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Composite door question

Hi all,

hoping someone with a bit of composite door knowledge can help..

I am in the process of having quotes for front and back composite doors.

The quotes are pretty straight forward however I am been asked on a few if I want Standard composite doors or Solid core composite doors..

their is about £300 difference between the 3 options.

My questions:
what’s the main difference? (Looked on google but nothing much said about it apart from manufacturers boasting about £5000 insurance guarentee if broken into)

is it worth the extra for ‘solid core’ or are standard composite doors durable and secure enough to last?

Thanks for your time.
«1

Comments

  • *between the 2 options
  • gozaimasu
    gozaimasu Posts: 860 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 500 Posts Name Dropper
    edited 8 October 2021 pm31 3:31PM
    @simonandmelissa Did you find something in the end?
    I have been quoted £1600 for a composite door - is that reasonable? Local company. I was expecting around £1000.
    They also quoted £1100 for a uPVC door. Again, this seems high to me? Their advert said doors fitted from £450 so I wonder what kinds of doors they are! Surely that isn't the cost of hanging internal doors?!
  • Company 1
    1. £1600 composite door
    2. £1100 uPVC door
    Company 2
    1. £1495 composite door
    2. £1325 uPVC door
    Wish I could fit doors myself, hate being messed around.

  • My questions:
    what’s the main difference? (Looked on google but nothing much said about it apart from manufacturers boasting about £5000 insurance guarentee if broken into)

    is it worth the extra for ‘solid core’ or are standard composite doors durable and secure enough to last?

    Thanks for your time.
    I did this research a few years ago when i bought mine, solid ones kept the heat in/cold out better "apparently", also had better security, and a different thickness and made from different materials iirc. 

    I also realized my back door didn't need to be composite so went upvc for that and used the money for the better front door.

    On a side note looking at neighbours doors that are composite and south facing after a year or 2 the colours have faded, but I haven't had a closer inspection's to see which type of door they went for.
    So if you're door faces the same way consider opting for a white door which doesn't fade.
  • gozaimasu said:

    Wish I could fit doors myself, hate being messed around.
    I fitted mine a few years ago, after doing a bit of "yoo too bin" all I needed and impact driver, self tapping screws, silicone, expanding foam and some upvc facia for around the door.

    I saved around £400 iirc, however getting the old door frame out was a ball ache with the tools I had, once the frame was out the rest was easy.... About 4 hour's work for me including plastering inside around the door and other finishing touches.

    Was it worth it? If I could have got the fitting down to £300 I would have got someone else to install looking back.
  • Soot2006
    Soot2006 Posts: 2,184 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    I got a Solidor composite door put in last winter. It's my only composite door, so I can't do a proper comparative, but I do really like it. It looks super smart and the thermal and acoustic insulation is such a step up on what we had before (old solid wood). Cost wise, it was around £1400ish, including fitting. Trying to decide if I can spring for a composite back door or if woodgrain-effect PVC will do just as well. The rest of our windows are white PVC, including some brand new ones, so they're not being changed any time soon. Newer PVC is so much nicer than the old stuff, but the composite front door is a step above.
  • ic
    ic Posts: 3,340 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    Coffeekup said:

    On a side note looking at neighbours doors that are composite and south facing after a year or 2 the colours have faded, but I haven't had a closer inspection's to see which type of door they went for.
    So if you're door faces the same way consider opting for a white door which doesn't fade.
    In my previous house, I had a composite door that faced South West, so got the strong sun of the afternoon and evening.  After eight years it was still black with no fade.  I think fading doors are probably a sign of a poor quality door, perhaps where the panels are painted rather than the colour being impregnated in the panels.
  • gozaimasu
    gozaimasu Posts: 860 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 500 Posts Name Dropper
    edited 15 October 2021 pm31 3:30PM
    Coffeekup said:
    I fitted mine a few years ago,
    Could you share a picture?
    Here is the seal between my front door and brick https://ibb.co/VWf1JS1
    I don't even know what the material is (I don't think it's silicone?) so how could I fit a door myself without knowing what all the bits are that I'd need, especially if I have to replace the frame rather than just take off at hinges and replace. Isn't it a 2-person job? Hanging internal doors and cupboard doors is also a pain without someone to hold whilst you attach.
  • Coffeekup
    Coffeekup Posts: 661 Forumite
    Ninth Anniversary 500 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    edited 15 October 2021 pm31 5:01PM
    gozaimasu said:
    Coffeekup said:
    I fitted mine a few years ago,
    Could you share a picture?
    Here is the seal between my front door and brick https://ibb.co/VWf1JS1
    I don't even know what the material is (I don't think it's silicone?) so how could I fit a door myself without knowing what all the bits are that I'd need, especially if I have to replace the frame rather than just take off at hinges and replace. Isn't it a 2-person job? Hanging internal doors and cupboard doors is also a pain without someone to hold whilst you attach.
    My old door was oak (I think) with a wooden frame. I sized it all up including the top light. The whole thing came delivered all in one piece basically just slotted it in place, used a couple of spacers to get the whole frame level from the floor. Screwed it in both sides 6 on each side iirc, used expanding foam for a couple of gaps, fitted the facia around the frame to hide the gap between frame and brickwork, silicone round it all to tidy it up.

    Almost 4 years on I still need to paint the brickwork.... Don't judge me.


  • Like everything else in the trade, the cost of doors has gone up silly-stratosphere this year.
    No man is worth crawling on this earth.

    So much to read, so little time.
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