Builders, remodelers, and homeowners are constantly searching for the best building materials to use for homes with durability, curb appeal, and longevity in mind. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and you’d hate to see your residential sanctuary fall apart faster than it took to come together. The front door, the most noticeable first part of a home, is also, sadly, one of the most overused and overexposed. This has been a sore spot for wood, which is prone to rotting, warping, folding, and splitting. Door manufacturers are now playing cat and mouse with fiberglass and composite material, which can withstand changing weather conditions and daily wear and tear. Barrington’s fiberglass entry doors, the collection of premium products from longtime door manufacturer Masonite, are among the best examples of smarter alternatives to exterior wood doors.
Upon review, what emerges as the most attractive quality of Barrington doors is that they emulate real wood doors. Wood has long been preferred as a surface material for doors, for good reason. It exhibits the kind of timeless craftsmanship that you have come to love about traditional doors. Barrington’s fiberglass entry doors have been given a wood grain surface made to resemble the hardwood doors of yesteryear. In a choice of oak or mahogany texture, this variable-depth wood grain finish shows how today’s technology can be encased in an elegant, classic package. A second outstanding quality of Barrington doors is their custom fabrication. Fiberglass doors typically use generic glass inserts, but the Barrington line uses proprietary decorative glass in a variety of designs, which has been factory-glazed with custom glazing ingredients to be wider, with narrower mullions and tracks. Custom glass frames have been designed to align correctly with the panel.
In this regard, rot-resistant composite material was used for the bottom rail, while the hinge uprights and locks were designed with laminated wood. A raised molding has been integrated into the front of the door so that it becomes a single piece, not like plant sconces that detach from the door. All Barrington doors have a square edge design and a reinforced locking area to create a solid mounting surface.
While less meticulous door manufacturers have sought products that are functional but not overly attractive, the Barrington brand has not neglected beauty. This is evident not only in the resemblance to traditional hardwood doors, but also in the designs intended to creatively cater to the high-end market. The Sierra series of Barrington fiberglass doors coordinates with Southwestern, Spanish or Mediterranean motifs. Features the first unglazed opaque finish on a Barrington door. It has a 2-panel camber upper design and a custom panel profile, with matching full side panel and plank options. The Craftsman series is designed around Mission or Craftsman architecture. Three recessed panels and a one-light glazing system are its other elements, with the option of a matching one-light and one-pane side window panel.
Buyers quickly forget about the company behind the brand, which is especially important when buying a product that is expected to perform well or last a long time. In this case, Barrington’s fiberglass entry doors, as well as interior doors and patio doors, are backed by the trusted name of Masonite, based in Tampa, Florida. For a bit of history, founder William Mason was a researcher, engineer, and inventor who pioneered the use of wood for the creation of building materials in 1924. Since then, Masonite has been manufacturing doors and building products for more than 80 years, and has one of the largest research and development centers for steel, composite, fiberglass, and wood doors.