Types of Door
A door's function determines its construction, appearance and operation. If it's meant for security, it has to be a very solid, durable construction. If, in addition to providing access, it's intended to permit natural light or views into the room, it must incorporate glass.
Exterior Doors
When buying an exterior door you need to be sure that it has the safety features required to stop people entering easily. The security of exterior doors has improved vastly over the last few years with developments in locking systems and materials used for doors. Many doors are now made of a combination of materials including wood, aluminium, glass and uPVC.
Solid Panelled Doors
Most doors are designed to look as though they're made from wood, even if they're not. Steel and/or fibreglass are excellent at simulating the look of wood yet are more affordable, have a greater insulation value and require far less maintenance. Fibreglass-composite doors are made from a core of rigid insulation clad with a fibre-reinforced polymer and are often embossed with artificial wood grain to look more realistic.
Panel doors are made from a framework that holds in place a series of wood panels. This construction method is common because it minimizes the effects of the wood's tendency to shrink, warp and swell with variations in humidity. Some panel doors contain glass rather than wood panels. This glass can be clear, bevelled, etched, leaded, ornamental, or energy-efficient glazing. Panel doors are generally referred to by the number of panels they contain.
Safety and Security of Doors
Fire doors are designed to be flame resistant and are aimed at containing a fire and preventing smoke escaping for a given duration. While not as aesthetically pleasing as other types of doors, they are made to provide a building’s occupants with more time to escape a building in the event of a fire. These types of doors are often found strategically placed in office buildings and blocks of flats where there may be a greater distance to cover in order to exit a building and reach a place of safety.