Whether you’re looking for the right patio door for your new deck or a new entry door to upgrade your home, there are certain features it needs. Of course, it should have quality functional mechanisms and hardware, and both entry door and sliding patio door need to feature strong security and energy efficiency benefits. They also need to be aesthetically beautiful to contribute well to your curb appeal and property values! Finally, your doors should be built to withstand the Arizona climate.
Here’s some information about the features and benefits of the three most popular types of exterior doors for patios to help you compare.
What is the Best Material for Glass Doors?
The materials you choose for your exterior glass doors will affect your energy bills, your comfort inside your home, and your level of trouble-free enjoyment of your home. For the best long-term experience, here are the three best options in glass door frame materials.
Wood Door Frames
Depending on your home’s aesthetic, including its window designs, beautiful wood-framed doors can add to the classic appeal of the house. They add that timeless traditional quality that wood windows and doors are famous for. Reasons, why wood is a popular material for door frames, include:
- Aesthetic: Wood is beautiful, and it provides authenticity to traditional home styles.
- Durable: With periodic sanding and repainting, wood door frames can last a long time.
- Noise Resistant: Wood doors help muffle outside noise better than aluminum.
- Reparable: Unlike other materials, wood can be repaired by sanding and painting.
Vinyl Door Frames
Vinyl is the best choice for homeowners who want the most energy-efficient doors. Vinyl is superior to wood and aluminum for insulation value, making it ideal for framing exterior glass doors. For example, significant advantages of vinyl patio doors over all other glass door types include:
- Energy efficiency: Vinyl framing is highly resistant to temperature change.
- Lower cost: It costs less to build high-performance vinyl doors, so they’re a great value.
- Wood-look: Vinyl framing is available in wood grain finishes at a big cost savings.
- Aesthetic: There’s a wide selection of rich textures and colors for vinyl frame finishes.
Aluminum Door Frames
Aluminum remains a popular material for framing basic patio doors and storm doors for residential installation. Aluminum is sturdy, inexpensive, and light to handle. For homeowners who want simplicity, cost savings, and reliable functioning, an aluminum patio door is a practical option. Some features and benefits of aluminum patio door framing include:
- Sturdy: Aluminum is both lightweight and has great strength to bear heavy loads
- Ultra-light in weight: Easier to work with than heavier construction materials
- Easy to maintain: Easy upkeep, occasional cleaning, and quick, simple maintenance
- Decay resistant: Aluminum resists scratching and corrosion, outlasting other materials
When Selecting Your Exterior Door Material
Remember that the door framing material you choose should fit the style and materials of the rest of your home’s aesthetic design. Certain door framing materials are more appropriate for some architectural designs and decorating styles than others. So, keep in mind that your home’s curb appeal, room aesthetics, energy efficiency, and property values can all be affected by your door additions. So, just be sure the design style and construction quality of your residential entry doors, patio doors, and other exterior doors are consistent.
Energy Shield For the Best Exterior Doors
We build Arizona’s best glass doors for the southwest U.S. desert climate. Our engineering emphasis is on reducing heat transfer, dust migration, and noise. We sell our high-performance doors and windows factory-direct! That means our customers get the best possible prices, service, and warranty handling, and industry-certified installation professionals are all factory trained.
