Invest Wisely by Upgrading Your Exterior Front Doors

Modern homes would benefit from upgraded exterior front doors. Not only would a replacement door greatly improve the overall appearance of your house, but it would also increase the value of your home.

exterior doors lowes

Front doors are available in different styles and designs. They are also made of different materials. The type of material you choose for your doors would influence their prices. A popular material used for the front door is glass. You can choose between a full-view or half-view glass model and embellish it with sidelights. Many online retailers would be more than happy to help you in making a choice

EXTERIOR DOORS

Carved and Mansion:

Door Emporium believes that changing a home's entry door will significantly enhance the look of the house. The company has a line that not only offer superior performance but can be a work of art. Take for example its Carved and Mansion models which are artistically hand carved by master carvers. All are available in chosen mahogany and are sold unfinished.

Fiberglass Entry Door Systems:

Therma-Tru offers this package that the company claims boost the homeowners' comfort and quality of life. It also increases the curb appeal of your home. The company also guarantees that using this front door will increase your home's perceived value by almost ,000. The Classic-Craft Rustic model is constructed with durable fiberglass making it look like a real wood grain. It takes advantage of the company's AccuGrain technology which creates a look of a high-grade wood but the durability of a fiberglass.

Exterior Doors by Milano:

The company guarantees that its line of doors is constructed to enhance the visual appeal of any home. These architecturally-designed collections are offered in a wide range of heights and widths and can be custom-built too. The stainless-steel versions have multi-chamber insulation with thermal door separation and special foam inserts to give the best cold and heat resistance. The mechanism of the stainless doors is made of high material for superior security. Their 11-point locks will pose a challenge to any intruders. They can withstand any weather conditions. They are designed to prevent temperature fluctuations, giving you the highest level of comfort.

Rustic Exterior Entry Door:

Emeralddoors.com offers this beautiful door for your entrance. The Betram-style is available in single, double and single door with rectangular or elliptical transom and two sidelights. The oversized sidelights allow it to swing freely. The beauty of the wood is enhanced by multiple premium polyurethane coats and traditional mahogany stain.

Kershaws Door Warehouse Front Doors:

The company offers more than 2,500 models in numerous styles and timbers. Kershaws stocked on non-standard-size doors made of pine, clear pine, oak and hardwood. There are various styles also, including bifold, French doors, antique stripped reclaimed and custom-made reproduction period models. For custom hand-made period exterior front doors, the company works from a sketch or photograph to produce your desired door according to your size and style specifications. The construction method used by the company eliminates the possibility of twisting and warping. It can also produce any design for any door type using traditional leaded glass.

Invest Wisely by Upgrading Your Exterior Front Doors

For more about the home improvement benefits of Exterior Front Doors, visit http://www.theresidentialdoors.com.

EXTERIOR DOORS

Installing Crown Molding and French Doors

I am a firm believer that what makes a house stand out is the architectural detail that goes in the planning you do for your doors and your molding.French doors are a very beautiful thing to add to your house plans. Not only do they add beauty they are very good for letting the proper light into your home. French doors will both open up and let plenty of a breeze in on a cool summer night. This style of door is a little bit more expensive than regular doors because they both operate but are well worth the investment.

doors with blinds between glass

Interior french doors are especially good for the entrance to your office, den or a library. I like this style of doors because they open up a room. When you can openly see through not only does it create a since of openness it makes the area seem larger. You can take a small room and make it appear larger. French doors look good because they both operate. French door are different from double doors because with double doors only one door opens and the other stays stationary.This is why I like french doors better. If you want to add some color you can add a curtain to the glass part of the french door and pull it together in the middle. I would suggest if you are building a new house to use french door in place of double doors or sliding doors anywhere you can.

