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Make a Good First Impression With Your Entry Doors

By Adrianna Noton

Republish: EasyPublish™
Published: 27Feb2012
Word count: 514
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Entry doors are the first impression a visitor will have of a person's house and they should be as beautiful and welcoming as the house behind it. A ratty looking entry door might prejudice the visitor against the rest of the house and even then homeowner, no matter how well appointed the rest of the house is. So it's to the homeowner's advantage to make sure the door is in good shape and is esthetically pleasing.

Doors can be paneled or have smooth surfaces. Both kinds can have windows. Paneled doors tend to harken back to a certain era, like the Victorian era. Some people adore these sorts of doors and will haunt junkyards, yard and estate sales, wrecking companies and companies that restore old furniture to get them. Even if they don't find the door they want, many places sell old hardware, mantels or moldings that can be applied to their current front door for a much needed make-over.

Front doors come in solid wood, solid core or hollow core. The solid core can be made of wood, steel or foam while a hollow core has cardboard or mesh. All of these cores can be covered with wood veneer or fiberglass, but a steel door must have a solid core. A steel door also has to be painted to keep it from rusting. A wooden door should have a laminated core to keep the wood from warping. Wooden doors are best refinished every few years, also to keep them from warping.

Storm and screen doors might be necessary, but they often obscure a very pretty front door. Some screen doors can be custom made to have large panels that show off the main door behind it. They can even have interchangeable glass panes and screens. Other homeowners found the clever solution of having their main and storm doors in a recess. Louvered storm doors can be closed during the summer to let in air while the main door remains open behind it. In cooler months, the storm doors are tucked back into the recess wall to reveal the "real" entrance door.

Entry doors shouldn't be neglected at night. One way to emphasize the door is to install recessed downlights with wide beams that will not only throw a wash of light on the door, but will light up the steps leading to it, thus adding an extra bit of safety. Coach type or more modern lanterns can also be placed on either side of the door. If the door is part of a porch, the lanterns can also be used with uplights tucked inconspicuously on either side of the door, and more recessed lights in the porch roof. This gives the door a splash of theatricality, especially if it has a beautiful leaded or stained glass window.

Plants can also be arranged near the door and lit up at night with fixtures whose gleam would add to any light above and around the door. It's the perfect way to welcome visitors!

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