Composite doors - which one to choose?!

dave1814

Hi!

I'm in the process of choosing a new front composite door. The best prices I've had is...

Option 1
Solidor - £1170 fitted

Option 2
Door Stop foam filled door - £875 fitted

Is the Solidor really worth the extra £300ish quid?

Thanks!
Dave

Trapdoor

I did a lot of research before choosing Solidor.

One of my primary goals was to match the internal oak doors but also match the existing rosewood garage doors and porch ... most companies would match the external colour, carry if into the interior or give you the option of plain white. Solidor will allow you a different colour on each face.

Further, I decided after watching lots of videos and making detailed enquiries that a foam core door just wasn’t what I wanted. Much lower security than the engineered wood core of the Solidor.

There were a few people who had issues with warping of Solidor doors but I was told by both the installation company and Solidor that so long as you fully latch the door (ie lift the handle to engage the full locks) it gets pulled tight into the frame and won’t warp.

We have had our Solidor door fitted for about 6 months now and we have been extremely pleased with it. Is it worth an extra £300 over a foam core door .., I would say so, but only you know your maximum budget.

Frank99

I opted for a thick wooden firedoor after seeing firefighters struggle to get through on in my local area however, i was going for security.
I was put off Solidor after seeing some of the warping reviews on Trustpilot but my own wooden door lasted 40+ years with just 2 coats of paint and cost £250 back in the day.
If it going to be exposed to the weather i would look at a Rockdoor, these seem to be secure and have good reviews.

dave1814

Just had a look at rockdoors and they don't seem to have any glass designs we really like �� I think it's going to be the Solidor.

robatwork

dave1814 wrote: »

Just had a look at rockdoors and they don't seem to have any glass designs we really like �� I think it's going to be the Solidor.

I found the designs of composite (and upvc for that matter) doors so uninspiring and samey I went for a solid oak door in the end, from https://www.lpddoors.co.uk/external-door-range/

Very solid and in 3 years still looking good. Needs a varnish every couple of years.

PurAsc

I'm also currently looking at composite doors for my new home! Solidor is one option, I'm told Rockdoor are another main manufacturer that are slightly cheaper (depends on the finish though).

They are definitely the toughest and most thermally efficient on the market. The vast range of finishes etc is a bonus!

Go local when choosing an installer though, I've heard the nationals do a bit of a rushed job and it's worth that little bit extra to get the perfect finish by a local business that cares.

CraigTest1

We have a composite door from a local supplier who uses Door Stop. Ours came to £1295 with fitting included. So far so good.

Heyyouguys

Another recommendation for the Solidor as well, and definitely a local installer who can come out when needed for customer service

I would keep in mind two things:
1) Amount of sunlight and therefore heat shining onto any door may warp/change the fitting slightly. If yours is fully south-facing, take this into account.
2) When designing the door, do NOT have a middle window in the door PLUS a thumbturn lock. We were broken into and they broke the small window in the middle of the door, put their hand through and opened the door with the thumbturn. Luckily no-one was at home and we were renovating so there was nothing of value in the house. If you really want it, ask if you can have laminate glass in the small window.

hannah57

I would also recommend the Solidor!

Let us know which one you pick Dave.

All the best, H

tgon

+1 Solidor

Stoneyard

Would probably avoid Rockdoor. I had one fitted almost a year ago and it's barely functional. I can close it with force but elderly parents find it unusable. Fitter has already returned several times to refit it but the door appears to be warped. It meets the frame at the top and bottom but there is around a 10mm gap in the middle. The whole frame flexes when the door is slammed, which it needs to be to engage the mechanism.

I've never experienced customer service like the Rockdoor team. They describe it as being 'within tolerance'. They seemed to struggle to grasp that the product is not fit for purpose so I posted a video on youtube to show how it doesn't function properly and they stated that they had no facility to view youtube at their offices. They have refused to engage with me citing data protection.

Real shame because it looks great (rockdoor Newark) but it's proving to be probably the worst household investment I've made. Still hoping to get it resolved but constant delays and missed deadlines.