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Installing Crown Molding If you want to really add some character try adding trim molding to the finishing touch of your home. The first thing you will want to consider is how tall your ceilings are. If they are eight feet tall six inch crown molding is a good size. If you have above eight foot ceilings you will want to go a little larger in accordance to how tall your ceilings are. If the crown trim is not big enough it will look out of place. Crown molding is a little on the expensive side so you may want to consider installing it yourself. Installing crown molding is not hard with a little bit of practice. Cutting crown molding angles is the hardest part. Their are how to books to show you step by step instructions on how to do install crown molding.The main thing you will want to do is to get some scrapes to practice on before you make your cuts on the real stuff. Cutting crown molding angles wrong can be a costly mistake.

Installing Crown Molding and French Doors

Gail J Richardson of Dime Decorating would like for you to visit and explore all of the cheap home decorating ideas and the cheap home decor. if you would like to learn the art of installing crown molding please check out this great step by step manual I offer for sale (cheap) Once you get to Dime decorating please let me know where to send your FREE gift on Budget decorating.

Gail J Richardson
http://www.dimedecorating.com/1502/

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Vinyl Exterior Shutters Add Style

Our new home in North Carolina was truly beautiful but for some reason I kept thinking that it was missing something... The home was all stone in the front and I realized it had no shutters. My husband and I decided to go with vinyl exterior shutters in a deep merlot color. That particular color worked really well with the stonework on the house. In the past the only type of shutters that we had ever had were wooden and they were hard to care for. It felt like the paint was always peeling or there was some type of mold or wood rot on them. We knew that vinyl exterior shutters were virtually free from any type of upkeep and they looked great and would last.

exterior doors with sidelights

The style of vinyl exterior shutters we chose were raised panel because I really liked the way they sort of popped of the house. When you looked at the home the vinyl shutters really stood out and added color and definition to the windows. Vinyl exterior shutters come in many different styles and they can be painted if needed. Most companies that carry vinyl exterior shutters will offer them in around 20 colors but sometimes painting them is necessary because they may need to match an existing color on the home. We were very lucky with the deep merlot color because it matched some of the stone perfectly.

EXTERIOR DOORS

Having the option of using vinyl exterior shutters was not only good for improving the look of our home but it also saved us a lot of money. These shutters are very affordable as well as durable. Compared to the old wooden ones that always needed paint and repair the vinyl ones are a much better deal. Vinyl exterior shutters are readily available and very easy to install. They weigh almost nothing and hang in just a few minutes. My husband was so proud of himself when he was done hanging the vinyl exterior shutters. So much so he stood out in front of the house bragging to the neighbors about how "handy" he was. Well, he did do a great job and the vinyl exterior shutters look terrific.

Vinyl Exterior Shutters Add Style

Simon Harris writes about Vinyl Exterior Shutters at http://www.shutter-world.com

EXTERIOR DOORS

Building Safe Stairs

As a general rule of thumb in stair building the sum of the tread and riser should equal around 17 1/2 inches. This is a general rule of thumb for a comfortable, easy to walk up and down set of stairs.

masonite exterior doors

For example if your stair tread is 10 inches and the stair riser is 7 1/2 inches you have a comfortable stairway. Walking up and down a stairway using this formula creates a comfortable set of stairs. The next time you walk down any uncomfortable set of stairs measure the stair tread and riser. You will be amazed at what you'll find.

MASONITE EXTERIOR DOORS

For public stairs or heavily used stairs this method will become one of your best friends. On public stairs you have liability issues and of course lawyer issues if you are the owner of the building. If you are not building a safe set of stairs that meets your local building codes standards you could be in for a whopping financial nightmare.

Building safe stairs as a contractor is your obligation to society. I don't know how many times I come across a loose stair tread or a broken hand rail. One of the biggest problems I find is in the poorer neighborhoods you come across some major construction problems and safety hazards. I never have been able to figure out why a building owner would not want to protect himself financially and the people that occupy and use his buildings safety.

