There’s no single exterior door that makes sense for every home. The right choice depends on the entrance you’re working with, how much natural light you want, the style of the house and the details you actually care about. It’s less about finding the “best” door and more about putting the right entrance together.

Fibreglass or Steel Exterior Doors?

This is usually one of the first decisions homeowners run into. Both fibreglass doors and steel doors can make excellent exterior doors, so we wouldn’t choose between them based on a simple better-or-worse comparison.

Fibreglass gives homeowners plenty of design flexibility and can be finished in smooth or wood-inspired styles. Steel is another popular choice when you want a clean, straightforward entrance with a solid feel. We’d normally compare the materials alongside the door style, glass and finish you want rather than making the material the entire decision.

Exterior Doors With Glass

A little glass can completely change an entrance. It brings daylight into the foyer and gives you another opportunity to add some personality to the door.

You can keep things subtle with a smaller glass insert, use a taller panel for considerably more light, or make glass a major part of the design. Clear glass keeps the entrance bright and open, while frosted, textured and other privacy-oriented options can give you daylight without leaving the front hallway feeling completely exposed.

And remember, the glass doesn’t necessarily have to be in the door. Sidelights on one or both sides and transoms above the entrance can bring in even more light while letting the door itself remain relatively simple.

Single, Double or Oversized?

A standard single door works beautifully on plenty of homes. But when the front elevation is wider or the entrance itself has a lot of visual space around it, a standard door can sometimes look a little lost.

That’s where <u>double front doors</u>, wider doors and oversized configurations become interesting. They can give a larger home an entrance with proportions that feel more appropriate while also creating a wider opening for everyday use.

Bigger isn’t automatically better, though. The goal is to make the entrance look like it belongs to the house, not like somebody ordered the largest door that would physically fit.

Colours, Handles & Finishing Details

This is where the personality really starts to show. Black and charcoal can create a strong, architectural look. White keeps things clean and familiar, while deep blue, red and other richer tones can give a neutral exterior a focal point without changing anything else on the front of the house.

Hardware deserves some attention too. Black handles can disappear nicely into a darker door or create contrast against a lighter finish, while brushed or satin metallic finishes can soften the look. The handle, lockset, hinges and surrounding trim should feel like parts of the same entrance rather than decisions made separately.

Sidelights, Transoms & the Complete Entrance

Sometimes the best new “door” is actually an entirely new entrance configuration.

One sidelight can add some extra glass without making a dramatic change. Sidelights on both sides create more symmetry and considerably more daylight. Add a transom above and the entrance can start to feel taller, brighter and much more substantial.

This is why we like looking at the entire opening before deciding what should replace the existing door. You might come in thinking you need a nicer front door and realize what you really want is a better front entrance.