Are Composite Doors Better Than Wood?
Throughout the years, the solid wood front door has been the epitome of the traditional style evident in many UK homes, with its classic feel potentially adding to a property's market price. More recently, a new kid has arrived on the block: a reliable, robust, thermally efficient younger kid with an eye for the future.
This more recent arrival is known as the composite door.
We've all got to give the traditional wooden door option its due. The solid wood door has stood firm for decades and has, with good reason, been the go-to material for front doors. Now, you find yourself in the market for a new front door, and the decision is no longer as simple. Composite doors vs wooden doors: in which should you invest?
Are composite doors better than wooden doors? Both wooden and composite doors have different benefits and potential disadvantages; hopefully, this article may help you decide.
Wooden Front Doors
A solid wooden door, built from a specific type of 100% natural wood, is the historically conventional choice of many homeowners for a front door to keep out the cold, intruders and essentially anything or anybody else you'd prefer not to enter your home.
There is a type of wooden door made by glueing together layers of timber and wood and finishing the combination with an expensive wood veneer. Still, we will concentrate on solid wood doors for this article's purpose.
The Benefits of Solid Wood Doors
Solid wooden doors certainly have their fair share of benefits, especially compared to another common door on the market, the standard uPVC door.
Quality
Solid wooden doors give out an aura of quality if they're in good condition. This traditional option has a secure and classic feel you won't get with a standard uPVC door, even though there are some outstanding quality uPVC options.
Natural looking
Wooden front doors give off a natural and aesthetically pleasing look. Despite the ongoing maintenance and yearly oiling these doors need to keep them looking classically charming, wooden doors give off their fair share of curb appeal and fit easily into the designs of either modern or traditional homes.
Strength
Are wooden front doors safe, however? Well, solid wood offers a sturdy and secure option, highly recommended for a front door. Strength is important in a front door, and it's something that wood can readily offer. Quality and strength will differ between designs and types of wood, so it's necessary to spend some time looking at your options before making your choice.
Insulation
With wood being a natural insulator, solid wooden doors provide decent thermal and noise insulation levels, so they're beneficial from comfort, energy and thermal efficiency perspectives. Much depends on the type of material used and the design to gain the maximum benefit from a new door.
Environment-friendly
Solid wood door manufacture is environmentally friendly as wood doors are quicker and easier to produce than other types. When you add in their energy-saving insulative properties, installing a wooden door as an external door of your home will save money and help the environment.
Composite Doors
Composite doors, as already mentioned, are the new kids on the door market block. If a solid wooden door is your traditional option, a composite door is your modern one.
Composite doors offer a range of top-class, modern features due to their construction using glass-reinforced plastic construction, which makes the door highly durable, with a security element second to none.
What are a composite door's benefits compared to wood, though?
The Benefits of Composite Doors
It's incredible how many benefits a composite door will provide you, even though a solid wooden door has a history and reputation that are hard to beat. Let's consider these benefits before briefly summarising composite vs wood door features and what could make one material better.
Strength and Durability
Composite doors are incredibly strong, making them very secure and almost impenetrable from the outside. Boat builders use composite material in hull construction for boats, which further substantiates its strength.
Due to the composition of composite doors, they're almost totally resistant to all types of weather. This multi-layer composition means warping and discolouration won't be impactful with age.
Security
A composite door includes reinforced steel as part of its interior compound, meaning it's as rugged as you could ask for, and you'll never have to compromise security-wise. These front doors also have a multi-point locking system and hardened hinges for additional security. There is an available range of other hardware options which are easily installable.
Wooden Appearance
You might prefer the feel and look of a wooden door, but with a composite front door, you'll also have that. These doors come in manufactured woodgrain styles that provide the original traditional look of wooden front doors without compromising on any other benefits of composite front doors.
Low maintenance
Composite front doors require almost no maintenance. You won't ever need to sand, paint or varnish your door, as caring for your door is painless and easy. uPVC doors are also low-maintenance types of door, but there are no security or quality comparisons to draw between composite and any other doors.
Insulation
A composite door will keep any emitted sound, heat, or coolness within your home because of the top-class noise reduction and thermal insulation the door provides. The same goes for outside temperatures and sound, with your door keeping outside traffic noises and exhaust emissions to a minimum.
You'll notice a power saving too, which is also a huge benefit.
Style, colour and glazing
The style and colour options that a composite door offers are limitless. You can be confident that your new door works with your home's modern or traditional look, as there are numerous ways to customise designs, door styles, colours and glazing. You can even re-glaze composite front doors' windows if you want to change their style.
FAQs
Are composite front doors worth the money?
These front doors are excellent for energy efficiency due to their thermally efficient properties. The Glass Reinforced Plastic (GRP) is weatherproof and enhances the door's longevity. If you're adamant about that "wood composite doors" feeling, then there's always the chance to customise yours with a timber core!
Do composite front doors scratch easily?
The low-maintenance traits of composite materials mean that they require less attention across a lifespan. With any surface, scrapes, scratches and stains are still possible.
Do composite external doors require maintenance?
These exterior fixtures are easy to maintain, and you only need a bucket of soapy water and a soft cloth to wash them.
Conclusion: Composite vs Wood Door
There are a few disadvantages to installing a wood door, and only a single drawback we've noticed to installing a composite one.
Disadvantages of wood doors
Security: Due to the reinforced nature and the locking mechanisms they possess, composite doors excel in security-related features. Homeowners can feel much safer installing a composite front door than a wooden one due to the materials and other moving parts the door utilises.
Durability and Maintenance: The life expectancy of composite front doors is over 35 years, with practically no maintenance. Composite doors don't warp, whereas, although wooden front doors can last for over 30 years, they are prone to warping over this period and also need regular sanding and painting or varnishing every three years or so.
Disadvantages of composite doors
Cost: There is only one noticeable point for the disadvantages of composite doors, and that is the cost, which can be, on average, more expensive than wooden doors. The cost difference seems like a small price to pay for the additional benefits.
Feel free to view our range of doors for more details.
