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Wood vs Steel Door: Its Advantages & Disadvantages

November 2, 2023

Door Wrap - When talking about entryways or doors at home, you might already notice many types of them according to their materials.
However, the most common ones are entryways that were made of wood and steel.

Then, between wood vs steel door, which one suits you the best?

You are already on the right page if you are curious about which is better: steel or wood doors. In this article, you will learn about the differences between them. You will compare those two materials and learn about their own pros and cons.

So you will know which one is the best for you.

A Guide to Wood Door

Basically, wood or timber is the most common and the oldest material that is used to make entryways. In Asia, the Indians made it first during the emergence of Hinduism.

To be exact, in around 3000 B.C. They made timber entryways and engraved them with their conception of social, political, and religious life.

In Europe, an entryway that was made of timber was also found in around the same period. The archeologist says that they found an entryway that comes from the Neolithic Age in Switzerland.

It was made in 3063 B.C. So yes, timber entryways have around 5,000 years of history behind them.

Interestingly, most people still use it even after 5000 years.

You can find the entryway in a traditional, contemporary, and modern home.

So, why use wood doors?

What is so special about them? Here are some things to consider about the timber entryways!

1. Art Value

For some people, the usage of an entryway is not necessarily limited to its function. Yes, it has to be secure and protect you from any harm. Yes, it has to be enclosed and give you a sense of privacy.

However, it also has to be beautiful so your home will look more pretty and aesthetic.

Then, which door material is best for aesthetic purposes? One of the answers is definitely timber. With the right crafting design, the entryway will look beautiful. This type of material gives a sense of luxury and elegance.

You can also adjust the design to suit the architectural style of the home.

If you have a traditional house, you can choose:

Panel
Carolina
Kentucky
Louis
Richelieu
Kent

However, aside from full timber, you can also choose the type of door for home by mixing timber and any other materials.

For example, mixing timber and glass together. It was mainly used in a contemporary home and a modern home.

Here are some styles that you can choose if you are aiming for contemporary or modern!

Wood paneled
Modern
Modern Farmhouse
Contemporary with glass
Wooden French

2. Efficiency

Aside from being beautiful, the entryway also needs to be efficient. Then, are wooden doors worth it when it comes to their efficiency?

Fortunately, this kind of entryway is relatively efficient.

However, to make it more efficient, you definitely need to mix it with other materials, such as fiberglass.

This is because the mix of timber and fiberglass doors will resist more heat and cold from the outside. So, you can maintain the temperature inside the home better, which can make you more comfortable. It can also block noises better. This is one of the reasons why Americans use wooden doors.

3. Durability

However, a timber entryway is not that durable if you are talking about durability. Especially if you use cheap materials, the entryway can rot easily, mold easily, and be susceptible to termites.

So, you have to work hard to maintain it. Unfortunately, it is one of the disadvantages of wood doors.

However, if you choose the right timber, you can make a durable and maintainable entryway. You can use it for decades without the urge to change it because of rot, mold, or termites. Here are the types of timber that are good materials for an entryway!

Ironwood
Teak timber
Merbau timber
Rosewood
Camphor timber
Maple
Pine timber
Oak timber
Mahogany

4. Price

Before purchasing something, it is better to know how much it costs.

This also applies when you want to purchase a timber entryway. Then, are wood doors more expensive than steel? Fortunately, the answer is no. So, you can prepare less budget if you want to install timber entryways.

According to its material and design, the costs for one door will be around $150 to $1,125. Usually, the more expensive the costs, the more sturdy and strong the door will be.

5. Security

The next thing that is equally important is how secure the door is.

So, are wood doors secure? Honestly, it is relatively secure. However, the steel ones are definitely better in this area. A burglar can knock out a timber entryway more easily than steel ones.

Fortunately, you can strengthen security by using digital door locks. These kinds of locks will definitely deter a burglar and prevent burglary.

Aside from that, it also can make your home more modern and more advanced compared to when you use traditional locks.

A Guide to Steel Door

Aside from a timber entryway, the one that is made from steel is also common in our society. However, its emergence is indeed slower than those that are made of timber.

There are around 3,000 years of differences between the two of them. At that time, the main material was not even steel but bronze.

The archeologist managed to find the oldest metal entryway, which is 2000 years old. The Romanians were the ones who made them in around 125 C.E.

People started to make steel doors decades later. But, for now, you can easily find them anywhere around the world.

Then, why use steel doors to the point that its usage becomes very popular?

Is it better than the timber ones? To answer all your questions, here are the explanations!

1. Art Value

When talking about art value, the timber one is definitely better than the steel one.

