Author Archives: Traditional Door

6 Reasons to Choose Solid Wood for Your Front Entry Door

Not sure which type of material to use for your custom front entry door?

Today, most entry doors are made from one of three materials — wood, steel, and fiberglass. As you would imagine, each type of material comes with its own pros and cons. At Traditional Door, we are partial to wood doors, as they provide a handful of benefits.

Here are 6 Reasons to Choose Solid Wood When Designing and Ordering a New Custom Entry Door!

1. Wood is very durable

Because both steel and fiberglass are very long-lasting, wood unfairly gets a bad rap for being the “least” durable of the three options. It’s worth noting, however, that wood is very durable in its own right.

A top-notch custom wood entry door will typically last for more than 100 years with minimal rotting or damage. Carefully crafted and engineered to withstand the elements, a custom wood door boasts even greater durability than your run-of-the-mill wood door.

2. Wood is very energy-efficient

It’s no secret that fiberglass is the most energy-efficient material you can use for a front entry door.

A wood door, however, is more efficient than a steel door and can even approximate the energy efficiency of fiberglass — particularly if you opt for a hardwood such as oak, cherry, or walnut.

3. Wood is easily customizable

If you’re looking to add different types of accents and features to your front entry door or adopt a style of door that is a seamless match for your home, wood is going to provide you with the most customization and flexibility.

When you opt for wood, there are dozens of softwoods and hardwoods to choose from, as well as all kinds of panel designs and layouts.

4. Wood is easy to repair

As wood is dense but not impenetrable, it can be sanded down and repainted fairly easy. What’s more, the unique texture of the wood grain is often able to mask certain blemishes.

In the case of steel or fiberglass, on the other hand, scratches and dents are more visible and are significantly more difficult to repair.

5. Wood adds natural beauty

If you want your home to appear cozy, beautiful, and welcoming to friends and family, wood is by far your best option. While steel and fiberglass are both quite efficient, they don’t hold a candle to the charm and character that a solid wood door provides.

Inject your home with a sense of natural beauty by choosing wood for your custom front entry door.

6. Wood boosts your home’s value

Although wood doors tend to be more expensive than both steel doors and fiberglass doors, it’s for this same reason that they add the greatest value to a home.

While you may need to part with a little more money upfront, make the investment today and raise your home’s value for the future!

At Traditional Door, custom wood doors are our specialty. Get in touch with us today to find out how we can design and build the perfect wood entry door for your Toronto home!

5 Important Tips for Designing Front Entry Door Sidelights

Are you interested in adding sidelights to your front entry door?

Sidelights are some of the most popular additions to front entry doors, and for good reason. These glass accents can provide your home with more natural light and tie a bow on a beautiful entryway. With that said, you can’t pair just any skylights with any front entry door.

Here are 5 tips to Find the Perfect Design for Your Entry Door Sidelights:

1. Match Your Sidelights With Your Entry Door

First and foremost, you need to make sure that your sidelights and front door need to match. It should go without saying that a modern door will usually conflict with classic sidelights and vice versa.

So, design your front entry door and your sidelights in tandem so that all styles, details, and colours work well together.

2. Keep Your Sidelights to a Reasonable Size

If you want to make sure that your sidelights let through plenty of sunlight, you may be tempted to make them as large as possible.

However, large sidelights can quickly compete with the entry door itself and detract from your entryway’s appearance. As a rule of thumb, make sure your sidelights are no larger than half of the width of your entry door!

3. Coordinate Your Sidelights and Transom

If you plan on adding both sidelights and a transom to your custom wood door, it’s important that you coordinate these two features very carefully — just as you would with your door and sidelights.

If you opt for two different designs, at least one of these accents is going to feel out of place. So, make sure you match styles, patterns, materials, colours, and any other details when designing your sidelights and transom window.

4. Use Heavy-Duty or Textured Glass if You’re Worried About Security

Security is one of the most common concerns that customers have regarding sidelights. For the most part, however, door systems with sidelights are believed to be just as secure as door systems without sidelights.

