Aluminium doors

[Kim]

Sigh, what to do... why do all the composite doors look cheap and nasty? That fake woodgrain texture is barely better than UPVC.

We have a landlord-quality composite door, courtesy of the landlord.  I consider it a win, because it doesn't have any gaps around the edges (Arctic gusts, for the admission of) and the fake woodgrain looks much better than genuine peeling paint it replaced.  It also came as part of a set with windows that keep the weather out and open properly, which is a massive point in its favour.  FWIW, I reckon the outside (black^[1]) looks nicer than the inside (white) - especially when you consider what white's going to look like after a couple of years accumulating grime.

TBH, I'm in the camp of avoiding such skeuomorphism.  It's clearly a composite door, I'd rather accept that and have an inoffensively synthetic texture (preferably not shiny smooth, as it will inevitably get scratched), rather than an unconvincing attempt to look like wood.


_{[1] Since it catches the afternoon sun and heats up to the point you can feel the re-radiated heat when standing in front of it, but not when touching the inside, I'm suitably impressed by its thermal performance.}

[Wombat]

Thoroughly agree about the fake woodgrain!  Why, oh why do they do that?  Probably is to avoid a glossy finish that shows scratches, but as said above, why not a gentle synthetic texture.

UPVC doors are not in the same league (says the person who bought a house with 2 UPVC doors, one of them only installed a year beforehand)....  They are typically bendy things, and easily marked or scratched, and, of course, they are (almost) always white (yuk!).

[Mrs Pingu]

Just been to a showroom where they had Solidors.
Looked up Google reviews and they are pretty poor. Lots of complaints about warping doors, cracking panels, leaking glass & corroding ironmongery.

[Polar Bear]

I am not quite sure why people are so anti uPVC. 

With very little maintenance it lasts for decades, is relatively light yet strong, fully recyclable (yes, I know that builders tend to just skip them), easy to clean, and, you can if you wish vinyl wrap them for colour.

Also, they are easy to make even more thermally efficient by simply squirting expanding foam into the extrusions.

Wood is lovely but high maintenance: any metal conducts heat and therefore cold so extra work is always required to deal with thermal bridging.  Unless you are in a conservation area or listed building then uPVC is a practical and cost effective solution.

[caerau]

^^ This for me


Can't say I've ever gone past a house and gone Tsssk, horrid doors!

[ian]

uPVC looks horrid and cheap, but it works (except for the window, which Ciara is proving isn't fixed). That said, if I were getting them redone I'd get wood, but then The Asbestos Palace is clad in wood, so it needs periodical repainting anyway. But anyway, we have uPVC and I'm not bothering with replacing stuff that works. Plus it's doors and windows and I can't get too excited about them. But I do want the leaky one fixed.

I will however, once I'm leader, be making stone cladding and other similar home dis-improvement atrocities retrospective criminal offences.

[fuzzy]

When we moved in we had a single glazed wooden door which was a) cold b) draughty and c) fugly. This we replaced with a decorative glazed harwood door which when new was bootiful. After a few years, despite regular repainting it was a) cold, b) draughty c) sticking due to swelling ad d) fugly. We replaced with a composite door with decorative double glazed insets. This has lasted with no maintnance beyond the odd hinge oiling/ adjusment and looks almost as good as the day it was installed.

[andrewc]

One of these perhaps ?    https://twitter.com/yorickisntdead/status/1226456318338326528?s=20     

[Mrs Pingu]

When we moved in we had a single glazed wooden door which was a) cold b) draughty and c) fugly. This we replaced with a decorative glazed harwood door which when new was bootiful. After a few years, despite regular repainting it was a) cold, b) draughty c) sticking due to swelling ad d) fugly. We replaced with a composite door with decorative double glazed insets. This has lasted with no maintnance beyond the odd hinge oiling/ adjusment and looks almost as good as the day it was installed.

Interesting (just as I was resigning myself to just getting the frame repaired and sucking up to doing more painting).
What sort of composite, foam filled?

[The French Tandem]

Thoroughly agree about the fake woodgrain!  Why, oh why do they do that?  Probably is to avoid a glossy finish that shows scratches, but as said above, why not a gentle synthetic texture.

