ABOUT EXTERIOR DOORS

Exterior doors may be made of timber, aluminum or vinyl. They are designed to provide security, and to resist exposure to the elements. They are available in a wide range of traditional and contemporary styles, and may incorporate glazed panels. The glazed panels may be plain or decorated in a stained glass style.

Timbers used for exterior doors include Mahogany, Cedar, South American Oak, Hard Maple, Andean Walnut, Malga Cherry, and Knotty Alder. Each has its distinctive grain and coloring.

The leading exterior door manufacturers selected by Abacus Construction Index, which are listed below the panel of sponsored links, have comprehensive websites, with information on all aspects of exterior doors including online catalogs of exterior doors, styles and materials for exterior doors, and care and maintenance of exterior doors.

RECOMMENDED BOOK ON INSTALLING AND HANGING DOORS

We strongly recommend the book 'Installing and Hanging Doors' by Gary Katz. It covers: choosing a door, choosing hardware, door jambs, hanging doors, and weather-proofing for exterior doors. To read more about this book, and to buy it online at Amazon if you wish, please click on the blue link in the panel below:

LEADING EXTERIOR DOOR MANUFACTURERS

Andersen Exterior Doors. Andersen is a leading manufacturer of windows and doors including exterior doors. Founded in 1903 by Danish immigrant Hans Andersen in Hudson, Wisconsin, the company has grown to employ more than 9,000. Its headquarters in Bayport, Minnesota, covers sixty five acres. An early innovation, in 1905, was the 'two bundle' method of window construction. Frame pieces were standardized in size, then packaged in separate vertical and horizontal pairs. Windows could then be assembled on site in less than ten minutes.

The Andersen website contains sections on products, window types, patio door types, window problems and low-E4 glass. There is also an ideas section with a photo gallery and information about art glass, including the Frank Lloyd Wright stained glass series. The Anderson range of exterior doors includes single hinged exterior doors, hinged exterior doors with multiple panels, gliding exterior doors, sidelights and stationary panels, transoms, and commercial exterior doors made to fit standard and custom commercial entries.

Clark Hall Exterior Doors. Clark Hall is a leading manufacturer of exterior doors and French doors. It is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, and has been operating for more than 35 years. It supplies high quality hardwood and wroght iron entry doors. Available hardwoods for exterior doors include: Honduran Mahogany, Indonesian Mahogany, African Mahogany, Cedar, South American Oak, Andean Walnut, Malaga Cherry, Premium Knotty Alder, and Hard Maple. The wrought iron exterior doors are hand-forged by experienced artisans.

The Clark Hall website has sections for stock exterior doors, custom exterior doors, wrought iron doors, and interior doors. There is also a trade section with information about volume discounts for exterior doors. Clark Hall custom exterior doors include designs with decorated glass panels, divided light doors with small glass panels separated by strips of wood, leaded glass exterior doors, and solid doors in a variety of hardwoods.

Exterior Doors by IDRC. The Interior Door Replacement Company (IDRC) was founded in 1997 and has premises in Mountain View, Huntington Beach, and in Fremont, California. In addition to providing replacement interior doors, IDRC will also replace exterior doors and front entry doors with bespoke doors. The IDRC digital measuring system, known as the Jambscan, can take the dimensions of a door in less than one minute; a three dimensional image of the door frame is then transferred to a door cutting machine which is controlled by computer.

The old exterior doors remain in their frames until the new doors are fitted. The installation of each new exterior door takes about ten minutes. Available materials for exterior doors include: mahogany, cherry, maple, oak, pine, alder, and fiberglass. In the case of painted doors, multiple coats of lacquer paint are sprayed on in the factory; this avoids any brush marks, runs, or streaks in the paint.

Milgard Exterior Doors. Milgard is a manufacturer of windows and patio doors. The Milgard website contains sections on getting started, products, and finding a dealer for Milgard products. There is also an image gallery.

In 1958, Maurice Milgard and his son Gary started Milgard Glass Company in a small building in Tacoma, Washington. The Milgards soon diversified into manufacturing aluminum windows. In 1968 they started producing sliding glass doors. Two years later, aluminum frames were redesigned to fit both single-pane and insulating glass. Milgard developed a type of aluminum frame that was suitable for cold weather areas where only wood frames had previously been effective. In 1989 Milgard started offering windows with frames made from vinyl. WoodClad fiberglass windows were launched in 1990. In 2001 Milgard was bought by Masco Corporation, one of the world's largest manufacturers of brand name consumer products for the home. Today Milgard has more than 3,000 employees. Milgard manufactures exterior doors, including patio doors, in aluminum, vinyl and fiberglass.

OTHER PRODUCTS RELATED TO EXTERIOR DOORS

You may also like to visit our USA product guides on: Back Doors, Bifold Doors, Door Handles, Door Hardware, Entry Doors, French Doors, Front Doors, Patio Doors, Screen Doors, and Storm Doors.

USEFUL LINKS RELEVANT TO EXTERIOR DOORS

American Association of Automatic Door Manufacturers

Door & Access Systems Manufacturers Association

Door & Hardware Institute

International Door Association

Window & Door Manufacturers Association

CONSTRUCTION PRODUCT DIRECTORIES

We recommend the following professional construction directories, which include standard specifications, manufacturers' specs, and CAD details: 4Specs at www.4specs.com, Arcat at www.arcat.com, Arcom at www.arcomnet.com, Reed at www.reedfirstsource.com, Sweets at www.sweets.construction.com.