Front Door Styles

Cottage Composite Doors

There are lots of different front doors available on the market today. The most attractive and customisable of these is wooden front doors. With these, you can have a specialist craftsperson make exactly the front door you desire, no matter what that is. You also have a free choice over wood species and paint or varnish colour. Unfortunately, most people could not afford to have a wooden front door made for them in this way. Instead, many people are limited to set ranges of doors, and most often, budget restrictions limit home owners to the more unattractive uPVC doors. These plastic doors come in a range of typical styles, which are all pretty much the same. Most commonly (and cheaply), the uPVC front door is available in white, although other colours and poor imitations of wood appearances are available for a higher cost. There is little room for uPVC doors to be personalised in any way.
The introduction of the modern composite doors has given those restricted by budget more options and freedom to choose what they want. These front doors also have the advantage of being a much closer imitation of wooden front doors, as the door surface is grained to both look and feel like wood. The range of options available with composite doors is extensive. Although mostly restricted by a range of styles and options, there are so many combinations to choose from it is unlikely not to find something you like. As well as the standard range of front door styles, there are also fancier options as well as stable doors and cottage doors. Stable doors are doors which are divided in the middle, allowing you to open the top half like a stable’s door. Cottage doors are suited to cottage properties, with a traditional panelled design that mimics wooden panel doors. This vast range of choice allows you to get the best front door for your property, without spending a small fortune.

Front doors – over the years

It started with wooden doors. Various woods were used and there were different designs for each situation. Iron latches, bolts, fancy door knockers, large ornamental hinges and studs were the common hardware of early doors. Wooden doors were standard over the years, and are even popular today, where other choices are available.

Next, came uPVC doors. Favoured for being lightweight, energy efficient, inexpensive and having a modern appearance, they fast became the number one choice for new builds, extensions  and wooden door replacements. The doors are available in a number of designs, with different glasses available. The doors require little maintenance over the years, unlike wooden doors which require painting/varnishing.

Composite doors were introduced in recent years. Composite doors are made from a number of materials, each chosen for their benefits, and engineered into a door that has the qualities of both uPVC and wooden doors as well as considerable improvements in security, durability and thermal insulation. The doors come in many styles and colours and have the wood grain appearance of a wooden door, but the easy wipe-clean maintenance of a uPVC door. Composite front doors are increasing in popularity as more and more people become aware of them and their benefits.

What are composite doors?