Doors are key to expressing a home’s style. The front door, especially, if often critical to making a statement and properly balancing the transition from private life to the outside world. This post will help you consider the many features to keep in mind when deciding on the right door style for your home.

QUICK SUMMARY

CONSTRUCTION & SOURCING: Wood doors are typically fabricated locally and can be customized without much increase in cost. If an exterior door is unprotected from the elements by awning or porch, use a fibreglass or steel unit, though options will be more limited.
GLASS: use where needed for natural light. Consider decorative elements with an eye towards controlling for privacy.
DOOR PANELS: use a composition of shaker or raised panels to suit your taste and the style of your home. Choose the right panel moulding to add the right character.
DOOR THICKNESS: it’s all about feel and, to a certain extent, enhanced stability. Interior doors are typically offered at 1 3/8” or 1 3/4”. Exterior doors are usually either 1 3/4” or 2 1/4”.
FINISH & HARDWARE: painted or stained, matched or contrasted with the trim. Choose comfortable and attractive hardware.

CONSTRUCTION & SOURCING

Wood looks and feels great, and it allows for easy customization should you want to deviate from standard styles. For front doors, it may be wise to use painted fibreglass or steel when the door is unprotected by a porch or awning.

Local door manufacturers often have standard styles and can customize without too much fuss. In Toronto, we often use Royal Door or Traditional Door Design and Millwork. For fibreglass, window manufacturers are often a good option, like Pella.

GLASS

When deciding on a door style, first consider how much, if any, glass there should be. At interior doors this is occasionally desirable to share light. When an exterior door is part of a larger assembly, with side lites and a transom, the door can be made completely solid. But when the door is alone, some glass will be needed to provide natural light.

When using glass, find the right balance of light and privacy. For maximum privacy, limit glass to a small section above eye level, with a peep hole to facilitate views outside. For more light, consider doors that are as much as 3/4 glass. Any more, however, and the entryway may feel too exposed, and light near the floor does not travel far into the interior, anyway.

The glass itself should be carefully considered as part of the design composition. Consider using muntin bars to separate the glass into individual panes, with cues on how to do so coming from the other windows on the facade or adjacent design elements.

The glass can be made decorative to add interest or to create privacy. Simple beveled glass can accomplish this, as can etched or film-covered glass. Clear gaps can be left to maintain a view out. For an extra touch of personality, consider leaded or stained glass—though custom options may be pricey.

*Privacy is prioritized with a small glass lite above eye level. The raised panels are emphasized with thick panel mouldings.*

DOOR PANELS

Aside from minimal flat-slab doors, doors are generally constructed from vertical and horizontal boards called stiles and rails, with panels held between them. The composition and detailing of these panels provides much of a door’s character. The panels can be arranged as an assortment of many and small, or few and large. They can also be proportioned vertically or horizontally, and with curves along their edges. Some styles suggest a certain composition, with Victorian emphasizing verticality, for example.

The simplest panel is flat and recessed from the surrounding stiles and rails—this is called shaker style. Usually the panel is flat, though it can be composed bead or other thin boards. In contrast, raised panels have a slightly raised portion in the centre, giving more detail and gravitas while adding greater acoustical and thermal performance.

Usually there is a moulding that connects the stiles and rails to the panel, though in the simplest form of shaker style this is absent. These panel mouldings can either be routed into the stiles and rails (sticking), inset, or raised (bolection), with a variety of styles that can compliment the desired aesthetic differently. Check out this blog post to understand typical panel moulding options.

Typical door styles with different panel and glazing configurations—the potential variations are limitless. Different panel and panel moulding styles can be employed to shape the door’s desired character.

DOOR THICKNESS

Added thickness provides more heft, acoustic and thermal separation, as well as stability to help prevent warping. Interior doors are typically 1 3/8” thick, but if a client requests it, we will upgrade to 1 3/4”. For exterior doors it sometimes depends on the supplier’s standards. In most cases either 1 3/4” or 2 1/4” would be fine.

FINISH & HARDWARE

Doors are either finished to match the adjacent trim or differently to serve as an accent. In either case, keep in mind that painted wood doors are less expensive than stained, of which mahogany is considered the ideal species.

The front door is often an opportunity to add an accent colour to the facade, though sometimes it makes sense to match the windows. Typically the interior side of the door is finished to match the interior doors or trim colour in the foyer, though this is not a hard rule.

To understand hardware options, check out this resources post. For front doors, consider if you want a mail slot or door knocker, which may suggest a certain panel configuration or stile and rail proportions.

DOORS