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In this article we will talk about a very important issue that concerns our safety and that of our family, apart from constituting a decorative detail in the house. It is about the entrance doors and we will focus on the different types that we can find in the market, mentioning at the same time the style that they will give to our exteriors and the great decorative power they have.
Modern entrance doors on very elegant facades
In the first place, we have selected some photos of the facades of different houses with the idea of seeing how we can give the desired style to the exterior. In the first photos of the article you can see that the doors are made of different materials, but they combine very well with the general panorama of the construction.
Whether made of wood, metal, glass or some other material, you always have to take into account the two main functions of these components: on the one hand, the decorative power that is intimately linked with the image we give to others and , on the other, the issue of security.
If you take these two components into account when choosing your front door, you will be getting closer and closer to the correct variant. The reason is that our guests with a simple glance will get a general idea of the decoration and your style, even before entering the interior and also you will have done everything possible to increase the safety of your family’s life.
The entrance doors and the security we want to have
It must be taken into account that there are three components of any door and the degree of security that we can receive depends on them: the frame, the leaf and the closure. In addition, you do not have to forget the material that has been used to make the door. Therefore, if you want greater security, it is better that you bet on metal and steel. In fact, aluminium bifold doors are a great addition to any home in terms of looks as well as security. They can look very elegant and go well with the modern home designs.
On the other hand, glass and wood are very interesting materials that can help us complete the decoration of our exterior. The wood together with the design of the entrance doors is very appropriate for the rustic decoration style. On the other hand, the glass will be great if it is a modern and elegant house.
The really good thing is that wood and glass are materials that, in general, suppose a certain insecurity. However, today technology has advanced enough to defend ourselves and for doors to become a wall that cannot be penetrated. Next, we will see three types of doors with their mechanisms that you can choose for your home.
Types of entrance doors: armored, armored and security doors
It should be borne in mind that between these three types of exterior entrance doors there is a relevant difference in price, but also in service. Among the three, the door that will provide us with the least security is the security door, with which you can deduce that it is a cheap entrance door.
Perhaps, due to its price, this type of door is the most widely used and its use is not limited only to outdoor space, but is also used inside the home. Its characteristics are quite distinctive, since they are not made of steel plates and its lock has security bulbs that prevent its opening, using picks. However, you must not forget that not all doors of this type have profiles that prevent their opening by using levers.
Another important point when it comes to these modern entrance doors is the price. This always tends to oscillate around 300 euros. The reason is the material that has been used to manufacture the door. This material is reinforced with vertical and horizontal profiles that are only resistant to gas and fire.
Armored entrance doors and their characteristics
These entrance doors are in second position, however they have a drawback that we will see a little further below. Otherwise, they are mostly used for offices and shops. The leaves that compose them can be made of any material and are covered by steel sheets on both sides of the door.
Normally, these doors tend to support up to a weight of 500 kilos, although this largely depends on the model you have chosen. The lock has a cylinder that prevents its extraction with a drill or picks. In any case, the advice of the experts is to put a lock with a double security shield.
Another positive as well as negative side of these entrance doors made of wood or of any other material are the keys, since these are manufactured especially for each specific door. This makes it more difficult to make copies of them. That is why when the door is installed, five keys are usually handed over to the owner, he distributes them among the relatives. Also, you can order a specific number of copies.
The great disadvantage of the issue of keys is the eventual loss or forgetting of them, since in order for the door to be opened, the locksmith will have to cause some damage to the lock and the steel structure. And this will entail an additional cost.
A subcategory on armored entry doors
At this point, we must draw attention to a very important point in armored doors that concerns their blocking. In what refers to this, we can differentiate two types of doors: some, with a lock on all four sides and, others, with threaded rods.
The difference between the two is that the first ones block the door from the four possible sides, that is, one of the bars that are previously placed moves towards the roof frame, another one moves downwards, the third one moves towards the hinges and the fourth, towards the lock. This model is the most recommended by specialists.
