What's a Good Storm Door Made of?

There are two main components to any storm door: the frame and the window. The frame on your storm door should be durable and sturdy. Most of the storm doors you've probably seen have solid wood frames with aluminum skins. These are among the more resilient of storm door frames and have the advantage of being nearly maintenance-free. If you want heavier-duty security, though, you may want to go for wrought iron or steel-more expensive than aluminum, but hardier. Other materials include vinyl, polypropylene, and fiberglass. Storm door windows are generally glass panels, screens, or some combination of both. Full-length glass panels give you a broader view of your yard and anyone who might be in it, and they usually come with an interchangeable screen for warmer weather. On the other hand, metal screens break less readily than glass. Many storm doors have double screen and glass panels on tracks, and some even offer self-storage, where the glass panel slides down into the door when you ...  more