Here's something you need to avoid when using the stair building general rule of thumb. This rule of thumb does not apply to good to an 8 inch tread with a 9 1/2 inch stair rise. You don't want to be building a latter you want to be building a safe set up stairs.

The maximum stair rise you can use for most building codes is 8 inches. You will not find the stairway to comfortable with a 9 1/2 inch stair tread and an 8 inch riser. If you have no choice and are cramped for space and you can't redesign this stairway to fit in the house or building then at least make sure you have a nice sturdy grip able stair hand rail.

This formula works great when you are working with exterior landscaping and you have a long run of stairs with a small rise. For example: if you have a 14 inch stair tread and you use a 4 inch riser this will lead to a comfortable step.

Look for stairs in your neighborhood or around some apartment complexes that don't follow these rules and have 16 inch stair treads with 7 inch risers. You will find yourself taking two steps on the stair tread on every other step and it is not a real comfortable stairway.

Happy stair building and keep this formula in mind for a nice comfortable set of stairs in your building future.

Building Safe Stairs

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He is currently working on more building stairs books and adding useful content to help solve problems created by the lack of construction knowledge in the building industry.

MASONITE EXTERIOR DOORS

Fireplace Doors

Fireplace doors are an alternative to regular fireplace screens. When I originally set out to find all the necessary accessories to go along with my new fireplace, I thought that I would simply purchases a traditional fireplace screen. Yet, after looking at the various fireplace doors that are available, I decided that these would make a more attractive fireplace.

doors for sale

There are fireplace doors that are single doors that cover the entire fireplace opening, and there are two piece fireplace doors that open on hinges with the connecting seam running down the middle of the fireplace opening.

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These two types of fireplace doors make up the vast majority of fireplace doors, yet there are some more contemporary and unique styles that don't quite fir into either of these categories. Additionally, not all fireplace doors are sold as complete units. With some types of fireplace doors, you will have to purchase the framing portions separately from the individual fireplace door pieces.

Be sure that you know which type of fireplace doors that you are purchasing, as to whether or not they will require additional framework to complete the opening and door installation. Some fireplace doors do come with everything that is required to complete your fireplace.

Of course buying the individual fireplace doors separate from the finishing framing pieces has its advantages. With this type of fireplace doors, you have more room to customize the design specifically to your liking.

There are fireplace door frames in nearly every type of material and finish imaginable, from gold, silver and pewter, to iron and many other types of materials. Whether your décor is dark, light or somewhere in between, there are fireplace door frames for every style or taste you may desire.

Though many people consider fireplace curtains to fit more in the fireplace screen category, I believe they fit more accurately within the fireplace doors category, as they can be placed in either a closed, open or partly open position.

A more expensive, yet truly unique look is to incorporate bi-fold glass fireplace doors. These lovely fireplace doors contain four panels of polished and tempered glass panels. Each half of these fireplace doors bends in the middle and slides along ball bearings located at the top and bottom of the doors. These typically also feature draft control at the bottom section of the doors.

I found just the right set of fireplace doors at http://fireplacesnow.com and was about to place an order when I decided to take a look and see if I couldn't find the same set of doors for less on eBay. I didn't think I'd be able to save that much, if any, money, but also thought it was worth a try.

I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the exact same model of bi-fold fireplace doors were for sale on eBay, and from a reputable seller, nonetheless. Ok, so these fireplace doors had been used, which is not what many people would want to buy. For me, this was a very attractive option, as they cost more than ,000 when brand new. I walked away with a gently used set of fireplace doors for about 0. I certainly recommend perusing all the various options before committing to one.

