When considering fiberglass doors vs steel, it’s important to keep a few things in mind. No one door material is the best for all situations, and coming up with a list of your needs and wants out of your doors is going to be useful in determining the best one for you. To help out with this, we’ve constructed a list of pros and cons for each material- read on to learn more about which door suits your needs the best.
Fiberglass Doors vs Steel: Things to Keep in Mind
Fiberglass and steel doors have very distinct strengths and weaknesses. It’s important to consider these differences carefully while you figure out which material is right for you. The right door type can make a world of difference for your home’s safety, aesthetics, energy consumption, and much more.
Fiberglass Doors: Pros and Cons
Fiberglass is a famously versatile material, with its usage in building materials dating back to the 1930s. Now finding its place in many people’s homes and doors, fiberglass is a useful material in interior and exterior doors.
Pros:
- Versatility: Fiberglass doors can be manufactured, stained, and styled to fit just about any home’s aesthetic. If you’re looking for wood grain emulation, a clean slate look, or something different, fiberglass has you covered. Acadian’s 5th generation fiberglass skin can emulate the look and feel of natural wood perfectly, ensuring that you get exactly the look you want.
- Durability: Fiberglass, particularly in comparison to wood or steel doors, is notoriously scratch and dent resistant. This makes fiberglass a great choice for anyone with young children that may handle their doors roughly or any other household whose doors may be beaten, dinged or scratched on a regular basis.
- Energy Efficiency: When searching for energy-efficient doors, search for the NFRC logo. These labels provide more information about the efficiency of the product you are about to purchase. These labels are profoundly useful, but if you want to skip the in-depth comparisons, then one thing remains true: fiberglass doors are some of the most energy-efficient entry doors on the market.
Cons
- Price: While fiberglass doors typically aren’t the most expensive door on the market, they are generally more expensive than their steel counterparts. Don’t let this get you down- there is always overlap in materials prices, and you may still be able to find the right fiberglass door on a tight budget.
- Customization: This is where you must exercise caution when considering fiberglass doors vs steel: fiberglass doors typically aren’t as customizable as some other materials. If you’re dead-set on a custom fiberglass door or need your door to fit in an atypically shaped door frame, you should be careful where you purchase it. While Acadian Windows and Siding has the capability to cut down or grow fiberglass doors to fit any sized door frame, not all businesses have this capability.
- Installation: While you can get your fiberglass door customized by professionals, they are not friendly to the DIYers out there. This material is profoundly difficult to customize for everyday homeowners, and if you intend to install and customize your door yourself, you might be better off with a steel or wooden door.
Steel Doors: Pros and Cons
Steel has been at the center of industry for centuries now- the first fire-rated steel door was created all the way back in 1904. Steel is an old and reliable choice for many homeowners, but is it really the best material for your home? Here are some pros and cons to help you out.
Pros
- Safety: Have you ever noticed that most doors in larger, safety-focused facilities like schools are made of steel? This is because steel is one of the safest materials to build doors out of. They offer protection against fire, they resist the elements, and they’re difficult to break into. If safety is your number one concern, then steel is without a doubt the choice for your home.
- Durability: Similar to its fiberglass counterpart, steel is incredibly durable. It’s resistant to the outside elements, dings, scratches, and dents.
- Maintenance: Because of their high levels of durability, steel doors are incredibly easy to maintain, and never require much work. The most maintenance you should have to do with a steel door is touching up its paint or finish and repairing any active damages that have been done to the door.
Cons
- Rust: While steel doors remain one of the most durable and resilient materials on the market, if your door’s paint or other finish gets chipped off, the door itself can rust. This can cause discoloration and harm your door’s appearance. Additionally, rust has the ability to weaken the structural integrity of your door, getting in the way of one of its main benefits: its durability.
- Energy Efficiency: While steel doors aren’t exceptionally energy inefficient, they are still handily beaten by their fiberglass counterparts. While this may not be your top priority when considering fiberglass doors vs steel, any losses in energy efficiency may wipe away any money you’ve saved by choosing steel over fiberglass. As mentioned previously, research further on the efficiency of each door type to find what works best for you.
- Versatility: Steel doors can fit into a few aesthetic styles, and maybe the best choice for some of them- particularly those with a more modern or industrial look. That being said, steel doors are often restricted by the types of aesthetics they can inhabit. Steel isn’t good at mimicking other material types like fiberglass is, and can’t be painted, stained, or cut to fit the same amount of styles that a wood door can.
Find the Material Right for You With Acadian Windows and Siding
Are you still having trouble finding out which door material is right for you? We’re here to help! Acadian Windows and Siding has been serving the South for years and is dedicated to helping you find the right door for your needs.
Contact us today to learn more about which door is right for you, or visit our website to browse the other services and products we offer.
