Comparing Fiberglass vs. Steel Entry Doors: Which Is Better for Your Home?

Fiberglass and steel entry doors both have advantages, especially over traditional wooden doors. They are resilient, they don’t warp and crack like wood, and they tend to last longer. But they do differ. Here’s how to choose between fiberglass doors and steel doors for your Vestavia Hills, AL home.

Fiberglass Doors

Fiberglass doors generally come with a higher initial price tag, and you should expect to pay between $500 and $2000, including installation. However, these doors have virtually no upkeep requirements and excellent energy performance. They are very durable against dents, they don’t rust, they can’t rot, and they rarely warp. This makes them an excellent choice for our extremely hot and humid climate.

Energy efficiency is a particular plus with fiberglass. These doors have a foam core insulation, which helps to lower cooling costs and gives you a higher thermal rating on the door itself. They are also reliably secure, though they are not as resistant to force as a steel door, which we will get into in a minute.

Finally, fiberglass comes in a wide variety of finishes and styles, so you can get exactly the look you want for your home. You can even get doors that mimic the look of natural wood. These doors should easily last you anywhere from 20 to 50 years.

Steel Doors

Steel doors, by contrast, are more budget-friendly. The average price, with installation, runs more like $300-$1500. The other big plus to a steel door is the strength and resistance to impact. If it’s critical to you that no one be able to kick down your door, steel is absolutely the thing to have.

However, they are more susceptible to denting and even rust (if the surface is scratched) than fiberglass is, and that can be an issue in our humid conditions. Maintenance is pretty low with steel, but it is important that you address any surface damage you see very quickly so you won’t get any rust.

Steel doors have a more limited range of aesthetic choices, but they also naturally have a clean and practical design that appeals to some homeowners. They provide decent insulation with their polyurethane cores, but they usually are not as good as fiberglass in that way.

How to Decide

Now that you know more, you probably already have an idea of what will be best, but generally speaking, fiberglass is the best pick if you’re concerned about energy efficiency and being able to get a design that really matches your home and aesthetic preferences. Steel is the best choice if security is of the utmost concern or where budget is a big consideration.

To learn more about these doors or other types of entry doors, and to see all the options and how they might look on your home, talk to us at EcoView Windows & Doors in Vestavia Hills and request a free quote. We even offer options from Alabama Power that let you combine your payments with your power bill for easy convenience.

Tags: door replacement, entry door, fiberglass doors, steel doors
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