The Ultimate Guide on Buying Iron Doors [Top 2022 ]

When shopping for an entryway door, whether it’s for your business or home, durability, integrity, and curb appeal are likely your top priorities. Of course, you probably want to get the best deal possible, too.

Luckily, while there are traditional options that handle most of those needs, they’re typically very expensive, and there’s a more modern alternative that fit the bill while saving you money and not sacrificing quality: Iron.

Iron doors have been around for a long time. But with modern manufacturing methods, affordable metal prices, and all the benefits iron has to offer over wood, iron doors are quickly taking over both the commercial and residential markets.

Don’t believe us? Here’s the ultimate guide to iron doors in 2022.

What are Iron Doors?

Iron doors are exactly what the name suggests. They’re doors made of iron, commonly with glass windows or accents made from other materials to add to their functionality or increase their overall appearance.

Due to the doors being made of iron, they’re typically coated and/or painted to prevent rust damage. With this preventative measure, they’re incredibly strong and resilient doors you can expect to last for entire lifetimes.

Why Don’t I See Iron Doors Often if They’re So Common?

This is a good question. Iron doors are extremely common, and you’ve likely seen them without realizing it.

When you hear of an iron door, you most likely imagine the large, formidable iron doors used in gothic architecture or during the Victorian era. Today’s iron doors are much less crude, and they’re designed to exude modern elegance with tight angles and sharp, distinct lines.

The doors are cleverly crafted and no longer look as obvious and antiquated as the iron doors of old.

Now, they’re starting to be used more often for residential applications, too.

With modern manufacturing methods allowing for doors that don’t break from modern design standards, the average homeowner can enjoy an affordable, highly-reliable, low-maintenance door at a more reasonable cost than mahogany or other exotic woods that are more commonly used.

How Much Does an Iron Door Cost?

When you look at an exotic wooden door, such as mahogany or teak, you can expect to pay $2000-$3000 on average for a single door. Unfortunately, you’ll likely want matching doors for your other main entrances, too. As you can probably tell, that will drive your prices up dramatically.

On the flip side, iron doors can cost as low as $200 for a very basic and simplistic iron single door, or you can go with more elaborate options that can get as high as $5000. There’s a really large price range you can take advantage of, and there is an option for everyone; from simplistic options for humble homes to practical art pieces befitting even the finest establishments and high-dollar homes.

This allows you to place iron doors on all of your home or business’s main entryways without having to set aside a ridiculously large budget, or you can still go all out and spend big on the finest options available; it’s up to you and your budget.

Why You Should Buy Iron Doors for Commercial Establishments

If you’re running a commercial establishment, staying on budget and getting the most out of every investment is paramount. Iron doors allow you to do that without sacrificing the professional look you need to succeed.

Here are the benefits iron doors can bring to your business at an attractive price.

Professional Appearance:

Iron doors offer the perfect mix of elegance, professionalism, and functionality. With modern design implementations being made possible through advanced machining and manufacturing processes, you don’t have to worry about the door looking outdated or cheap, but you also don’t need to worry about it being too flashy and gaudy like some exotic wooden doors can look in a business environment. Simple lines, sharp angles, and a minimalist design approach is perfect for nearly any business.

Of course, at a higher price point you can also opt for a more artistic and visually complicated design style.

Budget-Friendly:

As long as you’re opting for the intricately designed options on the market, you can get a large, double-sided, iron door complete with glass inlays or side windows to make your storefront look and function absolutely perfectly, and you won’t have to spend half your profit margin to do it.

Obviously, the larger options will get closer to the $1000 mark as a minimum, but consider the fact that a single residential-style door made from exotic wood can cost twice that. Even if you end up paying $3000 for an exceptional door, it’s a better deal than you’d get with other options.

The Investment Lasts:

Even though you can expect to save money with iron doors, you don’t have to worry about them needing to be replaced frequently like you would with particle wood doors, aluminum doors, and other cheap alternatives. Iron is built to last practically forever; at least as long as you’re in business.

This is a small way to help you save money in the long run, and when you’re trying to grow as a business, that tiny long-term cost-cutting can make a huge difference.

Low Maintenance:

If you’re running a business, you are unlikely to want to repaint your doorways, or anything else for that matter, nonstop just to keep them from deteriorating.

With most wooden doors, you can’t afford to let them go, or they’ll deteriorate quickly and lose their professional look and functionality.

With Iron doors, all that is needed is to go over them with a fresh coat of protectant once the manufacturer-applied coating wears off. Luckily, this coating can last practically forever, and it won’t be a concern for years or even decades. If spots of wear do appear, you can perform simple touch-up jobs to keep the door looking brand new.

