Should you always believe what you read
Should you always believe what you read
At Composite Door Prices we see it as our duty to give all our potential readers the best possible advice we can to assist them in the purchase of a new front door, for that is the full purpose of the web site. We openly admit that we are biased towards Composite Doors because in our opinion they are the most practical and cost effective way of ensuring that you the customer have the widest choice of styles and colours whilst also benefitting from their excellent security, durability, thermal/sound insulation qualities.
At CDP (Composite Door Prices) we regularly review what the competition are doing and what the press are saying in their DIY columns as to both Composite Doors and all of the other forms of front door available – we recently came across this description of a Composite Door-
“Composite doors are also low-maintenance and almost always come as a door set. They are thermally efficient and compatible with more advanced security features, such as more sophisticated locking systems, but tend to be slightly more expensive. These doors can’t be trimmed down, but should save the installer time and effort because the door furniture usually comes pre-installed.”
A description that falls well short of any specification or descriptive content of what a typical door comprises – dissecting this description step by step
- Composite Doors are factory pre-engineered as a composite unit called a door set where the door frame and Door have undergone a trial assembly of fitting the door to the frame to ensure a perfect fit
- Thermally efficient agreed but as for “sophisticated locking systems”? Not exactly the best description of a key operated multi point hook bolt operating system.
- “Slightly more expensive “– than what? A very subjective comment than a UPVC door possibly – than a hand crafted equivalent hardwood door probably not. In our experience the majority of doors are competitively priced.
- “These doors can’t be trimmed down” – a clear lack of understanding here as to what a composite door is – either the manufacturers surveyor or the purchaser supplies dimensions of the opening size and the door set is manufactured to fit the opening – there is nothing to “trim down” and as a considerable number of doors have either metal strip or reinforced edging we would defy anyone to try.
- “the door furniture comes pre-installed” only partly correct letter plate probably – hinges yes but the door is normally removed from the frame while the frame is fixed and the door rehung, handles and ancillary items – normally separately packaged and fitted after the door is assembled.
The most criminal exclusions –
- The choice of core material either rigid polyurethane foam or hardwood (laminated strips /sheet) both of which are as strong as a compatible timber door with the advantage that they will rarely warp and will not swell.
- Most manufacturers have up to twenty styles which can mimic anything available in timber and they are clad with a GRP or equivalent skin which does not absorb water is self-coloured and can be cleaned by wiping with a damp cloth.
- Colours – the majority of manufacturers have at least a dozen and as the cladding can be grained they look just like wood
This same article contained the following paragraph –
“The lifespan of a front door depends on how you maintain and care for it – most exterior doors last from 10 to 30 years. All options, including wooden doors, perform well in damp locations, provided the door is correctly finished and maintained. UPVC and composite doors require far less maintenance than wooden doors and can be more durable in coastal areas.”
Interesting conclusions – timber doors require painting or varnishing every couple of years – Composite Doors require no maintenance other than the previously noted wipe with a damp cloth. The majority of composite doors carry a minimum lifetime guarantee of ten years and can be expected “subject to fair wear and tear” to last thirty years. Composite Doors are durable everywhere.
And finally a killer paragraph –
“Door furniture on wooden doors can be easily replaced to make it look newer or more contemporary. In most cases, this is as simple as removing the screws from the piece of door furniture and replacing it with a newer equivalent. Door furniture on UPVC and composite doors may not be easy to change, depending on how it’s fixed to the door. If it’s permanently fixed, it can’t be removed and so the whole door may have to be replaced.”
Door furniture on wooden doors invariably has different screw settings /centres so unless you like filled screw holes this is not necessarily true. Replacement on Composite Doors – again the majority of door web sites have “door designers” so you can pick what you want from the outset and as the locks/handles are BS compliant they are far less of a problem to change than a compatible timber door.
Composite Door Prices have an online sister company with in the GFD Group of companies called Eurosecure who are specialists in the supply of security accessories locks etc and should you have any difficulty obtaining compatible door furniture products or upgrades to locks etc our staff would be very pleased to assist.
The moral of this piece – the next time you read a DIY article that professes to understand the product it is talking about maybe you should give it a miss and trust in the people who understand their product – and for composite doors you need go no further than the Composite Door Prices web site
