Things to Check When Buying Fiberglass Front Doors

If you’ve recently bought a house, you have probably not considered changing the front door that came with it. You are not the only one doing that. Most homeowners are more focused on revamping the interiors and the front door stays overlooked. 

But, the truth is it is the front door that makes the first impression. That's the first thing visitors see when they come to your home. And, it makes sense to find the best door for your home that is not only in sync with the interiors but reflects your personality. Did you know that when trying to sell a home, having a striking front door can impact the price?

Reasons to shop for the best fiberglass front doors for your new home:

If you have decided to change your front door, you can choose from a variety of options, like wood, steel, and even fiberglass. Exterior fiberglass doors have recently become quite popular with homeowners because of their qualities. They need minimal maintenance and are weather-proof, resilient, and long-lasting. You can even coat them with a wooden texture and have them painted as you wish.

Do you know that some of these fiberglass doors look so much like wood that you will probably not even realize they aren’t mahogany or oak when handling them? That’s because these are manufactured using the same fiber-reinforced polymers that are used for making surfboards and aircrafts, and even Corvettes! Fiberglass doors won’t shrink, rot, or swell like wooden ones and they are strongly resistant to fire and pests.

What should you look at when buying fiberglass front doors?

• Fitting: One of the first things to check for is whether you want a prehung door or a slab. The latter is the door per se, and you must attach the hinges and drill in the holes to fix it. You can then hand the door on a jamb. A prehung door, on the contrary, is already attached to a jamb. It has a weatherstripping system and a threshold and you can choose factory-installed latches and locks. You may need to trim this to fit your house.
• Prices: Obviously you need to consider the costs of the door before you buy it. It’s best to shop around to get a good deal. You will probably have to shell out about $150 to get a paint-ready smooth-surfaced slab. A pre-hung factory-stained, realistically-textured model can cost you almost $7000! So be prepared to spend between $1500 and $2500 if you want to buy a fiberglass front door and then an additional $800 to set it up!
• Longevity: You should look for products with a lifetime warranty. This means the makers will replace it in case there’s a problem. The duration of glass-finish and factory-finish warranties are about 10-20 years and 1-3 years respectively.
• Sizes: You will find these doors in a wide range of sizes; most companies will have ready stocks of the standard size. These are usually available in 80-,84-,96-inch heights and 2-inch width. When ordering a slab, make sure to measure the width, height, and thickness of the original door and then pick an appropriate size.
• Safety codes: This is a must for extra security and you can place orders for a pre-hung model equipped with a factory-installed 3-point locking mechanism.

Using these simple guidelines, you can buy new fiberglass entry doors for your home. These are stable, energy-efficient, and low-maintenance. All you need is a damp cloth to clean them.