How to cool down your hot front door? Use a multi-pronged approach including 1. adding a cover to the door handle, 2. adding heat reflective film to the storm door glass, 3. painting the front door a lighter color to reflect additional heat energy and 4. add other obstructions to block the sun.
Do you want to know how to cool down your hot front door? Are you looking for the best protection and longevity for your front door?
Front doors can have a great impact on your indoor air when the heat is awful outside.
Some even find it hard to cross the front door due to excess generated heat.
However, there are numerous ways to protect your front door from the heat.
Many things will depend on your living area, the material of your front door, and exposure to direct sunlight.
Some materials can reduce the heat significantly and others can be troublesome. They can trap heat causing a hot environment.
In this article, we will discuss the best proven ways to protect your front door from the heat.
Also, we will focus on different types of materials and some other important factors that can help you to reduce the heat.
Some Front Exterior Doors Can Become Sizzling Hot, Why?
You can blame the material, paint, and direct sun exposure.
The features of different materials are not the same.
So, they react differently to harsh weather conditions.
When some materials are friendly to rain, others are friendly to winter.
However, the harsh sun can damage any material even if you take utmost care.
Sun rays will not only cause discoloration, but they can also heat the material to such extent that it can trap the heat for a long time causing a hot environment.
Some popular front door materials are steel, fiberglass, wood, aluminum, and vinyl.
Among all these fiberglass and steel is considered good for the Sun. These materials will not be damaged with constant sun exposure.
However, the hot sun will cause discoloration in wood and also affect the material as well.
But some wood can offer better protection from the sun. There are different types of wood materials. Therefore, it is important to choose the right material.
You can make it durable by adding an exterior varnish or clear finish with UV protection.
You can help keep your home cool by using lighter color paint instead of darker colors that absorb solar heat.
What is Sun Protection for Front Doors?
There are many ways to protect your front door from the sun. You can consider a good paint to minimize the impact of harsh weather condition.
Paint can protect your front door from sun, rain, and wind.
Paint works best to protect from the sun rays that will ultimately reduce the heat.
You can also consider adding polyurethane or a clear finish to get extra protection from the sun.
What Are the Best Front Doors for Direct Sunlight?
If your home faces south, then your front door will get sun exposure throughout the day. The best choice will be a matter of your personal preference and budget.
However, you will have to focus on some key factors while choosing material for your front door especially when it is facing the sun.
Durability, beauty, emergency, and strength are some determining factors.
You can get all these from fiberglass.
It can withstand the effects of direct sunlight. The other material is steel. Steel is considered best for the front door from the safety point of view.
It can also protect your door from sunlight. But the downside is the durability.
Fiberglass Door.
When fiberglass is durable and can last up to decades, steel will start to deteriorate within ten years.
Fiberglass doors are great for insulation purposes but not necessarily for keeping their temperature down.
Wood Door.
Another alternative is wood. Wood can be best for curb appeal.
This is expensive as well. However, all types of wood are not good for sun exposure.
So, you will have to act smart while choosing the right material.
Do Fiberglass Doors Get Hot?
Yes, fiberglass doors get hot in summer. Though this material is considered as the best material for the front door, still, it gets hot in summer and cold in winter.
The blue door in the video that I took is fiberglass and it was 163 degrees that day!
Fiberglass is secure as the steel doors and it offers better insulation than wood and steel.
This material is able to hold up against extreme temperature fluctuations.
However, you might need to spend a little more to make it more resistant to heat.
Pros:
A fiberglass is an ideal option for front door
Fiberglass is durable and withstands sun damage
Fiberglass offers better insulation
Wood can boost the curb appeal
Steel is durable and secure
Cons:
Fiberglass can trap heat and cause heat buildup
Steel is not durable
Steel does not offer the required insulation
Wood is expensive
Wood is prone to early damage and discoloration
Heat Buildup Between Storm Doors: How Do You Reduce It?
Film. Reflective film available at Amazon is an excellent solution to the heat problem
Since the storm door glass magnifies the heat onto the door…by installing the reflective film – you are greatly reducing the amount of heat in between the storm door and the front door and will cool down the front door and door handle.
Door handle cover.
Is There High Heat Front Door Paint?
Yes, paints are available to protect your front door from the heat.
Heat-resistant paint is available.
This paint is extremely efficient to protect your door from the sun especially when you are using wood material.
It will also seal moisture and prevent any damage.
You can paint your door with a lighter color that will boost the curb appeal and offer maximum protection.
Hybrid Solution: What is the best way to help cool down your hot front door? (That Lasts?)