Fireplace Doors

Jon worked in construction for 10 years before starting his own local fireplace installation service 8 years ago. At his website, Jon will show you how his years of experience in the industry can help change your fireplace into the focal point of your home. To learn more about fireplace design ideas visit http://www.fireplacegate.com

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Variety in Mirrored Bifold Closet Doors For the Home

Everyone knows that mirrors make a room look larger. Mirrored bifold closet doors not only make your room look larger but can also give it a contemporary look. The doors come both framed and frameless and can be framed in aluminum or wood such as pine and mahogany. They bring a certain modern charm to any room and because they are mirrored they brighten the room as well. Mirrored closet doors are intended for interior use only and should not be used in a garage or shed due to the risk of breakage.

doors with doggy doors built in

Other types of closet doors include louvered and accordion doors. Accordion doors are tiny long planks of wood that are attached one to another. These are generally made of pine and mahogany and are used primarily for room dividers. Louvered bifold doors are the more common bifold kind and are generally cheaper than other types of doors. Materials for bifold doors will vary from one manufacturer as well. Some may have panes of glass or frosted glass instead of planks of wood. These are perfect for pantries and entry way closets.

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Most bifold closet doors are adjustable so you get the perfect fit for your doorway. This is why it is not as important to have precise dimensions for pre-made doors. Custom ones are different; in order to make the builder look their best, they want them to fit in an exact area therefore they ensure the dimensions are exact. Locks are also available for mirrored bifold doors as well as other forms of bifold doors. These locks are metal slides that slide over the tops of the panels at the hinge to prevent children from opening doors they shouldn't. Custom doors can have regular locks built right in them for convenience.

Most interior bifold doors have a specific style like a modern or contemporary style but mirrored bifold closet doors pretty much covers both of these styles in one design. They are sleek with few details like a contemporary style but are also modern with their frameless designs. If you were to look up both styles, you would find mirrored doors even though they may be slightly different in their designs. The two styles are also similar in prices with the only differences being in the manufacturers.

Local retailers can help you choose the mirrored or bifold closet doors that are right for your home. You simply need to know a few specifics such as where they will be used and your budget as well as the dimensions of the doorway they will cover. Keep in mind that they are meant for interior use and can be adjustable so the dimensions do not have to be precise. Prices will vary depending on your specification, preferences, materials and manufacturers. Some retailers offer custom built bifold closet doors that are usually more expensive than store bought or pre-made doors so take that into consideration when shopping for your doors.

Variety in Mirrored Bifold Closet Doors For the Home

For more information about MIRRORED BIFOLD CLOSET DOORS and other door types, pay a visit to http://www.contemporaryclosetdoors.com.

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Steel Garage Doors Meant for High Performance

Steel doors are considered as the most common type of doors. They are available in distinct variety. They are not only comparatively cheaper but also deliver sophisticated and aesthetic appearance. They come up with additional security, as it is hard to break metal curtains. One can merge steel doors with fibre and PVC openings. Till date, they are considered as high performance doors as they give added insulation feature. They are not only less expensive but are also light in weight which makes their operation quite easy and simple.

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Prime benefits of steel garage doors Steel garages have innumerable essential features which make them a popular choice. They are light in weight that can be quite easily moulded during the manufacturing process. Due to ease in moulding, steel enhances the visual appeal thereby giving the door a pleasing appearance. Other major advantage is the added security prospects. This is the biggest reason for their preference over timber and fibre. One can get multilayered, single layer, double layer and triple layer doors. They are highly resistant to rust and do not require frequent painting. Steel garage doors rarely experience wear and tear which may cause temporary or permanent damage to the garage. As far as durability is concerned, steel is more durable than any other material.

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Fitting steel garage doors need adequate care and precision. Steel doors often come as side hung garage doors, sectional, up and over, roller shutter and sliding doors. Fitting of steel door requires lot of care and precision. Before fitting a steel door, it is essential to take accurate measurements, because once the steel doors are fitted, any alteration can be quite cumbersome. It can be noticed that even professional installers can make faults while installing a door. It is therefore advisable to follow the guide thoroughly. One should not try to fix a door without any professional guidance or assistance. Before actually installing a garage, do take all the necessary safety measures to avoid any instances of accidents.

Steel Garage Doors Meant for High Performance

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