External Doors: Front and Back Exterior Wooden Doors

Published: December 06, 2021

Your exterior doors create your home's first impression for example your front door is often the first contact that visitors have with your home and hints to your personality and individual style, and gives visitors a sense at what they can expect to find inside your home. When it comes to doors, external doors are an essential part of any property. Without doors, your home would be open to the elements, as well as unwelcome visitors. Just because they're a crucial part of your homes infrastructure doesn't mean that they have to be unsightly, though. Choose exterior front doors that compliment the style of your home, make a statement, or add a real wow factor to the entrance of your property. Choose from modern or traditional external doors, in oak, pine or hardwood.

What Wood Type is Best

When it comes to selecting the wood type for your new exterior doors there are several things to consider. What is the overall look you are going for? Is your home more rustic looking or is it maybe a more formal looking home? Where are you located and how will the door be exposed to the natural elements of your location? Are there other wooden elements nearby that you will want to accent the door?

Spanish Cedar

Cedar woods are a robust species that naturally resists decay maintaining its stability even in the harshest of environments. Spanish Cedar has a pleasing aromatic odor that smells good and also repels most insects, it varies in color from light to dark reddish-brown. Not to mention cedar tends to be a good thermal insulator helping to keep your home warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. With its natural ability to repel moisture, insects and most fungi cedar is one of the world's most durable wood species.

Mahogany

Solid, rich and color, extreme durability and reliability Mahogany wood doors add that sophistication to your home that most homeowners are looking for. Mahogany is a straight, fine and even grain that can range in color from pale pink to a reddish brown, the color of Mahogany wood often darkens and becomes richer over time. Mahogany has been the standard in exterior doors for a very long time and is resistant to both insects and rot.

Oak

There are hundreds of different species of oak, Estate Millwork offers two of them red oak and white oak. Oak is a very dense wood with great strength, hardness and a high tannin content that makes it very resistant to insects and fungus making it a good strong choice for an exterior door. Oak wood doors are very recognizable due to their distinct and visible grain pattern. Due to the wide and varying grain of oak wood it is pertinent to maintain a good finish.

Knotty Alder

Do you want a more rustic looking door? Knotty Alder may be just the wood you are looking for to achieve the rustic look. In recent years Knotty Alder has become a popular door species because of its pronounced grain and uniform texture. Alder is a softer hardwood that is similar in hardness to pine meaning it is more easily scratched or dented, because it is a softer wood it is less resistant to harsh and humid weather conditions. Knotty Alder ranges in color from pale pinkish-brown to darker shades of reddish-brown that will yellow and darken over time with exposure to the sun.

Walnut

Walnut is generally rich dark or black color with purple undertones, the grain is straight with intermittent curls and waves. Walnut is very durable especially in terms of rot and deterioration; however without proper maintenance the color of your Walnut door can fade when exposed to prolonged periods of direct sunlight.

Cherry

Cherry wooden entry doors have a tight clear grain with a smooth texture that finishes beautifully giving your home a sense of refined sophistication. Cherry usually ranges in color from pinkish-brown to darker shades of reddish-brown, with sun exposure cherry will develop a dark rich patina. Classified as a hardwood Cherry is known for being dense and strong with exceptional moisture resistance qualities that hold finishes better than any other woods. Being that cherry is a heartwood it is both hard and durable making cherry doors highly resistant to rot and decay.