Photo: Niki Nagy

What exterior door has the best R-value?

A solid wood door will have an R-value of R-2 or R-3. An insulated steel or fiberglass will have an R-value that is twice as good — generally R-5 to R-6, but in some cases as high as R-7. European manufacturers of Passivhaus-certified doors advertise R-values as high as R-11.

greenbuildingadvisor.com - All About Doors - GreenBuildingAdvisor

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Almost every house has at least two exterior doors. A bad exterior door is ugly, leaky, made from materials that injure the planet, and has a low R-value. A good door is attractive, doesn’t leak air, is manufactured with materials that are harvested or produced in a sustainable way, and has a decent R-value. Some architects design the main entry door to impress visitors who walk up to the house and ring the doorbell. But very few visitors arrive on foot, so most homeowners no longer need to impress doorbell-ringers. These days, most visitors park in the driveway and enter a house by the side door, just like family members.

Door materials

There are two basic categories of exterior doors: solid doors (usually made of wood) and insulated doors (usually make of polyurethane foam protected by skins of steel or fiberglass). Solid wood doors are expensive. If you can afford a solid wood door made out of a durable species of wood, and you like the look, that’s probably the way to go. Note, however, that the R-value of a solid-wood door is lower than the R-value of an insulated steel door or fiberglass door. If your exterior door is exposed to splashback, especially splashback mixed with rock salt (a problem in regions of the country where salt is spread to help melt ice), a steel door will eventually rust. That’s why fiberglass doors are preferable to steel doors.

Does R-value matter?

Energy Star doors without a glass…

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Do uPVC doors have wood in them?

uPVC front doors have, at their core, a fully insulated steel frame which is then encased in unplasticized polyvinyl chloride.

vufold.co.uk - A guide to choosing between wooden or uPVC front doors - Vufold

What are wooden front doors?

Wooden front doors are created using solid hardwood or timber. Using a frame and panel structure, these doors are made using natural wood that can last for many decades if treaded correctly. It is rare for doors to be cut from a solid wood slab, as it would be very difficult to source the appropriate size for a front door.

Wooden front doors can either be:

Solid wood door - these doors are built from one species of wood in sections that are glued together - these doors are built from one species of wood in sections that are glued together Engineered wood door – these are packed with other pieces of wood or an insulating core with an outer layer of a more expensive wood, or veneer. If you’d like to find out more about wooden front doors and the types available, read our guide. Wooden doors can be a little more expensive than other materials but it’s important to choose a high-quality wooden door for your home. Cheap wooden doors may not be as long-lasting, durable or secure as more expensive doors so this is something you should consider before buying a new door for your home. Vufold’s range of Ultimate Wooden Front Doors feature a cross-laminated hardwood foam core (CLPF) which provides security, durability and thermal efficiency. The doors are then finished with a hardwood veneer which can be factory-finished in either anthracite grey or oak.

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