You’ve decided to improve your front entranceway with the beauty of custom wrought iron doors. Now, it’s time to make the decisions that will affect the aesthetics, value, and safety of your home for years to come.
Before you make that final decision, here are the top four factors to consider when choosing your new custom iron entry doors.
How Is the Wrought Iron Treated?
Some retailers and manufacturers powder coat their wrought iron doors. This very fine plastic electromagnetically charged powder is sprayed on and then baked in a high-temperature oven. One argument for this approach is that the iron weathers better in the elements—we disagree.
Unfortunately, powder coating fades and cracks as it ages, and paint will not stick to the thin plastic coating.
We recommend custom iron doors with a metalized zinc coating and a paint finish. Depending on the weather, these should last up to 15 years before another coat of paint is required.
What Type of Options Are Available?
Just as options can make a car, the range of options available when designing your custom door also makes a tremendous difference in the final product. As with most works of art, it’s all about the details.
The Wrought Iron Door Handle
What type of decorative door handle do you envision on your iron door? You may want to consider a vine-like wrapping around your handle to go with your botanical-themed wrought iron door or a straight modern handle that blends in with your modernized art deco-style door.
Make sure the company you’re working with knows how to design these handles and has plenty of samples onsite.
The Glass
Another option to consider is the glass. When selecting this important element is it crucial to consider the style, lighting, and the issue of privacy.
Pear and sandblasted glass create an opaque finish that allows enough light to come through to beautifully illuminate the front entry hall. When someone comes to the front door, the figures behind it look obscured and distorted, making it decorative and practical.
The streaked pattern of rain glass produces the image of water cascading down the glass and is a consideration for those seeking an elegant look and a pattern that lets light through while obtaining a sense of privacy.
The Finish
One of the most important options to consider is the proper finish for your custom iron door. You’ll want to make sure it matches the design and the style of your home—whether it is contemporary, traditional, or modern.
As with the colors in your home, the shade on your designer door can accent, or clash with the exterior tones. Be sure to look at the bigger picture and take into account the many colors that can be found on the trim, shutters, and entryway.
The pewter patina creates a shaded green tone that can go well with a modern look or botanical-themed custom iron entry doors.
Silver patina also offers a modern look and can make a nice contrast to darker finishes. On the other hand, an elegant and ornate classic Victorian iron door may call out for a gold heavy faux.
Because of the extreme difference, these options are crucial to your final design. Make sure you work with an accomplished fabricator willing to share their experience and expertise with you.
What Type of Design Harmonizes With Your Home?
This is the decision that many homes and business owners struggle with. Along with the unlimited number of options available for custom iron doors, how do you come up with a final design?
The first step is to narrow down your selections. Is your home modern or traditional, Victorian or Mediterannean, elegant or whimsical? The answer to that question will start your design process.
Work with a fabricator that has decades of experience. Why does this matter when choosing a design? It’s because they will also have decades’ worth of examples to show you.
Sit down together and search through their archives, then take a few of the designs that really jumped out at you and stand in front of your home with the pictures in hand.
And don’t forget to take the time to dream. Close your eyes and envision walking up to your door and through your entryway.
Did you see elegant and ornate scrolls atop rain-washed glass? A modern iron door with squares and rectangles? Or perhaps a vine of ivy that weaved its way through the door and into the arch on top?
It may seem overwhelming, but working with an established company takes all the guesswork out.
Does the Company Offer Complimentary Consultations?
There is so much that goes into a unique piece of art, which is just what custom wrought iron doors should be. You’ll want to work with someone that genuinely cares about your finished product and that it meets all of your specifications.
Fine-tuning the design, lighting, and optional elements takes time. If you feel rushed or brushed off, it’s time to put down the phone and call another company.
Additionally, be sure to check out the company’s work before you sign on the dotted line. Look at the details of their finished product, such as a smooth surface and well-polished solder joints.
Work With an Experienced Fabricator
As the demand for wrought iron doors increases, so does the manufacturers and resellers. Custom wrought iron doors are a work of art that requires years of experience to learn how to masterfully design and fabricate.
Newer companies have simply not had the time to develop their manufacturing technique or their artistic eye, nor do they have the contacts required to obtain the highest-quality materials.
At Baltic Iron Doors, we have been designing, fabricating, and installing one-of-a-kind custom-made wrought iron doors for over 30 years. Our design and fabrication techniques have been passed down from generation to generation, resulting in hand-forged wrought iron doors of unsurpassed beauty.
For a complimentary consultation, or sit down with one of our design experts to discuss just how breathtaking your new custom iron door can be, contact us at Baltic Iron Doors today.