So your brand-new custom door is installed; it’s gorgeous, shiny, sturdy—and one of the most beautiful and well-displayed investments you’ll ever make.

Now what?

Your imposing, elegant entryway was hewn by skilled, professional craftsmen and artisans out of materials that are designed to last for centuries—but even the most masterful paintings and marble statues in the Louvre need a good cleaning every now and then to avoid damage and disrepair.

These doors require love, care, and attention to retain their luxury and aesthetic. And from a practical standpoint, the better upkeep you perform, the less you will have to spend on repairs and professional interventions down the road.

An improperly maintained entrance doesn’t just risk outrageous repair bills. Recurrent maintenance issues, premature aging, an uninviting exterior, and diminished overall value of your home can result from a lack of care or know-how.

Sounds pretty awful, right?

The space at the entrance of your home is of utmost importance; a broken, damaged or dirty first impression will leave everyone who enters a little “off.”

Here are some basic dos and don’ts of custom door care, as well as some safety considerations, which will not only help preserve the life of your investment, but will also go a long way towards maintaining your home’s market value.

Remember, you didn’t just “pick a door, any door,” so if you are ever in question about maintenance or cleaning, please contact a professional to avoid any mishaps.

Dos

• For wood doors, use a mild soap and water solution to get greasy fingerprints and smudges off of the exterior and interior. A vinegar and water solution will do for steel doors.
• Do inspect the door regularly for damage or any wear and tear including the weather stripping, door bottom sweep, sealants and hardware, to arrange for replacement as needed.
• Do check the door’s finish for cracks, chipping or peeling on a routine basis.
• Do examine door hardware, check if the screws or bolts need to be tightened, lubricate door hinges as needed (and only as instructed,) in order to ensure the security of the door.

Don’ts

• Don’t clean fiberglass with soap or any other abrasive household cleanser. Instead, use a non-abrasive cleaning solution with a dampened rag to remove dirt spots.
• Don’t use a pressure washer or garden hose on your custom door.
• Don’t drill holes or screws or install nails into the surface of your door to hang wreaths or other décor items.
• Don’t use a bristled scrubber or brush.
• Don’t use abrasive chemicals.
• Don’t attempt to fix worn weather strips or any other damaged elements on your own. Always contact a professional.

Security Begins with Design and Installation

As welcoming as the entry of a home should be, it’s essential to maintain a high level of security around the front door.

Here are some simple ways to add more security:

• Start by installing a solid-core, robust door at the entryway. Choices like solid wood, solid wood core, steel and fiberglass are hard to breech.
• Install a multi-point locking system with a series of locks at different spots on the door frame.
• Installing a wide-angled peephole is a great way to give yourself an edge ahead of time. You can identify a visitor as a stranger or a friend before deciding to open the door.

Properly maintained custom doors from Madison are valuable additions to your home and smart investments in your future. If you are thoughtful and careful from the start, you can avoid potential damage, break-ins and build-up.

A bright, clean door adds to your home’s curb appeal and creates a welcoming exterior ambience for your visitors.

Make sure your investment remains fascinating, functional and in good shape—with a little elbow grease and some help from the experts at Madison Doors!

The post Caring for Your Custom Door: The Do’s and Don’ts appeared first on Custom Doors for Entryways | Madison Doors Inc..

Maybe you are thinking about a custom, detailed door to add character and curb appeal to your home?
Why not get inspiration from the masters?

Here are five famous doors from pop culture and around the world, plus the stories behind them.

There is always a bit of mystique and surprise surrounding a door—they can be ornate secret-keepers, simple barricades, or even a revolving portal through which friends (as you’ll see in number 3) come and go without so much as a knock.

1. Royal Palace Fes, Morocco:

As a country, Morocco is no doubt a top contender in the decorative door department. At the Royal Palace Fes, intricate brass detail and ornate stone mosaics adorn pointed arches that date back to the 13th century.

What makes these doors (there are seven of them) so fascinating is that they are so large, so lavish and so stunning, but they pretty much don’t open, ever.

In fact, the middle door is meant for only one person—the King. Commissioning multiple, ornate doors for your house would set you apart as a trendsetter, for sure!

And hey, the dog gets his own door—why not dad?

A multi-panel wooden door, with elaborate wrought iron scrolls set on glass panes, like number 33 in Madison Doors’ Wrought Iron Collection, which can be found under “Products,” would fit the bill beautifully.

2. 10 Downing Street, London:

Frequently called “the most famous door in Britain,” the black door with a white number “10” looks friendly enough.

But this simple door of the traditional home for all of Britain’s Prime Ministers barricades one of the most heavily guarded buildings in the country, and cannot be opened from the outside at all. In fact, it is entirely missing a knob.

That may not be the best strategy for your needs, however a beautifully fanned transom atop a secure steel door would convey status and strength on any dwelling—from a townhouse in the city to a cottage in the country.

