Type of Front Door

JamesP2020

I am in the process of choosing a new front door. Im stuck between hardwood, aluminium or composite.

I have read up on each but would be good to know what are other peoples real world experiences/recommendations?

I'm looking likely not to go with hardwood due to ongoing maintenance.

twopenny

I've had hardwood and composite.
While I loved the authenticity and re romance of the hardwood for authenticity the composite is totally maintenance free, no draughts and easy to register with insurance.
Different times of life I guess 

EssexExile

We've lived here for over twenty years, I vaguely seem to remember giving the hardwood door a coat of Sadolin many years ago. Other than that, no maintenance, also no draughts.

Rosa_Damascena

I've had enough of wood doors. It's not that they require maintenance, or that they are draughty that is my primary problem, it's that they keep "settling" which is no good to me when I find myself locked outside (more than once).

More than £300 on the door, plus a day's labour which took the price up to over £600. I'd rather spend more on a reliable composite.

theonlywayisup

We have hardwood and composite.  Hardwood requires no maintenance and like Essex I have a distant memory of doing something akin to oiling/staining many years ago.  The composite - which faces due south - a Rock Door - requires a colour protector every year.  Why on earth did I change one?  

MalMonroe

Composite. As twopenny says, maintenance free. Plus, I just don't like aluminium doors. 

Rosa_Damascena

MalMonroe said:

Composite. As twopenny says, maintenance free. Plus, I just don't like aluminium doors. 

I've had a metal door before and it has been fine. But I have to say they are very expensive.

WeAreGhosts

I've got a composite front door. Had a few teething problems with it dropping, but all fine now (think it might have been badly fitted in the first place). I have aluminium patio doors and they're great. A lot more expensive but they don't move at all, no draughts, fit great. My gran has had an aluminium door for many years and has never had any issue either. A burglar once attempted to get in it and didn't succeed.

Rosa_Damascena

WeAreGhosts said:

I've got a composite front door. Had a few teething problems with it dropping, but all fine now (think it might have been badly fitted in the first place). I have aluminium patio doors and they're great. A lot more expensive but they don't move at all, no draughts, fit great. My gran has had an aluminium door for many years and has never had any issue either. A burglar once attempted to get in it and didn't succeed.

That is reassuring.

Doozergirl

We have an engineered timber door. 

Behaves in the same way as composite, but isn't composite. The wood is stable, doesn't expand and contract noticeably.  Not cheap, but beautiful. 

https://www.kloeber.co.uk/products/made-to-measure-doors/entrance/timber-wooden/

benson1980

Doozergirl said:

We have an engineered timber door. 

Behaves in the same way as composite, but isn't composite. The wood is stable, doesn't expand and contract noticeably.  Not cheap, but beautiful. 

https://www.kloeber.co.uk/products/made-to-measure-doors/entrance/timber-wooden/

I was reading this post with interest as we have one of these on order and are getting it fitted in a week or so’s time- so that’s good to hear. So far Kloeber have been good to deal with and they undercut our local engineered hardwood door supplier by about a grand.

We had a solidor before which was fine but it doesn’t look anywhere as good as a nice hardwood door as you say. Solidor was half the price though.