Why do they do that? Because as everyone knows, it was better before, and in before-ish times, all doors were made of real solid wood

A

[fuzzy]

When we moved in we had a single glazed wooden door which was a) cold b) draughty and c) fugly. This we replaced with a decorative glazed harwood door which when new was bootiful. After a few years, despite regular repainting it was a) cold, b) draughty c) sticking due to swelling ad d) fugly. We replaced with a composite door with decorative double glazed insets. This has lasted with no maintnance beyond the odd hinge oiling/ adjusment and looks almost as good as the day it was installed.

Interesting (just as I was resigning myself to just getting the frame repaired and sucking up to doing more painting).
What sort of composite, foam filled?

One of these-
https://www.academywindows.co.uk/composite-doors/

[Mr Larrington]

Interesting (just as I was resigning myself to just getting the frame repaired and sucking up to doing more painting).
What sort of composite, foam filled?

One of these-
https://www.academywindows.co.uk/composite-doors/

They have "a huge range of brand new sytles" too!

[caerau]

Interesting (just as I was resigning myself to just getting the frame repaired and sucking up to doing more painting).
What sort of composite, foam filled?

One of these-
https://www.academywindows.co.uk/composite-doors/

They have "a huge range of brand new sytles" too!

Well style is so blasé and yesterday

[Mrs Pingu]

So, got quoted £2867 for a composite door, with a Murano glass panel, plain glass toplight and including refitting my door bell & security light....

[Kim]

So, got quoted £2867 for a composite door, with a Murano glass panel, plain glass toplight and including refitting my door bell & security light....

So naturally you're getting a £50 door from B&Q and spending the rest on a new bike? 

[Mrs Pingu]

Sigh. I dunno what to do. It was a wee bit more expensive than I was expecting. Apparently they're made in Eire (Apeer doors). Not sure if that's something I should bear in mind these days. (ETA, actually N. Ireland so forget that) Having said that it's a 70mm thick sash. Rockdoors appear to be only 50mm, though similar construction as far as I can work out.

[Wombat]

I am not quite sure why people are so anti uPVC. 

With very little maintenance it lasts for decades, is relatively light yet strong, fully recyclable (yes, I know that builders tend to just skip them), easy to clean, and, you can if you wish vinyl wrap them for colour.

Also, they are easy to make even more thermally efficient by simply squirting expanding foam into the extrusions.

Wood is lovely but high maintenance: any metal conducts heat and therefore cold so extra work is always required to deal with thermal bridging.  Unless you are in a conservation area or listed building then uPVC is a practical and cost effective solution.

'cos its weak and bendy, and the lumpy frames with dead flat panels look unattractive.  They mark very easily, from casual or accidental abrasion, or from gits kicking or burning it.  Not at all fire resistant.  Composite doors, however, can look almost like wooden ones, but are much, much more rigid, somewhat more secure, and more resistant to all sorts of things.  I miss my lovely composite doors in my last house (the only thing I do miss about it, though) and just about tolerate my tacky upvc ones installed by previous owners in my present house.  Luckily the front outer door is just a porch door, with a very solid and well fitting timber door behind it. 

[salar55]

Have you tried Dooria, Russell Timber or Nordan for doors, made to Swedish standards ideal for Scotland. 😄 Hoppe handles are good. Bought Swedish doors sets and triple glazed windows from Rembrand. Russell Timber made some to match them for the  extension as Rembrand stopped importing them.

[ian]

When the marauders come for your pasta, you'll regret not listening to my drawbridge and shark-moat idea and installing a mere door.

[Davef]

“We have large wrought iron gates, can I get a quote for getting them electrified”

“You mean motorised”

“No”


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[Mrs Pingu]

The door is on hold. No point getting a shiny new door and then ruining it getting the top step rebuilt.
God knows when that will happen.

[DuncanM]

I'm so disappointed to find out that "composite" doors are not made of carbon fibre. 

[LittleWheelsandBig]

You’ll be really disappointed to hear that ‘composite’ bridges are made from steel and concrete according to Eurocodes. That is completely different to steel bridges and concrete (which include steel reinforcement) bridges.