Doors often make the home, so if you’re decorating, you may decide to install new exterior doors. There are a variety of options and designs available, and what you choose may affect both cost and the amount of DIY work you need to do before your home is finished. When you’re shopping for doors, you’ll find that there are several ways you can purchase them: fully decorated, pre-finished and primed at the factory level, or completely unfinished, so you can customize it for your own tastes and décor scheme. So, what’s the difference between decorated, primed and unfinished doors?
Fully Decorated Doors
These are doors that have been finished, primed and painted, perhaps with a decorative design. These doors will arrive covered in multiple coats of paint or wood stain. If you purchase doors this way, you will simply need to hang the doors, which is relatively easy if you have the right tools and a bit of know-how.
Unfinished Doors
These are doors that will arrive in their raw state with no finish. (They will, of course, have any decorative structural elements such as panels in place.) This allows for maximum flexibility with your decorative scheme and helps keep the costs down, since you’ll do the priming and painting yourself. This option may be necessary if you’re looking for a natural wood look.
Primed Doors
If you’re looking for something in between prefinished or unfinished doors, you may want to consider going halfway by purchasing pre-primed doors. These are doors that come with a base coat of primer, so you can go right to paining them your chosen color. Since most primers are similar, it doesn’t cut down on your design options, but it does mean that you won’t need to do as much work. It’s important to note that if you’re looking for a natural wood look to your door or you plan to use stain or wood finish, this may not be a great option for you.
Contact a Specialist
Hamden, Connecticut-based Aladdin Inc. is a pioneer in home exteriors, including entry doors, storm door installation, aluminum gutters, replacement windows, railings, retractable awnings, patio doors and vinyl siding. We bring the finest quality products, including ProVia custom doors, as well as unparalleled service. We’ve been helping homeowners in Connecticut since 1949 and will work with you to find the best solution for your doors.