As the gateway to your home, replacing your front door is an important decision. The material you choose for an exterior door – whether it’s wood, fiberglass, or steel – will impact the appearance, longevity, and security of your home.

In this article, we’ll share a simple comparison of the best exterior door materials, including the pros and cons of wood vs fiberglass vs steel.

Steel, fiberglass, and solid wood are among the best materials for exterior doors. All options offer excellent strength, security, and longevity, along with a modern and desirable appearance.

Each type of exterior door offers slightly different qualities, which we’ll explain more about in detail below.

There are different styles of interior doors as well as different construction and function of interior doors. Barn doors are a specific function of a door, while for example a molded door is a specific door construction and a 1-panel flat might be a certain style of molded door.

With all that said, here’s a breakdown on some of those differences in doors, and which rooms they suit best.

The three main types of front door/exterior door materials include:

• Wood: Made from real, solid wood in a range of species, with mortise-and-tenon joinery to increase water-resistance
• Fiberglass: Constructed of a composite material, with varying glass and panel options available to choose from
• Steel: Made from reinforced steel, and paintable in your chosen color, with a variety of panel and window designs to choose from

Read our quick comparison of wood vs fiberglass vs steel doors to help you choose the best exterior door material for your home.

At Schaaf, our wooden exterior doors are made from premium, responsibly sourced real wood. Species include walnut, poplar, pine, oak, redwood, hickory, mahogany, cherry, fir, cedar, and more.

Constructed with ultra-block technology and offering full integration with off-the-shelf locks, our doors are designed to prevent water damage, resist water entry during rainfall, and reduce the risks of rotting.

Pros of wood exterior doors:

• Offer unrivaled natural beauty
• Completely unique (no two wooden doors ever look the same)
• Fully customizable in terms of panels and windows
• You can choose between a range of wood species
• Designed with new technologies to prevent water damage
• Long-lasting and durable
• Easy to re-finish and customize in future years
• Cons of wood exterior doors:
• Require more maintenance than fiberglass doors (like repainting, resealing, and repairing blemishes)
• Are susceptible to warping (look for wood doors with weather-resistant finishes to prevent warping doors, like our wood exterior doors)
• Require reinforcement or expert design to prevent splitting
• Usually the most expensive due to the premium nature of solid wood

Cons of wood exterior doors:

• Require more maintenance than fiberglass doors (like repainting, resealing, and repairing blemishes)
• Are susceptible to warping (look for wood doors with weather-resistant finishes to prevent warping doors, like our wood exterior doors)
• Require reinforcement or expert design to prevent splitting
• Usually the most expensive due to the premium nature of solid wood

Our fiberglass exterior doors have built-in moisture protection to ensure longevity and are constructed of smooth fiberglass for a clean finish. Choose between several solid or glass panel options to suit your tastes.

To maximize home security, our fiberglass doors are fitted with the one-of-a-kind multi-point lock (PanoLock) and integrate with off-the-shelf hardware for ease of lock changing in the future.

As the most economical exterior door material, our fiberglass doors have the fastest lead time of any other door on the market to deliver a fast service.

Pros of fiberglass exterior doors:

• Low maintenance
• Is a weather-resistant door material that won’t dent or rust
• Don’t run the risk of damage or warping (like wood doors can)
• Fully customizable design, with full or partial glass options available
• Offer high security
• Can be fitted with secure locks
• Energy-efficient to reduce drafts and lower heating/cooling costs (look for ENERGY STAR-rated exterior doors)
• Can mimic the appearance of solid wood (as seen in our Artissa collection)

Cons of fiberglass exterior doors:

• Less customizable appearance compared to wood
• Cheaper than wood, but more expensive than steel

Our steel exterior doors offer safety and security for homes and commercial buildings. With galvanized steel facings, the surface is paintable and requires little to no maintenance after professional installation.

An energy-efficient core promotes insulation, and mitered top corners minimize water absorption for a long-lasting finish. With a variety of panel and glass options available, steel doors are fully customizable to suit your preferences.

Pros of steel exterior doors:

• Provide maximum strength at a lower cost
• High energy efficiency (with a foam insulation core only)
• Offers the most robust security
• Available in a range of styles and designs
• With good finishing, paintwork lasts and requires little maintenance
• Cons of steel exterior doors:
• Can dent with prolonged daily wear and after striking
• Can rust if the paintwork is of poor quality or not well-maintained

Cons of steel exterior doors:

• Can dent with prolonged daily wear and after striking
• Can rust if the paintwork is of poor quality or not well-maintained

When choosing the best exterior door material for your home, consider how much you value and prioritize the following:

• Security: All options (wood, fiberglass, and steel) are secure, but steel doors are the strongest
• Longevity: Any front door should be replaced every 20-30 years, and both wood vs fiberglass vs steel doors are durable front door materials that should last this long
• Visible signs of wear: Steel and wood doors can show signs of wear (like dents, color fading, or warping) over time, but fiberglass can look like new for the
• longest without extra maintenance
• Beauty/appearance: Wood doors offer natural beauty, while fiberglass looks the smoothest and the most unique (with varying designs available), and steel looks the sleekest and most minimalist
• Matching features: Consider how a front door will blend with your windows, especially if you’re replacing your windows in the future
• Distinctiveness: The only door that offers true distinction is solid wood exterior doors, as the grain will always be different from one plank of wood to the next
  Maintenance: Fiberglass doors are the easiest to maintain, while steel doors require rust management, and wood doors require routine repair/re-staining to restore strength and beauty

Steel and fiberglass door materials are the most durable and long-lasting. Doors constructed of steel can last up to 40-50 years, while fiberglass doors can last for decades in your home.

Wood exterior doors are unlikely to last as long as steel or fiberglass. Estimates sit at around 20-30 years, depending on their use, weather conditions, and how well they’re maintained.

In terms of strength, steel is the strongest material for an entry door. But all options (wood, fiberglass, and steel) offer security for your home.

Full locking mechanisms are available with all exterior doors from Schaaf, with reinforced designs that maximize security.

You can increase the security of entry doors by choosing a well-designed door and a suitable multi-point lock that meets industry standards.

The design you choose also affects the strength of an exterior door. For example, doors with more windows are strong and secure, but won’t be as strong as doors with fewer or no windows.

When replacing your front door, it’s important to choose a material that suits your needs and priorities. As a quick guide:

• Choose a wooden exterior door: If you value appearance, character, and natural distinction for your home
• Choose a fiberglass exterior door: If you want a fast delivery and an easy-to-maintain entryway
• Choose a steel exterior door: If you prioritize strength and security for a low upfront cost

Each material offers something different. Choose the material that offers exactly what you need for your front, side, or rear exterior door.

Another factor to consider when choosing an interior door for your home is its practicality in the room of choice.

For example, if the room has no windows (like a laundry room or hallway), a door with glass panes can boost natural light and brighten the room.

Or installing a wooden barn door in a room with high humidity and poor ventilation (like a bathroom with no windows), this may impact the longevity of the real wood.
Likewise, a primed wood or composite door (with no glass) is often best for bedrooms and bathrooms, where privacy is required.

Shopping for a durable front door material? Let us handle everything for you.

At Schaaf Windows and Doors, our family-owned business is proud to deliver quality doors and a premium service for competitive prices.

Experience the Schaaf difference today – shop our exterior doors for your Chicago door replacement today.

Need a helping hand? Send our team of experts a message to get advice on the best exterior door for your home. Or, if you’re shopping for low-maintenance exterior doors in Chicago, visit our showroom!