Getting the right door

With the door being the feature that leads the way into a house, choosing the type to use can be a tricky affair.
And with a market riddled with fake doors, making a choice does not get any easier because things like colour, size, architectural design all have to be put into consideration if the perfect brand is to be realised.

David Kigongo, the proprietor and a carpenter at Davik Timber Users Ltd says doors have two to three types, however they are supposed to be standard . There is soft and solid wood which he says is very expensive.
He emphasises that when building your house one should ensure that door frames are in place in order to fix standard doors.

“A standard door should be 80 inches long by 32 inches wide and the thickness should be 1.75 inches,” Mr Kigongo says.

Consideration for a door
Mr Kigongo advises on what one should consider when buying a genuine wood door.

“When one is going to buy a door, they should consider finding an expert to help them out just in case you find an already made wood door.”
He adds, “Knock on the timber because when it is dry, whether heavy or light, it makes a retained sound. There is no hard timber that is light, even soft timber when wet, it makes a different sound and it is very light.”

Andrew Mbabazi, an interior designer with Erimu Co. Ltd, says apart from wooden doors, you can also opt for doors made out of steel, metal and aluminum. He adds that it is easy to tell when any of these is fake.

“When one decides to go for any of these doors, they should be very keen with what they are buying since it is easy to detect the genuine one from the fake one. The fake ones are always very light when you carry them.
He explains that the doors that are manufactured locally are usually strong while the imported ones have a better finishing.

Maintenance
Mr Kigongo explains that with timber, if it is cut, it does not stop living. You need to protect it from the effects of the weather.
“For the doors that are inside the house, you should varnish them with at least three coats and those exposed and are in reach of sunshine and rainfall (outside doors). The same coats should be applied but this time with the use of paint at least every after three to five years,” he explains.

Kigongo further notes that it is not advisable to use varnish on the exposed doors because it peels and fades whenever it rains. He also explains that not every paint can work out, “You must use high growth paint that contains paraffin, this offers protection to the wood.”

Doors for the interior and exterior
You can use any type of wooden door for both the interior and exterior. However, Mr Kigongo says it is recommendable to use doors with straight horizontal patterns for exterior doors because they allow the easy flow of water when there is a down pour.

For a bathroom door, the carpenter offers that if you have a big bathroom, you can use a panel door because water will not easily reach it. However, if the bathroom is small, you need a horizontal patterned door which will allow the water to flow freely in case the door gets wet.

For metallic doors, Mr Mbabazi says you can opt for galvanised steel which is long lasting. There are also aluminum doors which look nice even without paint. Stainless steel is the highest quality that one should go for.

Steel can be used in case you need a security door. For the interior doors, aluminium is good since it comes with a better finishing, it is also good for the bath room since it is made out of stainless steel.