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For a long time, consumers had to choose between the beauty of a wood door and the strength of a steel door. Today, a few door and window manufacturers found a clever and efficient way to combine both materials. In fact, it is now possible to take a steel door and apply, on the interior surface as an example, a wood veneer which will play a first-rate aesthetic role.

The benefits of choosing a steel door instead of a massive wood door are considerables :

• Isolation value between R-16 and R-20 for a steel door with wood veneer as opposed to R-8 for the most performant massive wood door.
• A more solid structure (especially in regards to 22 gauge steel doors) more resistant to chocs and exposition to weather elements.
• Better resistance against warping.

For a few years now, we noticed another popular trend rising from the market : The possibility to personalize our doors and windows. Manufacturers have to adjust to this new reality by offering a wider range of choices. In addition to a wood veneer applied on the inside surface of a door, you can now get the same wood veneer on the outside surface of the door or, even better, on both sides of the door : The Absolute wood veneer which will perfectly imitate the appearance of a solid wood door. Several wood species are available as well : Oak and pine remain among the most popular choices but other species such as birch, mahogany, cedar and cherrywood are also availables.

All wood doors and windows are having a hard time keeping their place on the market mainly because people do not have the time for their maintenance anymore (this would explain why hybrid products made of two different materials are becoming more popular). This time again, manufacturers have to adapt by offering maintenance-free products. As a result, people can now have access to an entirely factory stained and varnished wood veneer using ultra-resistant and waterproof polyurethane based products. A wide range of color choice can also be available for this feature as well.

The ENERGY STAR® symbol has become extremely popular in our market over the last few years. In fact, most of the door and window manufacturers will proudly display the famous little blue logo on their products, publicity and litterature in general. However, the consumer has to be cautious in regards to the requirements ENERGY STAR® qualified products must meet because the criterias are not all the same throughout North America.

Hydro Québec has dedicated a section of their web site clearly explaining how to choose ENERGY STAR® qualified doors and windows. In short, the products must meet efficiency requirements for the specific climat zone in which you live. As an example, in the southern region of the province of Quebec, doors and windows must qualify at least for climat zone B in order to become ENERGY STAR® labelled products as demonstrated in the map below.

This is where you have to be careful : in reality, some manufacturers will promote ENERGY STAR® qualified products without specifying that their products only qualify for climat zone A which is the zone covering the Vancouver region… not exactly the same climat than in Quebec to say the least…

Ah yes, for those of you who would like to know about Portatec doors energy efficiency : our products are ENERGY STAR® qualified for climat zones A-B-C-D. Here is a link to the Natural Ressources Canada web site which displays the result of a search about Portatec doors : http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/residential/business/manufacturers/search/swinging-doors-results.cfm?attr=4

This week, I would like to share some really interesting information about the installation of new windows. This information was taken from a memo received from a manufacturer specializing in the production of PVC windows : Lajeunesse Windows.

During the course of performing some after sales service ajustments, they frequently encounter situations where they find condensation and ice formation on windows.

These situations are frequent when the window frame goes deeper outside than the actual house frame. People should be aware that there is a general principle stating that a window will perform a lot better if the sealed unit is positioned in the isolated part of the wall. It is even more true when sliding or hung windows are installed in a way that they stick out from the house wall. This could result in the draining holes being blocked by ice therefore preventing the evacuation of water created by the condensation phenomenon.

In conclusion, it is strongly recommended to always install a window in recess toward the interior (1/4’’ minimum) from the exterior wall. In addition, an isolation product (foam or mineral wool) should always be applied all around the window as well as on the whole depth of the wall.

This week, we go big ! Here is a custom height steel door assembled with 6 full glass sidelites. The complete door system has an overall dimension of 143 1/4’’ x 95’’ and was assembled with a 16’’ angle projection (similar to a bow window) toward the inside. For those of you wandering if the image below is a result of a digitally altered photograph, well the answer is yes… as far as the brick wall, the floor texture and the interior of the house is concerned. The door system itself on the other hand, is quite real…

When the time comes to change your doors and windows, it is good to know that a lot of options are available when building a door system. That is why I chose to share with you this first example featuring a possibility that is often ignored when buying a new door system.

If you have to replace a door system assembled with a transom of 17’’ high or less above, be aware that you can get a custom door system that will fill up the total height (including the transom) of the original door as demonstrated below.

This option could come in handy when you have to replace a door system assembled with a really small transom (like 9’’ or less) which does not let that much light inside anyway.