Winter in Chicago is often cold and snowy. The city sees less snow in winter than other major cities near
the Great Lakes, but the wind from Lake Michigan pushes colder and moist air into Chicago’s homes. The
changeable weather patterns of Chicago can wreak havoc on your doors, causing them to become stiff,
hard to open and close, and drafty.
To give you comfort and security, your doors must be expertly designed to keep out the cold, drafts, and
the weather. The choices you make with your doors need to provide thermal comfort, be well-designed
with natural materials, and give your home an interesting vibe.
Exterior Doors
Well-designed and classy exterior doors are necessary and important element of your home. The right
exterior style does more than keep people in and out, and exterior doors add curb appeal to the front of
your home. Exterior doors keep your house protected from weather and outside influences. Different
outdoor entrances require certain types of doors, and each patio, porch, garage, or front door can add
style and comfort to your home.
The most popular materials for front exterior doors are steel, wood, and fiberglass. Most homeowners
love the look of wood because of its natural appeal. Metal or steel exterior doors are the most budget friendly, and fiberglass can come in various styles and are durable. Consider an exterior door with glass
openings to allow light to flow into your front entryway.
Wood doors are energy efficient, offer durability, look great, and can be painted
or stained. Fiberglass doors are cost-effective, durable, and low maintenance, are
dent and rust-proof, and won’t shrink, warp, split, or crack in the crazy weather of
Chicago. You may want a steel exterior door. Steel provides security, is energy
efficient, gives durability, are low maintenance, and do not tend to swell, warp, or
shrink.
Patio doors can add a gorgeous vibe to your home and frameless glass offer a
contemporary look that lets in light. Choose a patio door that focuses on the view,
opens wide for entertaining, and adds a fun look to your home. Choices for patio
doors include custom wood patio doors, flat casing vinyl patio doors, French doors, or sliding glass doors. Check out your door dealership to find high quality bifold or multi-slide
swing and sliding doors.
Get Creative! The style of your front door gives your home a vibe of what can be found inside your
home. You can install a coastal front door, farmhouse front door, traditional front door, or a
contemporary front door.
Interior Doors
Interior doors ensure privacy, reduce noise, and hide rooms you don’t want guests to see. Interior doors
come in various styles, making it easy to complement or match your existing trim and finish in your
home. You can choose between accordion, slab, barn, French doors, eight or six-panel doors, and more.
Slab Doors are panel doors that contain patterns of square or oblong panels. This style of door is the
classic choice for interior doors. You may want a door with two large panels, six small ones, or some
other configuration. Panels could have straight or curved tops or whatever you want to suit your
decorating needs.
Look for Prehung doors are already in a frame, have hinges and hardware, and are ready to fit into
doorways. These add to ease of construction and are budget friendly.
Accordion doors are perfect for entryways and closets that have space considerations. They consist of a
few large panels or multiple small panels that fold on in themselves and sit against one side of a door
opening. Accordion doors are a stylish ad functional way to accomplish a design goal of eliminating the
swing of a door to partitioning a large room.
Bi-fold doors are usually used for closets, laundry rooms, pantries, and storage rooms. These types of
doors slide open from the center and fold against a wall. They are considered a space-saving option, and
are often used in smaller areas like pantries, hallway, and even bedrooms. You can find bifold doors in a
variety of styles to complement your home.
Barn doors can add rustic charm to your home’s interior. Barn doors feel very county and if you want a
classic farmhouse style, or a more lived-in look, barn doors are great They can be installed in a day and
with a few tools. You can pain or stain them to give them a perfect march for you décor.
French doors can express your personal style when used either indoors or outdoors. They work
beautifully as patio doors or as interior doors to separate rooms or add style to an office or a kitchen.
French doors are a style of door that has two sections that pivot on hinges mounted on opposite sides of
the door frames. They open and close in the middle and are constructed with glass panels framed within
wood or fiberglass panels.
Sliding doors can be wood or mirrored and are great choices for closets. They use space economically,
and double mirrored doors make rooms appear more spacious. Interior sliding doors are not meant for
outdoor conditions but can also be used as openings to a balcony or patio.
Café and saloon doors and swinging hinged doors add easy flow from room to room and maintain some
privacy. They are attached to the left and right sides of the door jamb with hinges. The doors meet in
the middles and don’t usually have handles or knobs.
Hidden doors are popular to add a touch of whimsy to a room. They take the form of a bookcase that
slides or rotates to reveal a hidden room or some other decorative panel. These doors can be created to
encompass elaborate designs. These doors serve as private passageways that are unknown to guests,
and prying eyes.
Types of Interior Doors
You could hang solid doors with beautiful grain patterns that add depth to your home’s interior. They
are available in a variety of woods to complement any décor. Solid doors are great for shutting out noise
and providing privacy.
You can also choose solid core doors that have the durability of wood at a great price. Wood doors are
engineered with a solid core made of wood fiber with a heavy feel, almost like a solid wood door. You
can find solid core doors with a textured or smooth finish, and you may choose a solid core door that
mimics the look of a solid wood door.
Hollow core doors are popular and made up of the outside of the door and sandwiched with a
honeycomb or gridwork core of wood material. They a
budget-friendly, lighter, and easier to handle than a real wood door.
You can also choose Masonite and hardboard doors that feature a flat surface. Vinyl doors are also
available as a cost-effective option for sliding doors. If you need a door that leads into your attic or
garage, install a door with fire-resistant materials. Glass doors are also popular, bringing light and
making rooms feel larger. They are usually used for hallways and sunrooms.
Hardware and Accessories
You can complete your door’s look by choosing hardware that matches your home’s décor. Accessories
and hardware include doorknobs and locks.
Doorknobs come in a variety of styles, materials, and finishes. You can purchase polished chrome, nickel,
antique brass, steel, bright brass, and more.
Door Locks
You may not need an interior door with a lock. However, bathroom and bedroom doors usually need
privacy locks. A lock may have a lock button on the knob and requires a key.
Interior doors are all different. Panel doors and flush doors are constructed from wood and have either
a solid or hollow core. Ensure you maintain your door’s warranty by sealing and finishing your doors as
soon as they are installed. You can also order interior doors that are already painted, finished, or
stained