Why You Should Buy Iron Doors for Residential Homes

Iron doors aren’t just beneficial for businesses, though. They can be exceptional options for residential homes; especially if you’re on a budget, but still want something that looks good and lasts.

Here are some of the main reasons you should consider iron doors for your home.

Cost-Effective:

The average homeowner doesn’t have thousands of dollars to drop on a simple front door, and they certainly don’t want to spend that much on patio doors and side entrances. Unfortunately, with high-quality wooden doors, you typically have to.

The alternative for a long time has been cheap wooden doors that break easily or aluminum doors or steel doors that end up looking horrible after a decade of being pounded by the elements and everyday abuse.

Iron doors are comparative in price to midline quality doors, but unlike those cheap aluminum or steel alternatives, they are built to last.

This allows you to invest a relatively small amount into a door that will last well past your lifetime. For the price of a high end exotic wooden door, you can get two or three iron doors that look great and last just as long or longer.

Long-Lasting:

Iron is known for its extreme strength and durability; that’s what makes it such a long-lasting option for doors.

If you’re moving a new couch into your house and bang it against the door a few times, at most, you’ll wear a patch or two of paint off. Even that’s unlikely due to the exceptional quality of industrial coatings applied by manufacturers.

Your iron door is highly unlikely to bend or dent, and it’s more or less going to be impervious to any normal damage other doors can be ruined by.

However, you do need to consider the threat of rust. This isn’t a huge concern given the coatings manufacturers put on them, but you should immediately paint or re-coat any worn spots that develop to prevent rust from working its way in and spreading underneath the coated parts.

Extremely Low Maintenance:

You’ve heard us talk about the coatings on iron doors being extremely resilient, and of course, the natural durability of the iron itself.

All of that translates into a very low-maintenance door option you can rely on without constantly performing upkeep tasks.

If the coating develops a few bare patches, it can be purchased cheaply from a local hardware store and reapplied by hand; no complicated tools or expensive materials are necessary. If you can blend it in well with the existing coating, you only have to do touch-up jobs.

If the coating is very old and showing heavy signs of wear, it only takes about an hour of your time and some coating material to reseal it and protect it for years to come.

You don’t even have to do this annually. Just keep an eye on the condition of the coating, and you shouldn’t have to do any extensive repaints for years or even decades.

Large Variety of Options:

Unlike a business, you don’t want a cookie-cutter look on your home’s entryways. You want something that stands out and looks inviting and intriguing without clashing with your existing home design. Luckily, iron doors aren’t limited to simplistic professional designs.

You can find iron doors with plenty of glass inserts for full views of the exterior for patio entryways, highly elegant options that are great for front entrances, and even very simple options that focus on offering a lot of quality at a bargain price point. Whatever look you’re trying to achieve, or budget you’re trying to stick to, iron doors have something to offer for you.

This makes iron doors perfect for small, humble households, multi-family living facilities, or even multi-million-dollar mansions. Whatever you need, there’s an iron door for you.

Complete Aesthetic Control:

When you use a wooden door, the woodgrain more or less is what it is, and if you paint over it, it can look gawdy, require more maintenance, or generally waste the natural beauty of the wood. You don’t have many options available to you.

With an iron door, you’re a fresh coat of paint away from a completely different aesthetic. Are you tired of the standard black coating? Paint it cherry red and make your door stand out. You can do whatever you want with an iron door without worrying about adding unnecessary maintenance tasks or making it unattractive.

How to Purchase the Right Iron Doors for Your Needs

Now that you know all about iron doors, it’s time to look into buying some. This is just as easy as any other purchase, but you still want to make sure you buy something you’re going to be happy with for years to come.

Here are some tips on how to pick the right one and where to get it.

Match Your Existing Aesthetic:

Don’t just buy the cheapest door you can find, and don’t pick an extravagant door that looks great on its own when you have a very basic exterior aesthetic for your home. Yes, you’ll have a great door either way, but it will create a visual disconnection between your doors and the rest of your home.

Measure First:

Not all entryways are the same size. Sure, there are standards across the home building industry, but there are several standard sizes and plenty of oddball options. Make sure you measure your doorways properly before you start to look for doors. Any good door retailer will have the size of their doors labeled on each product.

Choose the Right Retailer:

Of course, you also need a high-quality retailer that offers you attractive prices, a great selection, and guaranteed quality. For that, you’ll want to choose Wholesale Iron Doors. We have the largest selection of iron doors at amazing prices, and we even offer the opportunity for small retailers to become dealers themselves with amazing wholesale prices.