The front door protects the interior of a house from the elements, keeps unwanted guests out and family members inside. It’s no wonder that homeowners are always looking for new ways to improve it. Whether you’re looking to add curb appeal or make your home more energy-efficient, there are several new entry door engineering breakthroughs that you should know about. URL

Woodgrain Fiberglass Doors

The door industry’s latest innovation is a wood-looking fiberglass exterior door that resists warping and other weather damage like dents and rust. This door is made from long-strand fiberglass layered on silicone molds with a wood grain pattern, capped by four-inch-thick LVL stiles and rails. It’s then vacuum pressed, with the wood-look texture enhanced by heat and a chemical process called calcination that hardens the surface of the fiberglass.

Enhance Your Curb Appeal: Exploring Stylish and Secure Entry Doors for Your Front Entryway”

This kind of door, known as a composite or synthetic wood-look door, is also much more energy-efficient than its traditional counterpart. The insulating foam inside an average fiberglass door is 2.5 times thicker than the wood it replaces, which translates to a greater R-value and lower utility bills.

A quality fiberglass entry door is almost impossible to tell apart from a real wood one. It’s available in a wide range of styles and colors, with options for lites, sidelites and transom windows to create a one-of-a-kind door for your home. You can also find prehung versions that come hinged to a jamb, with an option for a factory-installed lock and latch, as well as a threshold and weatherstripping system that’s ready to install on your existing jamb. You’ll need to hire a pro to trim it out and stain it, though. Staining a fiberglass door requires some skill because the material is more porous than wood and can discolor with moisture. But with the right care, a fiberglass door can last for many years.