The choice of doors is aesthetic as much as it is functional. While there are different types for every budget, they don’t have to look boring, writes WANGECI KANYEKI

Entering a door should be a pleasurable experience, not just a routine of opening and closing a movable structure at an entrance. In Lamu, Zanzibar and Asian countries like India, the significance and status symbol of a person’s standing was known by the front door.

These cultures did not spare any effort to make exquisitely crafted doors that commanded respect, admiration and enjoyment.   

When building your own home, it is important to think ahead what kind of doors you will put, so that you can include them in your budget.

The stronger and more aesthetic the door, the more it will cost you. Doors block off climate elements and offer security and privacy.

While there are different options available for every budget, expensive and solid doors will increase the value of your home. Here are the various types of doors found in the market:

Lamu doors

These are large customised solid mahogany doors that are handmade by skillful artisans who take about four to six months to complete the work. Most of these doors are huge and have double doors with broad carvings and decorative bronze studs fixed on timber strips that give them aesthetic character.  

Sometimes the door is so massive that a sub-door is cut in the lower portion of the shutter, which requires the guests to bend as they enter, something considered a sign of humility.

Locally, Woodcharm Limited on Nairobi’s Kijabe Street custom-make Lamu doors using designs that were used 60 to 80 years ago.

The fringe of the door curves around the frame and is exquisitely crafted with cultural Lamu symbolic designs of sunflowers, tulips, pineapple leaves and fish, which is a good luck symbol of abundance.

Religious inscriptions such as “God is Great” or “God is Gracious and Merciful”, are engraved to inspire those entering the home. These doors are mainly used as the main external entrance door and last for generations as most of them are not susceptible to insects.

Internal doors

Interior doors do not have to be as heavy as an exterior one, but they still need to be pleasing to the eye.

Several options are available from suppliers such as Timsales Limited and Woodmakers (K) Limited. You can get timber flush doors, which have plywood on both sides and are in-filled with either semi-solid timber core or a solid core. The latter is usually used for commercial premises and is not necessary for domestic use unless preferred.

French doors can also be used in areas like kitchens where there is a door-frame with glass panels for one to see through the next room such as the sitting room. This kind of door also creates a sense of space as it allows natural light to filter into the room. 

Embossed panel doors are similar to flush doors; however, they have a surface material of moulded skin in MDF. Machine moulded panel doors are another option and can also be used for external doors and are beautiful to look at.

These doors may have between two and ten panels. The lower the number of panels, the stronger the door; the higher the number of panels, the more expensive, yet the weaker the door.

Tongue and groove doors or what is commonly known as T&G doors may cost you a little more, but are strong and difficult to break, and can be used for external doors.

Types of mechanisms

Doors come in various types such as ‘stable doors’ used in kitchens or on verandahs; the top half of the door operates independently from the bottom half. Hinged doors allow the doors to pivot away from the door in one direction.

The door can also be made to open horizontally such as a garage door. Sliding doors are useful when space is limited, especially in small rooms. The door slides between two wall panels.

Door accessories

Doors come with various accessories, which enhance functionality and beauty such as door knockers, door stoppers, hinge locks and handles. Door guards are now also available to prevent accidental slamming of doors onto fingers, especially where children are present.

To prevent unintentional collision, glass doors should have a coloured sticker to make them visible as a person may believe that the door is open when it is actually closed or a person does not see the glass.

UPVC windows

Alongside doors come the headache of getting good quality windows. There is nothing as irritating as windows that do not lock properly or jam to open.

Elegant unplasticised polyvinyl chloride (UPVC) windows have the added benefit of having the traditional look with absolute low maintenance. They have high weather resistance and do not fade under sustained exposure to sun. While most UPVC windows have been available in white colour, manufacturers such as Fairdeal UPVC Aluminium and Glass Limited are now producing oak and mahogany colours that look like timber.

This means that one can have white colour frames  on the inside to match with other colours and a timber look-alike frame on the exterior of the house.

The added benefits of using UPVC windows is that they are cut to precision so they can tightly fit into the window space.

The welded seam joints provide a strong corner that does not allow leaks or separations. A sense of security is also provided by use of an anti-burglary unit, which prevents the window from being lifted off.  

Windbreak

A windbreak feature is used on these windows to eliminate irritating and whistling noise by gaps left between shutters.

You can also use a toughened glass measuring ten milimetre thick and not easily broken.  Other benefits of UPVC include long life without maintenance.

It requires no painting or varnishing, only routine cleaning using water and gentle household detergent dissolved in water. 

UPVCs are considered more environmentally friendly as they use less energy at the time of production, and are an alternative to wood, thereby slowing down deforestation.

Other alternatives to windows include timber windows, which are custom-made to fit the size of the window. Aluminium panels are also popular as they create a modern contemporary minimalist look.

So shop around before you decide on which type of doors to use, think long-term and select a door that will make a memorable first impression.