Traditional refinement
Restraint, symmetry, and deepened trim — making a classic elevation more itself.
Door Replacement in Columbus, Ohio
An entrance that changes the way the house greets you.
Request a ConsultationHow this changes the home
The first thirty feet of every visit end at the door — a composed entry changes how the whole house is received.
A door that closes with one motion and seals all the way around: no sticking in August, no whistle in January.
What you’ll choose
Paneled entry
The traditional door — raised or flat panels, painted or stained, quietly confident.
- Choose it when
- The home's face is traditional and you want the entry to belong rather than announce.
- Think twice when
- The entry is dark and the hall behind it needs light — consider glazing.
A strong color on a paneled door is the lowest-risk way to give an entry presence.
Glazed entry (lites and sidelites)
Glass in or beside the door — daylight in the hall and a more open first impression.
- Choose it when
- The entry hall is dark, or the elevation wants a taller, brighter entry composition.
- Think twice when
- Privacy at the street is a concern — obscured glass solves some of it, not all.
Sidelites and transoms can rescale a small door to a generous opening.
Patio and sliding doors
The wall that opens — where the back of the house meets the yard.
- Choose it when
- The rear elevation is due and you want more glass, smoother operation, and a tighter seal.
- Think twice when
- Furniture layout fights a hinged swing — sliders and hinged sets solve different rooms.
Often the biggest single comfort upgrade on the back of a house.
How Westmere helps you choose
You will not be handed a catalog and left to guess. Westmere walks the options with you against your actual house — what suits the architecture, what solves the problem, what can wait — and puts the recommendation in one clear written plan before any work begins, with one point of contact from the first visit to the final walkthrough.
Why homeowners choose Westmere.
- Help choosing products that fit the house — not a pitch for whatever’s on the truck.
- One clear written plan before work begins.
- One accountable point of contact, first visit to final walkthrough.
How we install it correctly
The technical detail, for readers who want it.
The door and the opening work together.
Threshold support, pan flashing, air sealing, hardware, and trim are aligned for a secure, composed entry that closes and seals as intended.
Appearance matters, but so do the frame, sill, weatherstripping, water path, and hardware. Westmere records the door configuration and the work around the opening before anything is ordered.
Behind the finished work: sill support, pan flashing, jamb flashing, perimeter insulation, weatherstripping, threshold adjustment, and exterior trim.
Entry door or patio door?
Both are exterior openings, but their operation, glass area, hardware, and threshold conditions lead to different choices.
Entry doors
Entry doors center the composition and carry the primary lockset. Slab material, sidelights, privacy glass, threshold support, weatherstripping, and hardware are selected as one opening.
Patio and sliding doors
Patio doors prioritize glass, movement, and access. Panel operation, track or hinge condition, sill drainage, screen configuration, and the available interior and exterior space guide the selection.
A door has to seal every time it closes
A door gets more use than any other part of your home’s exterior, and every open and close tests the seal, the hinges, and the frame. A window only has to sit still — a door has to seal in motion. That is why a well-installed door lasts, and a rushed one drags, whistles, and lets in the cold.
Where the air actually leaks
Most of the heat a door loses goes around it, not through it. A door only seals when it lands evenly against the weatherstripping on all four sides, and that depends on a frame that is plumb, square, and anchored to stay that way. Ohio’s freeze-thaw winters and clay soil shift frames, which is why a door that sealed in October can drag in February. We set the frame square, anchor it to hold, seal around the opening with low-expansion foam, and adjust the threshold and strike so the door closes snug without slamming.
Security
A lock is only as strong as what it is screwed into. We use solid-core doors, and we back the strike plate with long screws that reach into the wall framing — a strike held by short screws gives way long before the bolt does. Multi-point locks engage the frame at the top, middle, and bottom, which resists forced entry and pulls the door tighter against its seals. If there is glass near the lock, we will walk you through laminated glass, which holds together when broken.
Steel, fiberglass, or wood
Most steel and fiberglass doors have insulated cores, so the choice comes down to the skin. Steel is affordable but conducts cold, dents, and can rust where scratched. Fiberglass stays warmer to the touch, resists dents, and does not swell or shrink through Ohio seasons. Wood looks like nothing else, but it moves with humidity and needs its finish kept up. The threshold matters too: plain aluminum sweats and frosts in January, while a thermally broken threshold stays dry.
Patio doors
A patio door is mostly glass, so the glass choice matters most — double-pane with a low-E coating at minimum, especially facing west where afternoon sun hits hardest. Sliding doors save floor space but ride on rollers, so track condition and alignment decide how they age. Hinged and French doors close tighter but need room to swing. Either way, the sill takes rain and snowmelt head-on, so we flash it like a pan before the door ever goes in. Materials we specify include doors from Marvin, Pella, and Andersen.
FAQ
Questions homeowners ask
- Should I choose fiberglass or steel for an entry door?
- Both can provide an insulated door. Steel is often more economical but can dent or rust where the finish is damaged. Fiberglass resists dents and can offer a wood-like finish. The entrance, appearance, and budget help guide the choice.
- Can my existing door be resealed instead of replaced?
- Sometimes. New weatherstripping, a sweep, or a threshold adjustment may help when the frame is square and the door is not warped. A damaged frame or changing gaps may point to replacement.
- What does a multi-point lock actually do?
- It locks into the frame in more than one place. This can pull the door more evenly against the weatherstripping while adding more locking points.
- Are sidelites a security or privacy concern?
- Glass type, privacy pattern, and the lock’s distance from the glass all matter. We can compare clear, textured, and other glass choices before the door is ordered.
- Can patio door rollers be serviced?
- Often. Rollers may be cleaned, adjusted, or replaced, and some tracks can be repaired. Damage to the panel, frame, or track base may make replacement the better choice.
From the field Practical notes before you decide
Start at the threshold.
Westmere will review the opening and compare the door configurations.