We all know what wooden doors and uPVC doors are. But how many of us know what a composite door is? I’m sure many of us could make a good guess, but how right would it be?
In the world of front doors, composite doors are very new. uPVC doors have been around for the last 25 years or so, and wooden doors have probably been around as long as the concept of front doors. With this in mind, it’s no wonder that nobody really knows much about them. uPVC doors have become somewhat of a standard to most homes, thanks to their cheap price tag and the fact they are easily available. Wooden doors still exist in many homes, but are seen as quite the luxury. Walking around the town I live in, I see about 2 wooden front doors to every 30 uPVC front doors. It is really quite amazing to see so many uPVC panel doors when they are such a big vulnerability to the security of a property. Is it that people are uninformed about the potential security risks, or do they just not see it as a priority?
Back on to the topic of the post, what actually are composite doors? To start with, I’d like to redirect you to an article on The Composite Door Shop – “What is a Composite Door?“
This article covers the basics of composite doors. As the name suggests, composite doors are made up from a variety of materials. This may not seem like a big deal to most – doors tend to be made up from different parts – wooden or uPVC panels, metal hardware, glazing.. However, each part of the door is made up from a different material where necessary. For example, using wood for the bulk of the door face can cause issues such as warping or bowing as the door is subjected to seasonal changes. This even happens with uPVC. The designers of composite doors have taken in to consideration this rather large and common problem and have found a solution – by using a plastic that has been reinforced with glass (aka GRP – Glass Reinforced Plastic), you can create a door that won’t buckle under seasonal heat changes.
There are many other improvements a GRP skin can provide, for example wooden doors need maintaining in the form of sanding and painting or treating with a stain to reduce the likelihood of rot occurring. uPVC doors don’t require the same maintenance, but to prolong the brightness of your front door it is advised you use a special cleaner. Even with the special cleaner, uPVC doors tend to go a horrible musty colour. The GRP skin can be effectively coloured and styled (most often, composite doors are given a wood grain skin that is very accurate), but does not need maintaining and will not fade or discolour. You don’t need any fancy cleaners – you can just grab a sponge from your cleaning cupboard and wash it down with water if it gets a bit dirty.
Posted by frontdoors 