On the other hand, the mechanism of the doors that do not lock on all four sides consists of threaded rods with a lead cap on the tips. Whichever option you choose, both have a peephole with a wide viewfinder that is usually 180 degrees. In this way, it allows you to see a greater portion of the space that is on the other side of the door.
Another characteristic of these entrance doors is that the materials used for their manufacture are non-combustible. With which they represent a great barrier that prevents the passage of fire, smoke, gases and heat, apart from being an acoustic insulator.
Armored metal entry doors for increased interior security
Perhaps the biggest drawback of these doors is their price, as it is quite high. However, it must be borne in mind that they currently have almost exclusive use of security cameras. The reason is that steel and concrete pipes are used in its manufacture. In addition, there are a series of elements that are inserted into its surface to maintain, in this way, the solidity of the steel sheets.
Then on these plates you can place the wood you want. However, you have to bear in mind that the price of the doors will also depend on the material chosen, since oak, walnut and pine are the most expensive. Thus, you can create rustic entrance doors that will promote the security of your home.
On the other hand, the main quality of these doors is their high resistance to attacks, since their closing mechanism is located in the frame structure. The reason the security is so high is due to its latches which are usually round or / and rectangular. In addition, the closing of the door covers all four sides of it.
Unlike armored doors, in which you could choose to enter a lock on all four sides of the door and a lock by threaded rods, in these doors we have only one variant. Instead, we can choose between two types of locks: on the one hand, we can opt for a lock that combines discs and, on the other, for an electronic lock.
Locks models for armored entrance doors
The good thing about combination locks is that we have the freedom to choose the way or the ways in which the door box will be locked and these can be digital, mechanical, electronic, etc. In this way, if we opt for the combination of discs we will have the advantage of making many combinations.
On the other hand, the electronic lock consists of the establishment of a momentary connection and a disconnection in the next instant. The programming of the locking and unlocking is established with a code.
Other important points that we cannot leave without mentioning in the manufacture of these doors are the hinges, the frames and the anchors. Therefore, we find reinforced hinges that prevent opening by levers. In turn, the frame and the anchors are made of iron which, when combined with the steel inside the door, make it an element of the house without vulnerable points.
Wooden entrance doors and their decoration and improvement
Once you have installed your door, whatever the level of its security, you can proceed to improve its decoration. This section can be reserved for the moment in which you observe a certain deterioration in the surface of the wooden doors, since the appearance of the facade and the exterior in general will change drastically.
For this reason, you can resort to decoration and more specifically to the fact of varnishing the entrance door. To carry out this procedure in a professional way, first, you will have to isolate the area of the door. This means that if you don’t take down the door, you will have to insulate the walls with tape. On the other hand, if you are going to do your work on the floor, you will have to make sure of some material that does not stain.
Then, you have to locate the imperfections on the surface so that you can eliminate them. If it is about holes or grated, you will have to get a paste for wood of the same color or of a similar color to the varnish that you are going to use. After filling in the imperfections, you will have to let the door dry for about two hours so that you can sand it.
It is important that you sand the surface well, since in this way you will eliminate the reliefs that have formed after the application of the mass. Thus, the surface of the door will be smooth. In the end, with a cloth you only have to remove the dust and sawdust from it so that you can varnish it well.
Tips for varnishing entrance doors
For the varnish to come out well, it is better that you use a brush with natural bristles. Before starting you have to moisten it in the gel dye. You have to start from the bottom of the door and, making some vertical strokes, you have to reach the top. It is important that you do not repeat the movement in the same area twice before the first layer has dried, because there will be streaks.
You have to let the door dry for about four hours, then you have to gently sand it again and varnish it again. This procedure can be done as many times as you want until the moment you get the color you are looking for. However, you have to remember that after each layer, the varnish has to dry for about four hours.
The last step you have to follow is to apply the polyurethane. This is applied in the same way as the varnish, making the same movement. The only difference is that you have to let it dry for about six hours.
