Doors are not something we take notice of in a day to day life. They’re simply things we lock and unlock to let ourselves in and out of places. The only interaction with doors is a brief moment when we hold the knob and push it open. We never really sit and ponder over the material used in it or its purpose in different places. Well, we are going to do that right here. We are going to look at the different types of materials that are used in making doors. Also, we are not going to limit our inclusions to recent times but we are also going to include the olden times. The reason we are going to include the past is that some of the materials and technology used for doors in the older times are still being used today. We shall also be discussing the industrial and domestic use of the materials separately as it is one of the greatest factors that come into play for people while selecting a door for themselves. So let’s dive straight into it without any further ado.
Iron
Probably the first metal to be used in making doors, iron is not considered the best of the materials for this use in today’s date. Though it did prove useful in the olden days it has been wiped out of competition with newly discovered metals and alloys.
- Industrial Use – Doors and gates made of iron were used extensively in the olden days for almost every purpose, though they are now slowly disappearing from the industrial front. Since iron is a tough and heavy metal, it was usually used to make doors that needed to contain things like fires and reactions that can cause dangerous explosions.
- Domestic Use – Just like the industrial front, iron is slowly disappearing from the domestic uses too. This is because the cost of an iron door is much higher as compared to other types of doors. Another reason is that iron rusts and the maintenance of iron doors forced homeowners to look to other materials like wood and steel. The only place where iron doors are used is at the gates. Gates made of wrought iron are still in fashion and are quite trusted as they are truly difficult to tamper with.
Wood
Wood was the first material that was ever used to make a door or something that looks and functions as a door that we know of today. Wood is quite an easy material to work with considering its lightweight and strength.
- Industrial Use – Wood is not normally used in industrial settings for doors. It is not a strong enough material and it burns easily. A small blast can easily rip off a wooden door from its hinges or leave a huge hole in it. It is also not totally impervious to extreme weather conditions. The only place we’ll find a wooden door in a commercial setting is the office inside a factory or something similar.
- Domestic Use – Domestic settings will offer you a wide range of different types of wooden doors. Most households have wooden doors on the entrances. The reason houses have wooden doors is primarily because they look good. Other reasons include the weight and easy installment. Moreover, wooden doors can be easily designed and carved to add to their beauty.
Steel
Steel is one of the most important gifts of science and technology in the world. It is an alloy of carbon and iron. It is used extensively in industries and mildly in domestic settings. It’s low weight and high tensile strength make it a perfect material for doors.
- Industrial Use – Steel has been a blessing for industries since it was first manufactured. Industries require doors that can take a lot of pressure and are lightweight at the same time so they put most of their trust on steel for its qualities. A good example to showcase these qualities would be to have a look at Tucson commercial overhead doors installed in any warehouse. The steel makes them strong enough to pass the government safety standards and they are light enough to be lifted overhead and coiled into a roll with a machine. Other industrial doors made of steel include safety grills, tip-up doors, hangar gates and so on.
- Domestic Use – Steel doors are not exactly rare in a domestic setting as homeowners usually prefer other materials that do not heat up like steel does and have better aesthetics. The one place that steel doors are usually installed is in garages. They are usually powered with a motor to be lifted up overhead or simply roll sideways.
Aluminum
Aluminum is again a metal that is not associated with the older times and is a gift of modern technology. Aluminum is much lighter than steel but is also weaker than it.
- Industrial Use – Aluminum doors are found in industrial setups but only in places where the safety standards are not very high and there is minimum risk of fire breakouts and explosions. It is cheap and lite, so it is used in industrial places to save costs wherever possible.
- Domestic Use – New-age builders and architects prefer to use aluminum doors to wooden doors due to multiple reasons. Aluminum doors give a very modern feel to a house and also do not rust and get infested with termite as wood does. It is much cheaper than wood and steel. It is also very easy to transport and install. Combined with some toughened glass, aluminum doors have become the first choice of many homeowners.
The use of different materials for making doors has changed throughout the ages. In every time frame, the selection of the materials has been on the basis of the setting of where the door is to be installed. Through the years the development of technology has granted various materials for the making of doors for different purposes. Where wood and iron were used more in the olden times, the new age preferences are more towards aluminum and steel.
