uniquely your own. And one of the best ways to make the most impact is to choose a glass element. Once you’ve made that decision, choosing the right one is imperative. With so many options at your disposal, especially with Dallas Door Designs’ custom offerings, it can be overwhelming selecting the perfect glass for your door. Keep these considerations in mind throughout the process.

Style and Taste

Clear glass can go with any setting or design style, but if you really want to add character, choose a textured or decorative glass option. Clear glass is traditional and beautiful, but it does take away from your privacy. Decorative glass options offer a variety of color schemes for additional aesthetic qualities.

Etched glass is another option that can add beauty and a sense of your personal style to your home. Choose from seemingly endless designs, from flowers and leaves to birds and words. You can add your name to the door in fancy lettering or choose your very own design that you have crafted. If a symbol or other design means something to you, it can be incorporated into your door’s glass.

You can choose from one panel, two panels, three and many more. Sidelights are long glass pieces on the side of an entry door. These can expand the entry space and make it more elegant. Sunbursts or individual square panes at the top of the door let in light but don’t compromise your privacy quite as much.

Privacy

Frosted or textured glass adds more privacy without compromising the natural sunlight that your home gets. If you’re looking for French and sash doors, for example, and privacy is an issue, you can still incorporate lots of glass but you have to choose the right kind.

Textured glass options often come with a privacy rating on a scale of 1 – 10, with the higher rating offering more privacy. This way, you can settle on a texture that affords the perfect amount of privacy, whether you need an entry door, interior door or patio door.

Another option to increase privacy, aside from textured or frosted glass, is to choose internal mini blinds within an insulated glass unit. Not only can you control with amount of privacy and sunlight you get with an easy-to-operate sliding switch, you never have to worry about dusting or cleaning your blinds again. Plus, they won’t bang against your door every time you open and close it.

Contact Dallas Door Designs

Here at Dallas Door Designs, our professionals can create and install custom entry and patio doors with glass accents, sidelites and transoms. To learn more, contact us at 214-973-0373 or request a free estimate online.

 

How Secure is Your Front Door?

Wednesday, July 26th, 2017

You may take your front door for granted. You may even have the best locks on the market, including a dead bolt. But locks aren’t the only thing keeping intruders from your family. The type of door you choose makes all the difference. A flimsy one can be kicked down easily. So, we ask: how secure is YOUR front door?

Iron Door Dallas TX Verastique

Materials

Doors come in all types of materials, from wood to steel. The one you choose will depend on your budget and your security needs. Solid core doors are heavily constructed and are common for front entry doors and anywhere sound proofing, insulation or security are of utmost importance. Hollow core doors are just what they sound like. They’re cheap and lightweight and are better for interior doors rather than exterior ones.

Aluminum doors are strong and durable, and surprisingly lightweight and affordable. Of course, no other material is stronger than steel, so choose this type of door if you need top-notch security.

Iron doors are also a good choice, offering enhanced security, durability, and functionality. Plus, they lend a certain ornate beauty to your home that you can’t get with other types of doors.

Wood is the most common overall, with many reasons for this:

  • Environmentally friendly
  • Aesthetically pleasing
  • Natural, rustic look
  • Matches with all decors
  • Provides noise reduction
  • Energy efficient
  • Easily fabricated
  • Durable
  • Strong in proportion to its weight
  • Can be stained or painted any color

Hinges

The material of the door is important, but the reinforcements you add are just as important to the safety and security of your home. From reinforced doors to composite doors, you have many options at your fingertips. Hardware, of course, is the crowning glory of your door and will determine how secure it ultimately is. The right hinges can help you prevent weaknesses that leave your home vulnerable to attacks. If your door opens outwards with external hinges, those pins can easily be removed and the door can be freed. Today’s modern security hinges are designed to provide more protection to ensure the pin isn’t so easy to remove. Riveted pins, security studs, non-removable pins, and hinge bolts are all types of hinges you should consider.