The reason is that steel door designs in general, are not as artistic as the other one. Sure, some of them are beautiful. However, the steel entryway still lacks art value if you compare it with the timber one.

In society, the timber craftsmen clearly outnumber all the steel craftsmen. It happened almost all over the world. In general, you are more likely to find timber craftsmen than steel ones.

However, a steel entryway will look good in a modern or contemporary home with a mix of glass and timber.

If you want to know the best steel entry doors that look good and aesthetic for your home, here are some of them!

Fire-rated
Decorative
Wide sidelight
Double
Vision lite
Plain view
Small view
Plain type with louver

2. Efficiency

Aside from its art value, a steel entryway also lacks efficiency if you compare it with a timber one. In general, steel is still a good thermal insulator.

So, it can protect you from heat, coldness, and noises. However, it is still not as good as the timber one in terms of energy efficiency.

So, if you want to know what are the disadvantages of steel doors, it is not as efficient as timber entryways.

So, if you want it to work better, you need to mix it with more efficient raw materials such as fiberglass and timber.

3. Durability

However, aside from disadvantages, steel entryways also have some advantages if you compare them with timber ones. One of the advantages of steel doors is its durability. Steel, as a material, is definitely more durable than timber.

You will not encounter problems such as rot, mold, or termite.

Aside from timber, steel is also more durable than any other metal, such as iron and bronze. This is because steel does not rust easily. This type of door is tougher and stronger in almost all situations, even in extreme weather.

It definitely has a longer life cycle, so you do not have to replace it for a long time.

4. Price

Because the steel material is more durable, it kind of makes sense that a steel entryway is more expensive than a timber one. So, you will definitely need to prepare a budget if you want to purchase a steel entryway.

The price is from $1,000 to $12,000, according to the quality and design.

So, are steel doors worth it? The answer is yes if you prefer durability. However, to make it more durable, you need to choose the right steel material so the quality of the entryway will be better.

Not that different from timber, steel also has several different grades, which affect the quality of the product. Here are some steel materials that you can choose from!

Galvanized Steel
Galvannealed Steel
Cold Rolled Steel

5. Security

Then, how about its security? Are wood or steel doors more secure?

It turns out that the steel ones are definitely more secure. You need more effort to break into a home with steel doors than the timber ones.

However, it is still manageable if you are still using traditional locks at your home.

That is why you need to start to replace the traditional locks with digital locks for better security. The digital ones will surely deter the burglar because they need to do more work to be able to break into your home.

Aside from security purposes, you can also use digital locks to be more efficient. Because, with this kind of lock, you do not have to bring keys everywhere.

You can open the door by using a PIN, password, wireless connection such as Bluetooth or WiFi, and biometric information such as face recognition or fingerprint.

Besides, digital locks will make your home look more modern and advanced if you compare them with the traditional ones. These locks also will help raise the value of the home if you are using them for commercial purposes.

Wood vs. Steel Door

After reading the explanation above, maybe you already have an idea of which one to choose: timber or steel.

However, for those of you who are still confused and cannot decide to choose between the two of them, here are some pros and cons that you can consider!

Wood Door vs Steel Door

So, what are the pros and cons of wood front doors? Here are some of them!

Pros

More artistic, there are many designs and styles that you can choose. You can also engrave on the doors.
Less expensive, it is relatively costly to around $1,125.
More efficient, it can block heat, coldness, and noises. It is also sustainable and eco-friendly.

Cons

Less durable because it can easily rot, mold, and be vulnerable to termites. Except when you use high-quality timber.
Less secure, except when you install a digital door lock on it.

Steel Door vs Wood Door

Not much different from the timber one, the steel entryway also has some advantages and disadvantages that you can consider. Here are some of them!

Pros

More durable because it cannot easily rot or mold and is not vulnerable to termites. It is also not easily rusty if you compare it with any other metal, such as iron or bronze.
More secure, but you still can improve the security by using digital locks.

Cons

Less artistic, there are not many designs and styles that you can choose. Most of them look plain, and you cannot engrave in it. It would look more beautiful if you mixed the steel with glass or timber.
More expensive, most of them cost more than $1,000. You can also find a steel entryway that costs around $12,000.
Less efficient, it can block heat, coldness, and noises, but not better than the timber one.

It is also not sustainable and not eco-friendly.

That was the comparison between wood vs steel doors according to their art value, efficiency, price, and security. For security, you can definitely strengthen it by installing digital door locks. Fortunately, you can easily find the best digital locks for your home at Hoz.

Cheers,

Hoz,

Your Best Digital Lock Provider