Panel doors are quite popular for a number of reasons. They add an extra bit of quality and beauty to a home. There is a wide variety to choose from, so you don’t have to worry about your door looking like your neighbor’s if you don’t want it to. But what kind of panel door should you choose?
There are a lot of options when it comes to panel doors. Raised panel. Flat panel. Various wood species. Glass panels. The size of the panels. The number of panels. The position of the panels. Does it sound confusing yet? Don’t let all these options frighten you away. Instead, think of them as all the great ways you can design a door that suits you and your home perfectly.
First you may want to know the difference between a raised panel door and one that has a flat panel design. Raised panel doors are also called stile and rail doors. These typically have elevated areas as well as recessed areas surrounded by decorative wooden lines. Essentially, the name says it all. Raised panel doors do require a little more manual craft time than the flat panel door. Flat panel doors are simpler with cleaner lines that decorate the door without any additional recessed or raised areas. The lines merely act as outlines to showcase the panel design.
Choosing between a raised panel door and a flat panel door will probably be one of your biggest choices. After that, it will become a matter of style. Panel doors can have anywhere from a single large panel to over ten panels. The more decorative you want your door to be, the more likely you are to choose a higher number of panels. If you want to allow natural lighting into your home, you can request that some of the panels be glass instead. You can even choose the location of the glass, anywhere from ¾ of the door panels being glass to just the very top of the door. You can have a single glass panel or have them divided up.
Once you have the main layout of your panel door, all you have to choose is the wood you want it made of and whether or not you want it painted or otherwise decorated in some way. Keep your home in mind to ensure that the door matches well and soon you’ll have a beautiful new entryway into your house.