When choosing a door style, the location and exposure of the door unit must be taken into account. If your door does not have an overhang that hangs out equal in distance to the height of the door unit then that would be considered high exposure. Also which direction the door faces must be taken into account. Doors that face East or West will be subjected to the morning or evening sun and will likely have more trouble with the finish over time. The exposure to the elements will heavily affect your door and require more regular maintenance and refinishing, Below I am listing three exposure categories and I will make recommendations for each.
HIGH EXPOSURE
High exposure is when the overhang is not equal in distance to the height of the door, and direct East or West facing: In these applications, we highly recommend an all fiberglass or aluminum clad door unit. Also it would be far less maintenance to paint the units with a quality paint. Staining doors in a high exposure area usually requires extensive maintenance sometimes as often as bi-yearly.
MEDIUM EXPOSURE
Medium exposure is when the door is under a good overhang but still facing East or West: In this exposure a custom wood door will work just fine if painted. Staining will still require more regular maintenance issue due to the direct morning or evening sun although it can be done. Fiberglass doors or aluminum clad doors are great options here as well.
MODERATE EXPOSURE
Moderate exposure is when the door is under a deep porch facing North or South): This exposure opens up far more options. Staingrade wood doors, staingrade fiberglass doors, as well as any of those products in paint grade. The protection from the elements provides far more flexibility in materials and finishes.
Provided by Creative Door & Window