Step 1. Select Your Paint
The following paints were the top ranked paints for exterior front doors.
Other contenders include Benjamin More & Sherwin-Williams but both of these paints cost almost double what Behr and Valspar cost.
They come in around $68/gallon. Unfortunately, their higher price did not yield better results so we did not include them in our recommendations.
Durable paint that resists hot weather, cracking, fading will save you time in the future (since you won’t have to repaint your door in a few years).
Select a light colored paint to help reflect the heat.
Step 2. Prep Before Paint
Protect other surfaces. Cover plantings, air conditioner(s), and exhaust vents with drop cloths. Tie back shrubs and tree limbs.
Scrub, then patch. Scrub off the dirt and residue on your current door. If there is a need then you can patch.
Remove mildew. Mix a solution of chlorine bleach and water, or use a commercial cleaner.
Wearing gloves, a mask, and eye protection, scrub the mildew away. Scrape out rotted areas and fill them with wood filler, then sand smooth. Allow to dry for several days before painting.
Caulk . Scrape away dried and cracked caulk around windows, doors, and trim so the surface is clean.
Step 3. Prime & Paint
Prime & Paint. Many high-quality paints have primer combined with the paint.
As paint technology improves, you do not need to use a separate primer followed by the paint.
Behr Premium Plus Ultra Exterior (~$39)
Specs: Very durable (resistant against mold, mildew, fading, cracking, as well as dirt). (Home Depot)
9.0
Valspar DuraMax Exterior ~$39)
Specs: Also durable (resistant against mold, mildew, fading, cracking and dirt). (Lowes)
8.75
Step 4. Add heat reflective film to the storm door glass and to cool down your hot front door
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Select the heat reflective film.
Heat Control Platinum can be found on Amazon. It blocks 99% of the UV rays and 71% of the total light energy.
Darkened finish film
Installation kit.
Save yourself time and money and get a kit the 1st time.
Clean the glass. Twice. Use a good cleaner like windex so you can make sure the window is clean. Clean it a second time to make sure it is perfect. Any dirt or debris left on the window will impact the look of the film – possibly causing air bubbles.
Wear gloves so you don’t leave fingerprints.
Measure & cut. Unroll the film so it covers the entire area and leave an extra 1″ that you can cut off once finished.
Remove the backing slowly.
Spray the window with the solution so it is wet.
Top down. Make sure the film stays level as you place it on the glass, working your way down.
Continue to spray the film.
Push bubbles out with the squeegee. Start in the center and push the bubbles to the left. Then again in the center and to the right.
Trim the excess.
Clean the window….and smile.
Step 5. A Sun Shade Will Cool Down Your Hot Front Door
Yes, a sun shade will cool down your sizzling hot front door. When used with the other recommendations it will further cool it down to a normal temperature.
Interior pull down shades
Pull-down shades for interior doors. These are great for keeping your front door window cooler. They can block out all of the sun from coming in the window are available here on Amazon.
Pro Tip: Use in combination with the door film and an overhead sun shade.
Overhead sun shade.
Rolling cloth. There are several types including cloth shades that roll out.
Stationary awning with tinted glass. Other shades are stationary and have tinted glass that blocks the sun available here on Amazon.
Other varieties are mini roof coverings that provide shelter from sun, rain and the weather before you enter your house.
Step 6. Add a Door Handle Cover. This Really Cools Down Your Hot Front Door Handle.
Step 7. Landscaping
• Get some obstruction to block the sun and cast shadows.
• Consider front door landscaping that will offer natural protection
• Trees are the best option but take a few years to get big.
Bushes and shrubs are another option that can spruce up your curb appeal while cutting down on the sun glare.
FAQs
How can you beat the intense heat inside your home as a result of hot door and house?
You can beat the intense heat inside your house by using ceiling fans to move the hot air and circulate it to the Heat Pump (A/C Unit).
What is the best solution to cooling the exterior of your home?
A hybrid approach is best.
Utilize what you already have. Let trees grow.
Use sun shade.
Use storm door tint for glass
Paint the exterior of the house lighter color
Circulate air within the house to distribute cool air to help cool the exterior of the house
Summary
By cooling your front door you will dramatically cool down your front door, entranceway and
will help to lower your energy bills as you will use less air conditioning which lowers your energy costs.
Remember, by using a hybrid approach that tackles the main door, the glass screen door, you will beat the summer heat.
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Your south-facing front doors get maximum sun exposure. It is not always possible to upgrade your front door to minimize the sun effect. But you can consider the above methods to protect your front door and reduce sun exposure.
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