Doors are not furniture. Yet people buy them as if they were beds or sofas.

Most people also don’t buy their own doors. A lot of them are a result of the builders’ decisions.

Hence there are a lot of misconceptions about the door purchasing decision.

This blog provides an overview of how to go about buying a door.

The Don’ts:

  1. Do not place a lot of emphasis on the look or the design.
  2. Don’t approach a sales executive asking for options.
  3. Don’t rush to buy a door without having a strong estimate of measurements.
  4. Don’t jump to the questions about types of doors or materials.

The Dos:

  1. Know the location the door would be installed at.

The entrance doors are different from the interior ones. The fire doors are different from both of these, even when placed at the entrance.

  1. Know the weather conditions which the doors will need to bear.

The doors that are exposed to sun and rain need to be made out of different materials. The exposure determines the colours that they should come in.

  1. Know the measurements.

Measuring just one side of the frame is not enough. You’ve got to measure the area in different places. The largest number among them all is your ideal measurement.

You need to measure the width, height, and thickness of the door.

how-to-measure-the-door

  1. Know the style you should choose on the basis of the space available.

A sliding door or a folding door can help you save on the utilisation of space. Examine the area in which the door would be installed to see if there is any scope for improving space.

  1. Know the material you should go for.

Different materials have different properties: wood, aluminum, plywood, and glass. Each of these materials has further subtypes.

Cost or budget should be not the only factor affecting the purchase decision. Other criteria discussed above like the location and weather conditions etc should be factored in as well.

Factors such as design come last in crucial decisions like that of buying doors. Yet, a door’s visual appeal is what most people get carried away by.

You’ll, of course, learn about how to select a door if you are visiting a trustworthy brand. But by then you’d have wasted a lot of time and energy that you could have invested in other aspects of your home – like furniture.

Do share your thoughts about the doors you have at your place or your door buying experience. Your inputs might help others too.