What Type of Door Do I Need?

There are so many types of doors available, but how do you know which is right for your home? We've put together this simple guide to help you decide...

Entrance Doors

Your front door is incredibly important as it creates the first impression of your home. The most common entrance doors are made from solid oak, engineered timber, or uPVC, but there's also an increasing demand for aluminium doors. 

Above: From The Anvil's Pewter Large letter plate and Cottage Slimline lever espag. door handle (left) and their Pewter Avon Slimline lever espag. lock set (right).

Entrance doors can either be solid, or glazed, depending on your privacy needs and the amount of natural light you desire. Frosted glass is a great way to incorporate natural light while maintaining privacy levels. If you have a period property, coloured or stained glass can be used to add character to your front door and personalise the entrance to your home.

Solid oak and engineered timber doors are an excellent choice for contemporary properties and can be stained or painted to complement your brickwork. The major benefit of wooden doors, aside from their versatility, is that they can be fitted with a whole range of hardware and are easy to work with. Select a matching suite of door furniture, coordinating your door knocker, handle, escutcheon, and letterplate for a finished look.

Above: solid oak entrance doors fitted with From The Anvil's Large Pewter Avon lever lock set (left) and Pewter Avon lever espag. lock set (right).

uPVC doors are another popular choice due to their high levels of security. As most are fitted with a multipoint lock, the door is secured at numerous points along the frame, making it much more difficult to gain entry without a key. Multipoint locks are fitted with espagnolette door handles which are long and sleek, adding a modern look to a property.

Above: From The Anvil's Black lever espag. lock door handle and matching letterplate.

Aluminium doors are a low maintenance option and a fantastic choice for industrial style properties. While these can be fitted with lever handles, they look fantastic with a large T Bar pull handle paired with a concealed escutcheon and deadbolt.

French, Patio, & Bi-folding Doors

Patio doors are a great way to make the most of your outdoor living space. Made with large panels of glass, these doors act as windows when closed and can be fully opened to seamlessly blend your garden and outdoor spaces.

Classic French doors are often made from timber and are fitted as a pair, with one door marginally overlapping the other. Typically, these doors are hung using parliament hinges and can be fitted with an espagnolette lever handle or a standard lever lock handle with accompanying door bolts. For a more classical look, Cremone bolts can be used instead.

Above: From The Anvil's Pewter Avon lever lock door handle set on a French door set.

Patio doors, also called sliding doors, are made with large panes of glass with sturdy frames. One door is positioned slightly forward to the other, meaning the doors can slide over one another to open without taking up precious floor space.

Similarly, bi-folding doors are made with a series of large panels of glass which are all connected and can be folded against the wall in an accordion-like shape to save space when opened.

Above: From The Anvil's Pewter Avon lever lock set and matching lever latch door handle set.

Interior Doors

Interior doors are those found inside the home. The majority of homes use either solid wood or engineered timber internal doors, though aluminium-framed glass doors are becoming a popular option for contemporary properties and offices.

Timber doors are usually available as panelled or plank. Panelled doors tend to be more modern, being the standard choice for new-builds. These type of doors can be glazed or unglazed, and panels are either vertically or horizontally stacked. The panels can be as simplistic or as ornate as desired and these doors can either be used as standard, non-locking doors with a lever latch or knob and a mortice latch, or as locking or bathroom doors when fitted with the appropriate hardware.

Above: panelled doors fitted with From The Anvil's Aged Brass Prestbury knob set (left) and Pewter Avon lever latch door handle set (right).

Ledge and brace doors are a popular choice for cottages and older properties. They consist of a series of wooden planks held together with horizontal ledges and are hung on the door frame using two or three T hinges. Ledge and brace doors and thinner than panelled doors, enabling a thumblatch to pass through them. Thumblatches are used to open and close the door and can be combined with a locking pin if locking is required. 

Above: wooden ledge and brace doors fitted with From The Anvil's Pewter Penny End T hinges and matching Bean thumblatches.

Sliding doors are a great space-saving option and make a wonderful feature in any home. Fit with a sliding door kit and complementary handles to create a door that's as practical as it is beautiful.

Above: From The Anvil's Black sliding door kits and Bean D handle (right).

We hope you have a better idea about which doors to use in your home!

Discover our full collection of From The Anvil door hardware here.