Fiberglass Doors vs. Steel Doors: What’s the Best Exterior Door For You?

Fiberglass Doors vs. Steel Doors: What’s the Best Exterior Door For You?

It's a beautiful, sunny day. The seasons are changing, and you are planning out your new front porch décor, and you realize you need a front door that can withstand all seasons and make a statement when guests arrive. As you begin your research, you face choosing between a fiberglass door or steel door and aren't quite sure where to start with making the big decision. But don't worry, we broke down everything you need to know when picking out a steel or fiberglass exterior door to guide you on your new front door journey.

Fiberglass Doors vs. Steel Doors: What’s the Best Exterior Door For You?

What is a Steel Door?

A steel entry door consists of two galvanized steel sheets stamped with a design, an inner foam core, a steel edge perimeter, and a lock block. These doors come in a smooth finish, ideal for solid paint colors or a textured finish to mimic natural wood. Typically, steel doors will give you the best return on investment and provide the highest security and fire rating.

Fiberglass Doors vs. Steel Doors: What’s the Best Exterior Door For You?

What is a Fiberglass Door?

Fiberglass exterior doors consist of an engineered lumber or composite stiles and rails, an inner foam core, and high-impact fiberglass skins molded into your door design. Like the steel door, fiberglass panels have an insulating foam core that gives optimum energy efficiency and is available in a smooth finish for solid paint colors or textured finish to provide a realistic wood look.

Fiberglass Doors vs. Steel Doors: What’s the Best Exterior Door For You?

The Waudena® Difference

Waudena® Entrance Systems is dedicated to providing homeowners with the highest-quality fiberglass and steel doors on the market while giving you a large variety of color and style options. Our doors are available with a variety of quality components to enhance the security and overall door quality. Many of our fiberglass doors and steels doors feature:

Adjustable Hinge Plate System: Allows the door to be adjusted up/down within the frame or in/out against the weatherstrip to create a weather-tight seal.

Steel Edges: Gives extra security to our steel entry doors with a Grade 40 security rating and 90-minute fire rating. The steel edge stays straighter than a standard wood edge, improving thermal efficiency.

Composite Lock Block: The composite material prevents expansion caused by moisture, like humidity, so it won't push against the door skins.

Steel Jamb Reinforcement Plate: Provides additional security around the deadbolt, making it harder for an intruder to kick in.

Polyurethane Foam: This foam is sprayed between the fiberglass or steel door skins, ensuring every nook and cranny is filled to give the best insulation possible.

Fire-rating: Our steel exterior doors are fire-ratable for up to 90-minutes.

Selection: We offer a wide variety of paint colors, along with woodgrain finishes to give you a fiberglass or steel door that looks like natural wood.

Warranty: Our exterior door warranties will give you comfort in knowing you have the protection you need in case any issues arise.

Thicker Steel: Waudena® steel doors are made from thicker steel (22 or 20-gauge steel) giving you a more durable exterior door.

Whether you're choosing a steel door or a fiberglass door, we are confident you will love your Waudena® door for years to come.

Fiberglass Doors vs. Steel Doors: What’s the Best Exterior Door For You?
Fiberglass Doors vs. Steel Doors: What’s the Best Exterior Door For You?

Steel Doors: Strength + Durability

We defy industry standards by creating a door that is more durable, more energy-efficient, and has more style options than ever before. Our American-Made steel is hot-dipped galvanized to protect against rusting and is approved for coastal applications. The steel edge gives our doors a Grade 40 Security Rating, meaning our doors can withstand forced entries. All of our steel exterior doors are fire-ratable for up to 90-minutes, giving you and your family additional peace of mind in case of an emergency. Additionally, the steel edge stays straighter than the wood edge on bargain doors, meaning the door stays tighter against the door frame and improves thermal efficiency. To top it off, the Adjustable Hinge Plate System allows for easy door adjustments without removing the door panel, giving you the freedom to adjust at any time.

Fiberglass Doors vs. Steel Doors: What’s the Best Exterior Door For You?

Fiberglass Doors: Beauty + Simplicity

If you're looking for an eye-catching door, fiberglass doors are a great way to show off your style. Our fiberglass doors are available in smooth and textured woodgrain options. Textured fiberglass doors have a realistic wood look and are available in Oak, Cherry, Fir, Mahogany, and Knotty Alder woodgrains. They are low-maintenance and are a great alternative to wood doors. Smooth fiberglass doors give your home a contemporary look. Both options can be customized in many ways, from various finishes to decorative glass.

Like our steel doors, fiberglass doors are also fully insulated with an inner core of polyurethane foam, providing superior thermal performance and greater energy efficiency.

Fiberglass doors are unaffected by moisture and humidity, meaning they won't warp or expand when the temps are changing. The high-impact reinforced skins prevent denting from daily impacts.

Let's explore our fiberglass door offering:

Fiberglass Doors vs. Steel Doors: What’s the Best Exterior Door For You?
Fiberglass Doors vs. Steel Doors: What’s the Best Exterior Door For You?

So, Fiberglass Door or Steel Door?

Depending on your "needs" and "wants" for your new front door, you can't go wrong with a steel door or a fiberglass door. We have created doors that are equal in quality and performance, style choices, and finishing abilities, with options to cater to every homeowner's needs. Each Waudena door is installed into frames created to add extra security and protection from outside elements. There are over 50 colors available for every exterior and homeowner style.

Ready to start your door process? Head to our Contact Us page to find a dealer, request fan decks, or order a Waudena® catalog. And while you're here, don't forget to check out our other blogs to learn more about Waudena® and our product offering.

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