Fiberglass vs. Wood Door: A Debate That Gets Intense Everyday

Are you building your new home and need a door for its entrance? Or, did your old home’s door gets damaged and needs replacement? Previously, in these conditions, you would have chosen the wooden doors without a second thought.

However, the innovation and popularity of fiberglass doors have given wooden doors tough competition. Henceforth, the debate between fiberglass vs. wood doors has become intense. Which door should you choose? Is it fiberglass or wood?

Wood doors surely bring more aesthetics to your home with amazing designs. The natural wood grain and texture of these doors make them impeccable. Sadly, wood doors will wear out with time due to pest infestation, weather damage, and the slow eroding process. That’s where fiberglass doors shine better with improved resilience, protection, and longevity.

However, you need to consider their installation cost, ROI, maintenance, and overall aspects. Then, you may finalize your decision between these two doors.

Wood Door Pros and Cons

Wooden doors definitely offer the best aesthetics out of all door materials. The exposed natural grain of wood is surely the best thing you can get for the entrance gates. You can apply the varnish on the wooden doors to help them showcase the grain and natural textures better. It allows you to choose from oak, maple, and cider woods with natural aesthetics and color patterns.

What’s more, you can easily customize the wooden doors. You can use a higher artisan to work with the door and draw patterns or textures on it. It brings a medieval or Victorian vibe to your home. Once you install them, wood doors will easily last 15 to 20 years. The only setback of these doors is that their paint will fade with time. So, it would help if you repainted the doors once every 3 to 5 years. It increases the overall maintenance cost of these doors.

Last but not least, wooden doors are expensive. A good-quality wood door may cost you $2000. It includes the purchasing and installation costs. Nonetheless, it is still a cheaper option than fiberglass doors. Also, you may pick the processed wood door as a cheaper option.

Pros of wooden doors:

• Most eye-pleasing designs available in the market
• Highly customizable design with paint, textures, and pattern
• Overall a popular option for most people
• It easily matches any home décor, from contemporary to modern ones
• It offers better versatility with usability in front gates and interior places

Cons of wooden doors:

• Its upfront installation cost is higher than other doors
• It May get cracked or damaged with time and due to pest attack
• It needs timely maintenance and isn’t fully weather-proof

Fiberglass Door Pros and Cons:

Fiberglass doors haven’t been long in the door market. Yet, it gives the more familiar wooden and steel doors a tough competition. And it has a strong capability for such intense competition. To begin with, fiberglass doors can mimic the natural appearance of the wood grain. Thus it gets 2-in-1 benefits. Firstly, it has an eye-pleasing look, and secondly, it offers better security for your home.

Fiberglass door also has better weather, water, and damage resilience. As it is made of fiberglass, water and weather don’t affect it. Plus, it doesn’t need any stormproofing like the wood doors. It can easily withstand storms.

Nonetheless, fiberglass doors have their limitations too. These doors are amongst the most expensive doors. The upfront purchasing and installation cost of these doors can vary from $2500 to $5000. So, these doors aren’t a good choice for people with a tight budget.

Next, you will find fiberglass doors with better endurance. It is incredibly difficult to scratch or dent the fiberglass. So, it can maintain its look for a long period. It also makes their maintenance super-easy and convenient.

Pros of fiberglass doors:

• Available in many designs and textures to match your home décor
• Easy and affordable customization option
• Has storm-proof, scratch and dent-resistant design for durability
• Fiberglass doors will require the least maintenance
• Can mimic the natural grain and texture of the woods for aesthetics
• You don’t need to repaint the fiberglass doors as it hardly fades away

Cons of fiberglass doors:

• Its initial upfront installation cost is expensive
• It can be broken and so may not stop thieves

Fiberglass vs. Wood Door: Which One You Should Choose?

When choosing between wooden and fiberglass doors, you must consider their pricing, endurance, security, etc. In the following sections, we will compare these two doors to help you make the final decision.

Protection at home:

Regarding securing your home from outsiders and weather, fiberglass and wood doors compete for neck-to-neck. Wooden doors are often thicker than fiberglass or steel ones. Also, manufacturers will treat it for better strength. It provides enough strength and resilience to the wooden doors for the best security at home.

Fiberglass isn’t as heavy as wood. However, it still ensures superior security of homes from outsiders. So, this segment is equal for both.

Upfront installation cost:

Wood and fiberglass doors are both expensive investments. You need to invest $2000 to $5000 to get a good-quality wooden door. Similarly, fiberglass doors can cost up to $5000, with the cheaper ones costing around $2500.

However, you can choose composite wood doors. These doors are priced low and gettable for less than $1000. So, people with a tight budget will find it useful.

Eco-friendliness and endurance capacity:

If you are an environment lover, you should always go for fiberglass doors. It is made of fiberglass and doesn’t involve any wood. Thus it helps in saving trees from falling. As a result, fiberglass doors save trees and our ecology.

Next, you must also consider the endurance of these doors. Wooden doors may get damaged or dented easily. Pets and kids can scratch the wood doors. But it is going to happen highly unlikely with fiberglass doors. So, these items are dent and scratch-proof. Also, they won’t catch rust and corrosion.

Another setback of the wooden door is its pest infestation chances. Although most manufacturers treat their wood doors to stop pest infestation, it doesn’t work long. After a few years, you will see pest finding their home in the wooden doors.

Appearance and aesthetics:

Wooden doors, with their natural texture and grain, have become a timeless beauty. So, no doubt it has better looks and aesthetics. You can stain and paint the door to get the perfect finish and look. Of course, fiberglass doors have a good customization facility.

Yet, fiberglass doors are no match to wooden ones regarding appearance. If you want a better impression of your front gate, you must choose the wooden doors.

Maintenance and durability:

Wooden doors need regular maintenance. You need to remove the dust and cobwebs from it. Also, cleaning a wooden door is tougher than a wooden one. Fiberglass doors can easily remove dust and stain without worrying about their damage.

But that’s not the case with wooden doors. Many cleaning agents might affect the paint of the door. Also, it is harder to remove any stains from the wooden doors. You need to use a special cleaning agent for it.

Conclusion

Fiberglass vs. wood door is a classic yet never-ending debate. But we will make it clearer for you. Wood doors are preferable for their unique looks, aesthetics, and improved security. On the other hand, you should choose fiberglass doors for easy maintenance, extended longevity, and ease of use. So, we leave the decision to your preference.