Composite Doors Pros and Cons
If you have been thinking about replacing the doors in your home, now would be the perfect time to purchase some composite doors.
These doors have dozens of benefits over standard wooden and UPVC doors, and they have been around long enough to become more affordable.
In this piece, we'll discuss the pros and cons of composite doors, so you can decide whether you'd like to upgrade to one, or if you'd instead like to stick with the traditional timber or wood, as well as what a composite door is.
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Pros Of Composite Doors
There are a lot of benefits of composite doors when they are compared with doors made of other materials; we'll discuss and explain the advantages of composite doors below.
Security
One of the main reasons we use doors is to create barriers between our homes and the outside world.
Having a front door that is easy to break through can pose many security risks, making you and your family an easy target for an opportunistic intruder.
If you're asking, "how strong are composite doors?" here's our answer: burglaries will never be a problem if you have a composite door, as our composite products are made with a solid wood core (or a polyurethane foam core), Glass Reinforced Plastic (GRP), some uPVC, and sometimes steel, resulting in a solid and secure door.
This combination of materials makes composite doors much thicker than many other ones made from single materials.
While thicker doors are harder to break through, they also need to have sturdy locking mechanisms that won't fail under pressure in order to be entirely secure.
At UK Composite Doors, all our doors feature four self-locking deadbolt latches that are incredibly strong and sturdy, so no intruder will get through easily.
The added security that composite front doors and frames offer makes them much safer than standard timber doors.
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Aesthetics
People are becoming increasingly concerned about how their homes look, so if you are worried about this, you could benefit from a new composite door.
You can get a composite door in almost any style you want, as the materials used to make them can be manipulated quite easily to create a customised design.
You can also get a composite door in almost any colour, making it incredibly easy to get your door to match your home's overall aesthetic.
If you love the look of a classic wooden front or back door, then you can have your cake and eat it, as a composite door can be made to look like wood, and the doors' heavy, sturdy feel often makes it difficult for people to differentiate between composite and wooden doors.
Durability
While timber doors can offer a traditional look that is very aesthetically pleasing, you'll need to look after them if you want them to last. Wood is far more susceptible to damage from the elements, so it can begin to weather if it does not receive regular maintenance.
You'll need to oil, paint, varnish, or stain a wooden door a few times a year if you want it to last long and continue looking good.
The reinforced materials used to make composite doors are much more durable, as there is almost no chance they will rot, warp, splinter or crack.
These reinforced materials also allow composite doors to last for 30 years - or more in some cases, so you probably won't need to replace your composite door (or doors) for many years to come.
Low maintenance
As mentioned above, while wooden doors offer a great traditional aesthetic, they require a lot of maintenance to keep them looking good.
This, however, is not the case for composite doors, as they offer the same great looks as traditional wooden doors, but do not require nearly as much maintenance.
The materials used to make composite doors are far more durable than wood and, therefore, aren't as susceptible to weathering. This means you will hardly ever need to paint, varnish, oil or stain your composite door.
The only maintenance that a composite door requires is some light cleaning, which you can do with some soapy water and a soft microfibre cloth.
Composite doors fade much slower than uPVC and wooden doors, meaning they're incredibly convenient, especially for busy homeowners who don't have time to spend hours cleaning.
Energy efficient
While it might seem strange to call composite doors energy efficient, it is surprisingly true!
Composite doors provide excellent heat retention due to their thickness, so if you have central heating, you won't need to leave it on for as long.
This can be an even bigger benefit if you replace every one of your doors with a composite door, as you will be allowing even less heat to escape your home.
Cheaper uPVC doors and wooden doors may also not fit in a door frame and a composite door, which can leave room for cold air to enter from outside.
If you want to stay extra warm this winter and reduce your energy bill, then you should outfit your home with a new composite door (or doors, ideally) as soon as possible.
Cons Of Composite Doors
While there are many benefits composite doors offer, there are also some disadvantages of composite doors, which we will discuss below so that you can make an informed decision about whether or not to buy one.
Price
While a composite door offers many benefits over doors made from other materials, these benefits come at a cost, as composite doors are often more expensive than other doors.
However, it is essential to remember that you will always be getting what you pay for. If you purchase a cheap uPVC door, you won't enjoy the same security or energy efficiency benefits as you would with a composite door.
So, while composite doors are always low-maintenance, secure, and durable, these benefits come at a slightly higher price. It will be up to you to determine whether or not the price tag is worth it.
Creaking
Unfortunately, the heat retention properties of composite doors also work against them in some regards, as hot weather can cause the plastics inside your composite door to expand.
When the weather starts to cool down again, it can cause your composite door to make a cracking or creaking noise. Hot weather may also make it more difficult to close your composite door, as it can expand and become slightly too big for your door frame.
Thankfully, once the weather cools down and you hear that signature creaking noise, your door will return to its normal size and be easy to open again. You can remedy or reduce the issues of expansion and your composite doors creaking by sanding down your door to make it fit the frame more easily.
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FAQs
Are composite doors worth the money?
Composite doors offer many benefits over doors made of other materials. As we have mentioned above, they are more durable, more secure, more energy efficient, and lower maintenance, with many homeowners saying composite doors are worth the money.
Composite doors will last you for 30 years (or more). While they often cost more than other doors, you won't need to worry about replacing or constantly having to maintain or repair your composite front door for the foreseeable future.
Do composite doors warp in the sun?
No. While composite doors expand and contract due to weather conditions, they will never permanently warp due to exposure to the sun for long periods.
A high-quality composite door should maintain its size and shape if it is installed correctly, regardless of how hot or cold the weather is.
How long do composite doors last?
A composite door can last for 30 years or longer, depending on how well it is looked after and the conditions it's exposed to. Even composite front doors that bear the brunt of bad weather will last for years, provided you proactively take care of potential problems.
If you purchase a high-quality composite door, you can rest assured that it will last you a very long time, and it is a long-term investment that will begin to pay dividends over time, which is only one of many composite door benefits.
Can you break through a composite door?
While it is technically possible to break through any door, composite doors are much stronger than those made from other materials.
Do composite doors look cheap?
Although, this can depend on where the composite door comes from, the usual answer is no - composite doors don't look cheap as they are made from layers of different materials, including timber, uPVC & GRP, taking all the best features from them all.
Then, they are often given a sleek finish to make them look even more elegant and stylish, which is partly why they have gained so much popularity recently.
Are composite doors secure?
Composite doors are secure and are one of the solid and safe options you can choose for your front door due to the layers of different materials used, alongside a solid timberÂ
Benefits of Composite Doors & Disadvantages of Composite Doors
Hopefully, our guide has helped you navigate and understand composite doors pros and cons, so you can weigh them up against other doors to see which is the right one for your home.
If the benefits composite doors offer have convinced you to purchase one, then you should consider buying one from us, at UK Composite Doors. Read our guide on how much a composite door costs or use our online door builder, which will give you prices, as well as the ability for you to buy your door online.
We have a wide variety of designs and colours available, so you will easily find the right composite door for you and your property.
If you want more information or tips, visit our blog - we can help with various issues, like what to do if your composite door is letting in water, how to deal with hinge problems, and solutions for your composite door creaking.
