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Exterior Door Thresholds – What are they and why do you need them?
Door thresholds are located at the bottom of a doorway and are the transition space between one door and another. Plates can be fixed over your threshold to protect the door frame as well as providing an extra decor point for your home.
But what about exterior door thresholds specifically – what are they and how are they used in your home?
What is an Exterior Door Threshold?
An exterior door threshold is the section of your doorway which provides an air–tight fitting between your floor and the bottom of the door. In ensuring your home is weatherproof fitting the correct door threshold is important, as it one of the first steps to stopping draught from entering your home.
There a many types of exterior door thresholds available, and they also come in a variety of styles and options – you can use our door builder to see how they look on your home.
Whether you are building a new home or renovating an existing one, ensuring your front door threshold is adequately fitted is a key part in finding your perfect door, insulating your home and perfecting the style that you want.
Why do you need an Exterior Door Threshold?
A threshold is important for properly sealing your home against water damage and air infiltration. Due to where it is located, your exterior door threshold is likely to take a fair amount of abuse both from both its level of usage, footfall in your home and the weather conditions.
Low quality thresholds can fail to withstand high levels of usage, sometimes leading to damage that wouldn’t have occurred if the threshold were better made. High quality composite doors need high quality thresholds to go with them.
Exterior Door Threshold Types
At Apeer we have a wide range of door threshold options, including the following:
- Stepped Aluminium Threshold (25mm)
- Mobility Access Threshold (15mm)
- Wheelchair Access Threshold (15mm)
- UPVC Full Frame Threshold
- UPVC Low Frame Threshold
Which External Threshold is right for me?
There are a few things you should factor in when choosing your threshold for your front door.
One of the many crucial factors to consider when ordering a door is your threshold choice. It can leave you asking questions like; are there any advantages to one threshold over the other? Which type do I need? Which threshold is most efficient? This blog should help answer these questions.
The first is access, if you or someone you know uses a wheelchair or is often in crutches, we definitely recommend opting for a Wheelchair Access threshold or for a low threshold. It’s also worth thinking about if you have young children and use buggies or prams. It might seem like a small thing but not having the lift the pram through the door can definitely make life a little bit easier.
The other is aesthetics. Some prefer the look of the metallic access thresholds while uPVC thresholds can be matched to the rest of the frame. It all comes down to personal preference.
If you aren’t sure which composite door threshold option is better for your door, get in touch with us – we’d love to answer any questions you may have about doors.
Is there any difference in energy efficiency between the different thresholds?
Generally, threshold choice only has a minimal impact on U–values, with the maximum difference between the U–values of a door with the most efficient threshold generally being about 0.05w/m2k better than the same door with our least efficient threshold.
This won’t make a massive difference, however if you’re planning your project around U–values and thermal performance, it’s definitely worth taking into consideration. Our full and low thresholds are our most efficient offerings.
What are the advantages of one threshold compared to the other?
The main advantage to the wheelchair access and mobility thresholds are ease of access. Their low and unobtrusive nature makes them perfect for any situation where the extra mobility would be beneficial.
The main advantages of our uPVC Full and Low thresholds are a slight increase in energy efficiency alongside the ability to paint the threshold the same colour as the rest of your door. This slight improvement in U–values, while minor, does make a difference, and the ability to match your threshold to your door does can have a serious impact to the aesthetics of your door.
Interested in finding out more about our high quality composite door options? You can give us a call and we will be happy to talk you through the process or alternatively, send us an email to sales@apeer.co.uk