Doors

uPVC Doors

uPVC doors are the product of choice for most residential customers but they don’t just have to be white – there is a wide range of different woodgrain finishes available including mahogany, rosewood and light oak effects.

Hardwood Doors

If you are considering a hardwood door quote, good quality hardwood is generally the most expensive product used but it is also considered by some to offer the best in terms of appearance.

The availability of some poor quality hardwood has ruined this argument in recent years however, and although many traditionalists would never contemplate anything other than hardwood, uPVC has many advantages, not least cost and ease of maintenance.

Composite Doors

A composite door is manufactured with moulded GRP (glass reinforced polyester) outer skins which have a realistic hardwood grain. They are available in a wide range of colours and never need painting. Composites are fast becoming the number one choice in the UK.

Aluminium Doors

If you are looking for an aluminium door quote, you should expect them to be expensive, partly due to the fact that they are normally fitted within hardwood sub-frames, and they are not usually as energy efficient as uPVC can be.

Aluminium frames are generally more appropriate for commercial installations such as shop fronts and other business premises than for use in residential properties.

Decorative Glass

Add to that the ever expanding range of decorative glass features such as Georgian bar, Astragal bar, coloured lead patterns and bevelled glass and there are offer millions of combinations door combinations to suit every home

Residential door is the term given to ordinary single doors.

They can be manufactured from PVCu, timber or composite materials and the term generally refers to the main front or rear entrance / exit door.

Residential  doors can have one or more fixed side panels where the ‘brick to brick’ width is greater than the width of a standard door, or an attached ‘flag’ window.

Double doors are often referred to as French doors and can be manufactured to open either inwards or outwards.

They have a main (first opening) door and a secondary door.

For wide ‘brick to brick’ openings, one or more fixed side panels need to be included in the design.

Two types of PVCu patio doors are available.

A tilt and slide patio door offers ventilation by tilting the door inwards without having to slide it open, whereas an in-line patio door only offers the slide function.

Both types of patio door can be manufactured in 2, 3 or 4 sections

White uPVC Bi-fold Doors

Bi-fold doors can be manufactured with as many as seven door sections or leafs up to one metre wide each.

This means that a bi-fold door set can provide the widest opening of all door styles.

They can also be designed so that some or all of the sections move to one side or the other.

Hook bolt locking mechanism

Security systems on uPVC doors have progressed from single operation locks and frames with little reinforcement to full steel or aluminium reinforcement and shoot bolt locking systems.

Opposing hook bolts and anti-jemmy locks on the hinge side have also been added over the years.

Early uPVC door panels consisted of no more than a thin sheet of uPVC with a polystyrene core for insulation and they offered very little by the way of security.

It was relatively easy to cut through or even burn through the uPVC panels.

Today’s uPVC door panels tend to have two uPVC ‘skins’ pressure bonded to a core material of E.H.D.F.R.A. polystyrene (extra high density fire retardant additive which is also free from harmful CFCs) using heat and moisture resistant adhesives.  Sandwiched within the polystyrene should be either a metal or MDF sheet for added security.