The Key to Choosing a Good Dormer Door

The Key to Choosing a Good Dormer Door

Dormer-door Attic access doors should do two things well.
a)They need to allow easy access to your attic space.

b)They need to conceal your attic space effectively and keep it out of reach for children and pets for whom the space may not be safe.

Dormer doors, aka knee wall doors or attic access doors, are an integral part of your home’s construction. The door may not be the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of a home, but it is important for several reasons. Choosing a high quality, durable dormer door ensures greater safety and accessibility around your attic.

In many homes, an attic is either used for storage or as a spare bedroom. In some cases, the space is not used at all. There’s nothing to stop you from turning your attic into a gym, a game room, man cave or craft corner, of course. No matter how you use your attic, you need an access door that makes it easy and safe to use.

Choosing the right door doesn’t take rocket science. But, there are a few factors you should consider. Overlooking these factors may result in a door that is ineffective at sealing your attic and that prevents easy access to this versatile space. Now, what use is such a door?

So, keep in mind the following when choosing your knee-wall door:

1. Durability: You need an attic access door that is strong and resistant to damage caused by exposure to moisture. A good dormer door shouldn’t rot or rust. A stable, durable door does not undergo bowing over time and doesn’t need periodic maintenance. MDF dormer doors satisfy these conditions. Medium Density Fiber is nothing but wood fibers pressed tightly together and combined with glue binders. The engineered material is stable, strong and durable–the perfect combination of attributes for a dormer door.

2. Customization: Attic openings may be of different shapes and sizes. Some openings are rough, others are smooth. You need to find a door that fits the opening. Exactly. Gaps around the door can compromise its effectivity. You need to take into account the swing direction and height of the door based on carpeting. All of this calls for a highly customized dormer door that is just right for your space.

3. Installation: Who wants to spend more time or labor than necessary on installing a simple door? Yet, if you’re not careful in choosing, you could end up with a poorly designed door that is anything but easy to install. To avoid this, find a good, lightweight MDF door that fits the bill.

4. Aesthetics: Sure, you want to conceal what’s behind, but the door itself should either blend with or complement your decor, not stand out like a sore thumb. You could paint your MDF attic access door any color of your choice so that it works well in your home. You could also choose details such as a raised or recessed panel configuration to add a little visual interest. Turn ‘as dull as a doorknob’ into a phrase of the past with a great looking access door.

5. Quality: It goes without saying that your dormer door, like the rest of your home, needs to be well designed and crafted by experienced professionals who don’t cut corners and who know what they’re doing.

6. Weather-stripping: Attics can be enormous energy wasters if you don’t take measures to seal them well with weather-stripped doors. There are different ways to weather-strip a door. When you choose a weather-stripped, MDF attic access door, you can rest assured that it minimizes heat loss.

What challenges have you faced in choosing a dormer door?

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