A new door is a big purchase, which is why you want to ensure you’re making the best decision for your home. Taking your time to consider what you’re looking for in a door and learning how to find the right dimensions for a new wrought iron door or steel french door can make the difference between an okay door and the perfect door. To help you with your door purchase, we’ve laid out a guideline of steps to take and decisions to consider to guarantee you install the best door for your home.
Do Some Research
The first step you should always take when making a big purchase is to research your options. When it comes to doors, the most significant differences will be the doors’ materials. Here are some of the most common door materials you can choose from:
- Wrought Iron
- Steel
- Wood
- Fiberglass
- Aluminum
Each material will have its advantages and disadvantages. Knowing the benefits of different materials will help you determine which one will be best for you based on your priorities for a door. For example, if your greatest priorities for your new door are security and durability, then wrought iron and steel are perfect choices for you. On the other hand, if a lower cost is a high priority for you, you’re more likely to consider a wooden or aluminum door.
Choose a Style
Choosing the right style door can make a real difference in your home’s curb appeal. While it is crucial for you to enjoy the way your door looks, it’s also ideal for your entry to match the architectural style of your home. Having a mismatched door can make your whole house look a bit off, even if you have a beautiful door.
For example, modern-style homes are known for their sleek and simple designs, making use of a monochromatic color palette and straight edges. A brightly colored wrought iron door with a curved top and flowery details would usually look gorgeous, but it would appear garishly out of place on the modern-style house. Instead, an elegant steel french door would complement the home, making the entryway far more appealing.
Taking some time to understand your home’s architectural style before purchasing a door is well worth the effort, considering the payoff of a door that perfectly complements your home. Once you’ve narrowed down your home’s style, all you need to do is discover which doors match that style best.
Determine the Right Size
Photo by William Warby on Unsplash
Once you know the material and style you want, the next step is determining the correct size of your new door. The opening you have in your home will determine the size of the door and frame you can install. Having accurate measurements for the opening will allow for a smooth installation. If the door you order is too big for your opening, then you would need to make your opening bigger. This is a difficult process, and it’s much easier to accurately measure the opening to avoid this problem. While ordering a door too small for your rough opening is less of an issue, it still makes the installation more intensive than necessary, as you’ll need to make your rough opening smaller.
Preventing these problems from occurring is easy when you know how to measure for a wrought iron door or steel french door.
How to Measure the Opening for a New Wrought Iron Door or Steel French Door
Measuring your rough opening for a new wrought iron or steel french door is a relatively simple process and absolutely worth doing to prevent headaches in the future. Just follow these steps:
- Remove the trim from around your door. The trim covers the rough opening, and removing it should reveal studs on either side of your door frame. These studs are what you’re using to take your measurements.
- Measure the width of your rough opening by measuring the distance between the studs on either side of the door frame.
- Measure the height of your rough opening by measuring the distance from the floor to the beam at the top of the door frame.
- Measure the depth of your rough opening by measuring the distance between the front edge of the stud and the back edge of the stud.
Consider the Swing
Screenshot from Bighorn Iron Doors custom order page
Many people don’t consider that they’re able to choose the way that their door swings. Doors are traditionally inswing, meaning they open into the home, so most doors you would buy are inswing by default. However, you can choose to have an outswing door instead, meaning that the door would open away from the house.
Outswing doors are actually rising in popularity. Inswing doors are the traditional choice because they were the more secure option in the past, but our advancements in technology make that no longer valid. While inswing doors have their hinges inside the home, outswing doors have them outside, so anyone can access your door’s hinges. In the past, this meant that any burglars could unhinge your door to break into your home. These days, hinges on outswing doors are designed in a far more secure way, making it extremely difficult for anyone to unhinge your door. On top of that, outswing doors are more challenging to break in than inswing doors. As such, they are the superior option for security.
However, inswing doors hold one advantage over outswing doors that could make the traditional choice more appealing for you. In cold regions where the snow tends to pile up in the winter, outswing doors can be detrimental. When there’s plenty of snow on the ground, an outswing door becomes difficult to get open. With just a few feet of snow, you could be trapped in your home. If this is a concern where you live, you may want to consider an inswing door.
Select Some Glass
Most wrought iron doors, and all steel french doors, have glass in them. These glass panes are a great way to enhance the beauty of your door while also letting some natural light into your home. However, you have more options than just the standard glass panes you would put in your windows. Decorative glass is a fantastic way to easily add some personality to your door. More than that, decorative glass also offers extra privacy. Depending on the glass you want, you can choose some glass that would provide little privacy or some glass that would offer complete privacy.
Buy Your New Wrought Iron or Steel French Door from Bighorn Iron Doors
At Bighorn Iron Doors, we care about whether or not you’re getting the best door for your home. That’s why we provide our customers with the opportunity to order their own custom-made wrought iron and steel french doors. You provide the perfect design with all the right specifications, and we provide expert craftsmanship. Contact us or simply subscribe to our newsletter for more updates learn more about wrought iron and steel french doors or start ordering your perfect door.
