Are howdens really that bad?

leveller2911

Just to back up what Furts says. Some companies (possibly Howdens too) sell engineered doors which are just small pices of timber glued up and then planed up and used in making doors. These tend to be ok and can have an advantage over one piece of timber because it can be more stable and less likely to warp and twist. The other type of egineered doors are ones which have a pine core with Oak/Mahogony verneers on so they look like solid Oak/Mahogony but in fact are cheap pine doors over veneered with Oak/Mahogony. The real problem with this type of door is you cannot use a waterbased product/paint/stain and also the verneers can often start to lift off the pine core where the weather gets under the glue. When you think about it its not a great idea for an external door. The only thing stopping the door from rotting or falling apart is a very,very thin verneer of hardwood rather than a solid 44mm thick piece of solid hardwood.

If the door is in an exposed area which gets direct rain and sun on the outside face I would steer clear. The reason these doors are cheaper than having a bespoke door made by a Joinery is they are mass produced,poor quality materials and certainly won't put up with the British climate for very long.

Beware of any warranty given with an over veneered Egineered exterior door because the small print will catch 95% of the public out and any problem you have and they won't pay out. Also worth remembering that if you do claim on the warranty and they give you a replacement door they won't pay for a carpenter to fit the door,locks,glass etc or the decorating of the door. Nothing wrong with egineered timber for interior use but not exterior.

Just a personal view but from my experience Jeld-Wen have never been very good for exterior doors. Their exterior cheap solid Hemlock ones are complete rubbish and every single one I've ever seen has been warped and or twisted. A friend of mine claimed 4 times for new doors under warranty within an 18 month period and they just kept on sending out replacement doors but never paid for me to hang them. In the end he just gave up and got me to make him one. Howdens doors are again, cheap,mass produced using poor quality timber and no better than B&Q.

If you plan on living there for a good few years it would pay to have one made but it won't be cheap compared to mass produced engineered doors from China or the Far East but it will last for years. If you go down this route try and avoid Redwood pine and have one made in a decent hardwood like Sapele or Douglas Fir is fine too and far more durable than Redwood Pine.

adamg

i believe the majority of howdens door are made by Jeldwen. Maybe under licence and no branding......