Locks

The type of lock you choose, above and beyond the one that comes with your door, is critical to security. Here are some tips from Reader’s Digest:

  • Add a heavy-duty dead bolt: These don’t cost much and they add a high value to your security system. A dead bolt is a low-cost, high-value addition to your security system. You can choose a double-cylinder dead bolt (keyed on both sides) or a single-cylinder dead bolt (keyed on one side). Make sure it comes with a grade 1 security rating.
  • Put in a strike box: This will further secure your entry door, as these structures comprise a metal pocket and over-sized plates. They connect into the wall stud behind the doorjamb using three-inch screws.
  • Consider a reinforcer plate. A three-sided metal reinforcement plate encases a door around the handset or dead bolt.

Contact Dallas Door Designs

For more insight into the security of your doors, contact us at 214-973-0373. Dallas Door Designs, a family owned and operated company, offers you the very best products that fit your needs. With a focus on outstanding service, dependability, and a personable experience, you can count on us to determine which front door is best for your home.

What’s the best material for exterior doors?

Friday, June 9th, 2017

Exterior Doors

Looking to install new exterior doors on your home? You may be wondering about which materials are best. Perhaps your focus is on high security, or maybe you are more concerned with aesthetics. Whatever you need, it’s important to research the types of doors out there and the materials that are best for your specific application.

Types

You will find several types of doors depending on where you live and which provider you’re using. Sometimes, people even combine a couple of different materials for their exterior doors for an interesting contrast. But in general, the main types available to most consumers include:

  • Wood
  • Steel
  • Fiberglass
  • Iron

The one you choose will depend largely on personal style and budget. Overall, wood is best for an attractive, classic appearance; steel and iron are perfect for the highest level of security; and fiberglass is a great low-maintenance choice for many homeowners. Your door installation professional can go over your choices and help you decide on the best for your needs. Let’s take a more in-depth look at each material.

Wood

This is the best choice for aesthetics because it gives a traditional, authentic look you just can’t get with any other type of door. However, wooden doors can be expensive these days. While they are fairly heavy and offer a moderate level of security, they do need to be sealed for protection from the sun and other elements. In addition, they can be prone to rot and insect damage if not well maintained. They require quite a bit of upkeep in the form of sealant, stains and paints to ensure they can resist pests and the weather.

Steel

This is another expensive material, even more so than wood. However, for that price, you get a high-security option that makes for a strong and secure safeguard for your home. Steel is also energy efficient, weather resistant, pest resistant and low-maintenance. This type of door won’t crack or warp like wood or fiberglass can, but it can be susceptible to dents which are difficult and costly to repair, says SF Gate.

Fiberglass

A great choice when it comes to maintenance-free living, fiberglass doors are also extremely energy efficient. And with the ability to resemble the look of other materials such as wood, they provide that classic look without the upkeep and risk that comes with it. In fact, fiberglass can resist wear and tear as well as the elements even more so than steel. If you go the cheap route and get low-quality fiberglass doors, they can crack in cold weather.

Iron

The unique design and character that iron doors bring to the home is unmatched. However, they only fit with a select archictectural style of home, which could be a drawback to many home owners. However, wrought iron doors certainly do add curb appeal as well as value to your property, acting as the centerpiece for your home.

Contact Dallas Door Designs

Here at Dallas Door Designs, we have a variety of exterior door designs and materials to choose from that can boost your curb appeal, property value, and energy efficiency. Let our designers help you choose exterior doors that complement your home, style, and budget. Contact us at 214-973-0373 to schedule a showroom or home visit.

Contact Us

1243 Majesty Dr
Dallas, TX 75247
(Showroom visits by appointment only)

Phone: 214-973-0373
Email: sales@dallasdoordesigns.com

Request a Free Estimate

Call us at 214-973-0373 or fill out the form below for a free, no obligation estimate.

    Copyright 2024 © Dallas Door Designs. All Rights Reserved.