Whether you’re shopping for interior or exterior doors, it’s smart to slow down and make sure you make the right choice. Not all doors are created equal, and some will perform better than others in certain environments. If you need help selecting the right door, it’s a wise idea to contact a professional, but for now, let’s cover some of the key concepts to consider when shopping for doors.
A Tale of Two Doors
Exterior doors, as you almost certainly know, are used to control access to homes or other structures. Once you move past an exterior door, you’ll find doors inside that control access to individual rooms. As a general rule, security is more of a priority for exterior doors, and ease of use is more important for interior doors.
Exterior doors are built to resist harsh weather, breaking and entry attempts, and much more. Owing to this, these doors are often made from very durable materials, like metal or certain types of wood. Interior doors, on the other hand, are often much lighter and not built with such robust materials. This makes these doors easy to open and close.
Exterior doors are often bigger than interior doors. While most interior doors are between 28 and 32 inches in width, according to Week&, many exterior doors measure 36 inches or more. This extra width can be useful for situations like moving furniture into a home.
Specific Door Characteristics to Watch For
With exterior doors, you’ll want to select a material that’s highly durable and resistant to corrosion. Exterior doors are often pummeled by the weather, but the right door can shrug off most storms. You should also pay attention to how much force is needed to open and close a door. If the door is too heavy, it might be hard for you to open.
It’s arguably even more crucial that interior doors be easy to open and close. Fortunately, many interior doors are light and easy to shut and open. While you may not need exceptionally sturdy doors inside, you’ll still want to make sure that the materials are high in quality. It’s also wise to consider noise isolation.
Need more help selecting interior or exterior doors? The Discount Window and Door team will be happy to assist you. Contact us today to learn more about our products!