Madison Doors’ has just the match for a perfectly dignified custom door—check out Transom number 6 (pictured above) in their Products gallery!

3. Monica’s Apartment Door, “Friends:”

The purple door of primetime TV fame was practically a character of its own in the hit show “Friends.”

With a light violet hue and pizazz thanks to a yellow makeshift frame fashioned from a broken picture, this entryway is one of the friendliest in history; it opened and closed hundreds of thousands of times throughout the series—each time with a new joke or plot twist.

If yours is a bright, happy home, full of friends and loved ones, a distinctive custom Madison Door with a deep Oak Merlot wood finish or even some funky purple glass panels like the sample on the right (Light Purple Waterglass form their glass products page) would fit the bill.

4. Door into Bag End, The Shire:

One of the most famous of all fictional doors, the blue-green circle that opens into an enchanting underground abode for hobbits in The Lord of The Rings Trilogy is welcoming, cozy and definitely unique!

Custom doors can take many surprising shapes, like this Madison custom door that is almost as round as Bilbo’s fairy-tale entryway. You can check it out on their product page under their “Contemporary” section—number 10!

There is something enchanting about a door so unique and whimsical—the child in you hopes there just might be a little bit of magic behind it.

5. The Columbus Doors, Washington, D.C.:

These 20,000-pound, 17-foot bronze doors were designed by Randolph Rogers and lord over the entrance to the State Capitol Building. Each panel is a detailed bronze relief depicting a scene from the life and history of Christopher Columbus.

While a mammoth door this big, heavy and historical would be out of place on a residence, the same air of distinction can be conveyed with a carved, solid wood masterpiece like the Madison Custom door on the left. This beauty is featured as number 1 in their Carved collection under “Prodcuts.”

Older homes in historical areas and neighborhoods would be wise to choose such a door as an instant facelift!

Go Down in History

Each of these five doors represents a famous, historical and well-designed entryway into another world of the past. Your home can easily become famous for its door, as well.

Custom woods, colors, glass and shapes make for an investment that may just land YOU on a list like this someday!

The post 5 Famous Front Doors and the Stories behind Them appeared first on Custom Doors for Entryways | Madison Doors Inc..

“In the universe, there are things known and things unknown,
and in between, there are doors.” – William Blake

Your front door is so much more than a chunk of wood with a knob. It is the gateway to your inner world and the guardian of your castle.

To some, it may look like an invitation, and to some it may look like a barrier. Salesmen, friends, family, neighbors and even police officers all respect a front door.

A door is like a “stop sign” of sorts, requiring a moment of pause; a moment in which you have the opportunity to make a statement to the inquirer about who you are and what they can expect inside.

A unique custom door can set the tone for your day as you head out to work, or get your houseguest’s stay started off on the right foot.

Plus, there is one very special person who will constantly be walking through your door: you!

So it’s doubly important to think about what kind of door will be best for you.

With so many custom choices, which one will fit? Like you, each custom door has a character and personality.

Begin your quest by choosing from the following list, the word or words best describe your own and your household’s “vibe.”What would be the words your friend would use to describe you, the shortest way possible?

1. Fun and Playful
2. Distinctive
3. Warm and Welcoming
4. Quiet and Private
5. Funky

1. If you chose the words Fun and Playful, a wooden door with wrought iron and glass will add whimsy to your front porch. Exquisite scrolls, points, lines and shapes practically give any visitor an art show while they wait. When paired with the warmth and softness of wood, wrought iron conveys a dynamic personality, ready to charm and delight all who enter.

2. If you feel yourself to be more on the Distinctive side, an all-iron door may be just the gatekeeper to make an impression. Heavy, safe and solid—this is a choice where form meets detail. Brushed gold finishes on the metal add a touch of elegance and finish off this masterpiece with a little door bling. It’s a bold choice

3. Want a Warm and Welcoming atmosphere at your entryway? You can smile and wave as you glide to open a classic wooden door with glass paneling for your loved ones. Social households who host book clubs and dinner parties can choose from clear, textured and any number of colored glass panels depending on whether they like to feel close to what’s outside the front door, or they want to keep things a bit fuzzy.

4. If you’re a little more on the Quiet and Private side, either a classic full-wood or full-fiberglass door make a great shield from the hustle and bustle outside. Once the door is closed, it’s closed. Muffle all those honks, beeps and voices if you are near a busy area. And, quiet doesn’t mean boring! With over fifty finish choices, plus the option for custom carving and detail work, a full-wood door is anything but plain.

5. Funky dresser with an eye for industrial design? A contemporary door made out of wood, steel or fiberglass focuses on glass panels that create clean lines, modern ratios and an entry way that likely leads to a bright, modern interior. The cool thing about these contemporary doors is that they make a perfect canvas on which to hang a wreath, artwork, or your funky seasonal decorations!

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