As you have found, the sidelights, which are fixed in the door opening, experience much less wear and tear than the door itself. Even though the door looks bad now, inspect it carefully.

Privacy is an understandable concern when it comes to your home, but you do not have to sacrifice the aesthetic vision of your sidelight panels to feel safe.

The front door, of course. It can make a big impression – good or bad.A visitor rings your bell or knocks, and as they’re waiting, they examine that portal closely for a few seconds: ...

It’s also okay to have painted sidelights with a stained front door. This is in keeping with my original rule. The other exception is ironwork. If you have ironwork around your door, ...

The front door, of course. It can make a big impression — good or bad. A visitor rings the doorbell or knocks, and as they’re waiting, ... making them difficult to open on hot days.