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19 Types of Doors for Home and How to Choose It

October 31, 2023

Digital Lock - Almost everyone would agree that choosing an entryway might be tricky, especially if you are in the middle of choosing one for home.
This is because there is more than one type of door for home that exists in the market. Picking one that suits your taste and aesthetic the most is definitely difficult.

That is why you will learn which type of door is best for home in this article. Here will find out about:

Types of entryways according to their locations, materials, mechanisms, and locks.

The pros and cons of each entryway.

How to choose a type of entryway that suits you the most.

Here are the explanations!

Types of Doors for Home According to The Location

When discussing doors or entryways, you must first know where to install them.

This is very important because each entryway might need different mechanisms, materials, and locks.

That is why you need to know the entryway's location before learning about the rest.

Then, how many types of house doors are there? According to the location, at least six entryways need to exist in a home.

You will place it in the interior and the exterior. So, here are all the basic entryways you need in your home!

1. Gate

Some of you might think that a gate is not that important.

However, this type of door exterior is good for aesthetics and can protect your own land and privacy. The reason is that a gate can control the flow of people in and out of your home.

If you have a car or a motorbike and do not have a separate building for a garage, a gate is a must.

Here are the best types of gates that you can find in the market!

Material:

Metal
Wood

Mechanisms:

Swinging
Sliding
Automatic
Bi-fold
Rolling (for garage)

Locks:

Traditional
Digital

2. Front Entryway

Besides a gate, you also need a front entryway for your home.

In fact, all the homes in the world probably have it. It is kind of weird if you are not installing it.

The function is to become the main access for entry and exit at your home. Not only for the residents, you will also receive guests by using this entryway.

If you are curious about what is the most common exterior door for the front entryway, here are some of them!

Material:

Metal (mix with glass or fiberglass)
Wood
Fiberglass (mix with wood or metal)
Glass (mix with wood or metal)

Mechanisms:

Swinging
Locks:
Traditional
Digital

3. Back Entryway

The next exterior entryway you need in your home is a back entryway. Some people might think it is insignificant. However, back entryways definitely have an essential function for others.

This is an entryway that can break down formality. The entryway is very effective for cultivating family relationships.

You can use the entryway as the main access to the backyard or as a secret entry and exit access for people you consider family. When talking about what is trending in doors, here are some of them!

Material:

Metal
Wood
Fiberglass (mix with wood or metal)
Glass

Mechanisms:

Swinging
Bi-fold
Push and pull

Locks:

Traditional
Digital

4. Entryway to The Bathrooms

Aside from exterior entryways that people outside the home can see, you will also need some interior entryways. One of the types of interior doors that you must have is an entryway to the bathroom.

It will give a sense of privacy even though you only live by yourself.

Here are some types of doors for bathrooms that you can choose from!

Material:

PVC
Wood
Fiberglass

Mechanisms:

Swinging
Sliding
Push and pull

Locks:

Traditional

5. Entryway to The Bedrooms

Then, an entryway to the bedroom is also a component that is no less important and must exist in a home.

Same with entryways for the bathrooms, this kind of interior can also give you a sense of privacy.

Here are some types of doors for bedrooms that you can choose from!

Material:

Wood
Fiberglass

Mechanisms:

Swinging

Locks:

Traditional

6. Entryway to The Kitchen

Last but not least, an entryway to the kitchen is also needed in a home.

It is important because sometimes you need the kitchen door to be closed.

However, many people are choosing to build open kitchens nowadays, so the presence of this kind of entryway is no longer a priority.

Material:

Wood
Fiberglass
Glass

Mechanisms:

Swinging
Sliding

Locks:

Traditional

Types of Doors for Home According to The Material

Not only according to their locations, you can also differentiate entryways according to their material.

There are many types of door materials that you can find in the market nowadays. However, there are 5 of them, which are the most common. Here are the lists!

1. Wood Doors

Have you ever wondered about where and when the entryways were invented? It turns out that nobody knows exactly what year it was. But, the archeologists already know who made the oldest door in the world, that is the Indian.

At that time, Hinduism already existed, so it was around 2300 B.C. to 1500 B.C.

It is not surprising that the entryways were made of wood. The Indian people craft the entryways by themselves and add some engraving that reflects their social and religious life.

Aside from being types of doors for homes in India, you can also find entryways made of wood almost everywhere in the world nowadays.

Pros:

Strong and relatively durable
Full of creativity and have an artistic value
Easy to find
Some types of wood entryways are cheaps

Cons :

The more sturdy the entryways, the more expensive it is
Susceptible to being eaten by termites if you are not taking care of it properly
Flammable

2. Metal Doors

Not only wood, but the metal door is also one of the oldest entryway materials in the world. People started to use metal from 3000 B.C. during the Bronze Age.

