The outswing exterior door – opening up the world

Modern aluminium, uPVC or wooden exterior doors

Traditionally, most exterior door types used to be inswing doors made from wood. Today, doors are available both as inswing and outswing variants and made from various materials. Aluminium and uPVC have both proven to be excellent building materials because of their favourable properties. That being said, wood has also experienced a true renaissance as an exterior door building material.

The benefits of outswing aluminium front doors are obvious: sturdiness, ease of maintenance and longevity. Aluminium features good structural stability and great resistance to all weather conditions.

Furthermore, the material is light and highly resistant to corrosion, leading to greatly decreased maintenance requirements. The structure of high-quality aluminium profiles also provides great benefits in terms of burglary protection.

Thus, an aluminium outswing exterior door combines security and aesthetics in one single package. A front door made from uPVC shares aluminium’s longevity and ease of maintenance, making it a popular material choice for front or back door construction.

Great thermal insulation properties further provide for lowered costs of heating, keeping warmth inside during the winter and heat on the outside during the summertime. Thus, uPVC doors provide for a comfortable living environment throughout the year. Meanwhile, wood remains as one of the most consistently popular choices of material for outswing exterior doors.

This renewable resource is available in many different types. Depending on personal taste, anything from light-coloured birch to dark mahogany timbers may be used as construction material, finished either with a clear protective varnish or colourful lacquers.

Structure and function of outswing exterior doors

Depending on materials, doors may be constructed in different ways, reflecting the material properties of the materials used. Outswing exterior doors made from aluminium usually employ multi-chamber profile systems with seals on both sides, providing excellent thermal insulation. For additional burglary protection, steel inserts are frequently employed. While the actual door surface consists of uPVC in a variety of colour choices, the door sill usually consists of aluminium or uPVC-aluminium composites.

Aluminium front doors are usually constructed with an insulating infill between outer layers of robust aluminium, sealed with silicone or similar materials, effectively minimizing heat energy transfer. Such doors are available in varying designs and in any of the colours available from the RAL colour range. Outswing wooden doors are frequently constructed from wooden layers surrounding steel inserts, providing great structural stability.

Additional thermal insulation foam infills can further increase the already ample thermal insulation properties of a wooden exterior door, lowering heating bills. In addition, weather-proof silicone seals eliminate draughts and insulate against moisture, thereby protecting the building against the formation of mould.

Locking mechanisms and burglary protection

Contemporary outswing front doors are capable of much more than simply locking an entrance. Their locking mechanisms feature locking cylinders, which allow these doors to be semi-permanently locked.

This allows for systems in which, for example, all exterior doors of a house can be opened and closed using a single key, while burglary protection is still provided by the complex construction of the locking mechanisms.

All types of exterior door – whether outswing or inswing – can be constructed with or without glass infills.

Insulated glazing allows for great thermal protection while allowing the entrance area to be opened up to sunlight.

Meanwhile, laminated safety glass provides great resistance against intrusion attempts and other forms of damages, proving hard to crack.

An exterior door with thermally insulated glass infills provides an entrance area with greater access to sunlight while preventing heat loss at the same time.

Proper maintenance and cleaning

Modern outswing doors are usually rather easy to maintain and clean.

A few useful tips for maintenance and cleaning, however, will also allow exterior doors to remain in good condition for a long time to come. Tools for simple cleaning and maintenance:

• Bucket
• Lukewarm water
• Washing-up liquids
• Lint-free towel
• Lubricant

Proper maintenance is possible following a few simple steps:

1. Mix lukewarm water and washing-up liquids in the bucket
2. Soak the towel in the bucket
3. Clean all parts – including fittings – and let them dry in the open air
4. Lubricate the hinges once or twice a year to guarantee proper opening and closing action.

Tip: Washing-up liquids dissolve greases while remaining quite mild. This makes them ideal for cleaning any smooth surfaces on a door.

An outswing exterior door provides many benefits, such as freeing up unused space in the entrance area. A great variety of such outswing doors can be found at windows24.com.