But if you’d prefer to double-down on security and put your mind at ease, consider heavy-duty glass — such as hurricane impact glass — for your sidelights. You can also prevent strangers from looking into your home by opting for textured glass.

5. Go With Insulated Sidelights for Extra Energy Efficiency

It’s no secret that doors and windows are some of the most vulnerable areas of your home when it comes to energy efficiency. The truth is that adding sidelights can easily cause your home to lose even more hot and cold air — potentially causing a spike in your energy bill.

Choose materials that are filled with insulating materials or sidelights that are equipped with insulated coatings. This will go a long way towards helping your home retain as much hot and cold air as possible.

Want to make sure that you land the perfect design for your custom front entry door and sidelights? Contact the experts at Traditional Door today to discuss a plethora of design options and find the perfect entryway design for your home!

5 Factors to Consider When Hiring a Custom Door Manufacturer

Are you on the hunt for a top-notch custom door manufacturer in Toronto?

Whether you’re building a new house or you’re looking to replace a few outdated doors, you’ve already taken a huge step in deciding to go with custom doors for your home.

The next step, of course, is choosing a custom door manufacturer who can deliver an outstanding product. How do you know if you’re hiring the right door manufacturer for the job?

Here are 5 Factors You Should Consider Before Hiring a Custom Door Manufacturer!

1. Customer Service

When you have questions or need more information, does the manufacturer give you the time of day?

The amount of personal attention they are willing to give you before you hire them is a fairly good indication of the kind of personal attention they plan to give you during the design and manufacturing processes.

2. Track Record

Every custom door manufacturer is going to tell you that they have the best products, the best process, and the best customer service. But what do their customers have to say about them?

The truth is that the most honest feedback you’re going to get about a company is the feedback that its customers leave.

You can learn a great deal about a company’s track record just by running a quick Google search or reading their testimonials page. Is the company’s feedback overwhelmingly positive, or are there a handful of scathing reviews that are hard to ignore?

3. Involvement

Although there are many companies that manufacture custom doors, not all of them have the same approach when it comes to design. It’s important that you choose a manufacturer that can meet your design needs.

Do you already have a specific design in mind or do you need a manufacturer who can help you come up with the right design for your home? Some manufacturers plan to be relatively hands-off during the design process, while others will be willing to work alongside you to help you find the perfect design for your home.

4. Craftsmanship and Selection

The level of quality and customization a manufacturer can provide is largely dependent on the equipment, machinery, and personnel that they have available.

Of course, you should look into the manufacturer’s credentials and qualifications. But you should also ask the manufacturer about the different types of designs, woods, finishes, and hardware that they offer.

The reality is that a lack of options may severely limit what you’re able to achieve with your new set of custom doors!

5. Warranty

Finally, you need to make sure that your manufacturer is going to deliver a long-lasting product—one that they will stand behind.

Ask the custom door manufacturer about the warranty they offer before hiring them. The better the guarantee, the more likely they are to give you a high-quality product—the first time.

Do you Need a Manufacturer You Can Trust to Deliver Beautiful Custom Wood Doors in Toronto?

Traditional Door is Ontario’s leading manufacturer of wood doors, mouldings and millwork. At Traditional Door, we can check all of the boxes above and more. Contact us today—we’d love to help design and build your next custom doors! Submit a form or call us!

Reinforce & Customize Your Wood Doors for Increase Safety

Are Wooden Doors Safe?

Most people have custom wooden exterior doors in their homes … but how safe are they, exactly?

This is a question that countless customers ask themselves when considering the different options for their front entryways and back custom wood doors. After all, the piece of wood you install might be the only thing preventing a burglar from breaking into your home!

Spoiler alert—wooden doors are much safer than you might think; and yet, there are a number of customizations you can make to maximize their safety.

5 Tips to Make To Customize & Reinforce Your Doors

Make the following customizations when designing your next wooden exterior door to make it as sturdy and secure as possible!

1. Avoid Adding Glazing/Windows if Possible

You may be tempted to add glazing/windows to your exterior door, as they can add character to your door design and allow a little extra natural light to shine through.

The truth is, however, that the addition of a window immediately makes it the most vulnerable component of your exterior wooden door. Glass is not only less dense than wood but it also allows strangers to make out figures and movement inside your home.

2. Choose a Dense Hardwood

Not all woods are created equal. Generally speaking, most hardwoods are at least a little sturdier than most softwoods.

Although you might enjoy the cost savings of a pine, poplar, or alder door, there are denser woods that are much more difficult to break through—namely, ash, oak, and maple.

3. Invest in Your Doorframe

Your wooden exterior door is one component in an entire door system. In other words, make sure you don’t neglect the doorframe!

A hard, dense wood—such as mahogany or oak—will prove to be significantly sturdier than your average, inexpensive interior doorframe. You can even reinforce a wooden door with a steel or metal doorframe!

4. Choose a High-Security Locking System

When designing a new wooden exterior door, there is a handful of locking mechanisms to choose from—including five-lever mortice locks, latches, and more.

A deadbolt arguably offers the greatest level of security, as burglars cannot force these types of locks open using a credit card or knife. You can also double down on security by pairing your deadbolt locking system with a door chain!

5. Install a Peephole

Do you feel anxious whenever you hear a knock at your door? With a peephole installed, you’ll be able to view the person outside your home before deciding to open up. A wide-angled peephole, more specifically, will give you a broad range of views.

While a peephole doesn’t provide much in terms of the sturdiness and security of the door itself, it will give you peace of mind whenever someone knocks at your wooden door!

Now that you know how to maximize the security of your wooden door, you can design and purchase your next custom wooden exterior door with confidence. Traditional Door is Ontario’s leading manufacturer of wood doors, mouldings and millwork. Get in touch with one of the experts today and ask them to give you a hand. Submit a form or give us a call!

4 Steps to Make a Statement With Your Front Door

Looking to part with your outdated front door and install a new custom door that really pops?

When friends and neighbours drive past your house, your front door is one of the first things they will notice. If you want to make a great impression and have your home showcase your own personality and style, updating your front door is a great way to achieve this.

Follow this four-step process to replace your bland front door with one that stands out and makes your home feel complete!

1. Choose Your Material

While the majority of front doors are made from wood, you might prefer an aluminum or glass door instead.

Keep in mind, however, that wood gives you complete control over the colour of your front door. If you’re looking to make your door truly stand out against the rest of your home, a custom wood door is the most versatile option by far!

2. Choose Your Design

If you chose wood for your door’s material, you have a handful of design options to consider.

Rather than opting for a traditional panelled door, however, consider a more modern design—a door that uses a single sheet of wood or horizontal panels, for example.

You can also make your front door stand out with a few accents, such as glass inserts and textures.

3. Choose Your Colour/Finish

If you’re someone who has spent the last few years with a white or brown front door, you might be eager to finally pick out a bold colour that reflects your own personality. At the same time, the sheer number of colour options that are available might be overwhelming.

To land the perfect colour for your front door, ask the following questions:

Do I want there to be a contrast between the door and my home?
How bold do I want to be with the colour choice?
Does my home’s exterior have any accents that I want my front door to match?

For a bold or contrasting door, you will want to offset the shade of your home with a much different shade. If your home is white or light gray, for example, you will want to select a much darker colour to create a contrasting effect. If your home is dark blue or brown, on the other hand, you will want to select a much brighter colour.

At the end of the day, there are no wrong options—choose the colour you like most. If you’re unsure of your choice, you can look at photos of similar doors or consult one of the custom door professionals here at Traditional Door!

Here are some wood stain options you should consider: Wood Stain Colours

4. Choose Your Hardware

Last but not least, you will need to choose hardware for your new front door. Of course, a bold or contrasting colour is more than enough to make your front door pop. Unique hardware is just the icing on top!

There are hundreds of modern doorknob and handle designs out there. Rather than settling for a traditional brass doorknob, identify hardware that will catch a guest’s eye!

Remember, nothing in your home makes a statement quite like a bold, custom front door. Contact one of the experts at Traditional Door today for all of your custom door needs. We would love to help! You can give us a call at + 1 (416) 747-1992.