However, the usage of metal to make entryways started around 125 C.E. The archeologist found the oldest metal entryway in the Roman Pantheon that was made around that year.

Up until now, people still use metal materials to make entryways. However, this kind of entryway is only suitable for exterior and interior, unlike the types of wooden doors for homes that can be used for exterior and interior.

Pros:

Strong and durable
Sturdy
More secure
Not flammable
Easy to find

Cons :

Expensive
Makes an annoying noise when you open or close it

3. Fiberglass Doors

If the two types of entryways above were found thousands of years ago, then the usage of fiberglass for entries was relatively new.

You will find it more common in the contemporary and modern styles. It is rarely used in the traditional styles.

Because fiberglass is made from glass filament threads, entryways that were made from it are lighter than other materials.

Pros:

Light
Rarely make an annoying noise
Relatively cheap
Easy to find

Cons:

Not as sturdy and strong as wood or metal

4. Glass Doors

Not only fiberglass entryways you can also find glass entryways easily in the market nowadays.

However, you have to know that the usage of glass for entries is more common in the modern era. You will rarely see it in types of door architecture in the traditional style and contemporary style.

This is because, even though the usage of glass was already common from 1600 B.C. to 1200 B.C. in the late Bronze Age, people still have not used it yet as an entryway material.

Pros:

Suitable for modern home
Rarely make an annoying noise
Easy to find

Cons :

Easy to break
Expensive

5. Types of Doors for Home: PVC

What is the cheapest door in the market now? The answer is PVC. You can make PVC by using Polyvinyl Chloride thermoplastic polymer that is cheap and easy to assemble. The material was found in 1795. However, people only started to commercialize it in the 1950s.

Pros:

Cheap
Light
Durable
Easy to find

Cons:

Toxic
Not environment friendly
Rarely have artistic value

Types of Doors for Home According to The Mechanisms

The other thing that you need to know about an entryway is its mechanism. After knowing it, you will know about what is the most efficient door you can use in your home.

Did you want to swing it, slide it, roll it, fold it, push and pull it, or do you want it to be automatic?

So, here are some of its pros and cons!

1. Sliding

Have you ever seen a traditional Japanese home? If yes, you might notice that most of it has a sliding door. As its name suggests, you can open and close it by sliding it. Aside from traditional Japanese homes, you can see it in other home styles as well.

Pros:

Efficient
No need for much energy
Saving more space
Have an artistic value

Cons:

The durability is lower than other mechanisms
Require cleaning it more regularly

2. Swinging:

If you want to know which mechanism is the most common for entryways, the answer is swinging. You can find it in a traditional, contemporary, and even modern home. As its name suggests, you can open and close the entryway by swinging it.

Pros:

Efficient
Low maintenance
Durable
Suitable for all types of entryway

Cons:

Need more space so it can be opened

3. Rolling

Then, which door is best for a garage? For a garage, you can use a rolling door.

However, it is not that suitable for other rooms.

Pros:

Durable
Space saving

Cons:

Need more effort to open it
Only suitable for garage

4. Bi-Fold

Aside from that, you can also use bi-fold doors.

Especially if you live in a contemporary or modern home. It will look good as a back entryway to the backyard.

Pros:

Have an artistic value
Suitable for contemporary and modern homes.

Cons:

Need more effort to open it

5. Push and Pull

The other mechanism of the entryway that you need to know is push and pull. You might see it often in a restaurant or minimarket. However, you can use it at home as well.

Pros:

Efficient
Suitable for contemporary and modern homes
Durable

Cons:

Not suitable for all types of entryway

6. Automatic

Last but not least, you can also use an automatic door. However, as of today, it is only available at the gate.

Pros:

Efficient
Suitable for modern home

Cons:

Still not that common
It is not more durable than any other entryway

Types of Doors for Hom According to The Locks

You can also differentiate the entryways by its lock. Here are the explanations about it!

1. Traditional Lock

The first one is the traditional one. Mostly, you need a key to open and close this kind of entryway. So, you have to present in front of the entryway to open it.

This is one of the most common door locks in history. The reason is because the locks are easy to install and cheap, so everyone can afford it.

However, aside from being easy to install, this kind of lock is also easy to break. So, it is definitely not the most secure lock that exists in the market.

Pros:

Cheap
Durable

Cons :

Not really secure
You can easily lose or forget the key
Not really efficient

2. Digital Lock

The next one is digital doors. In this type of door, you can open and close it by using biometric authentication, wireless connection, card, PIN, etc. So, you can open it when you are present right in front of the entryway or when you are away from home.

Even though the price is kind of expensive, this is the safest choice that you can make if you want better security at your home.

Pros: