The key to buying a new front door
Choosing a new front door is exciting, but with the wide array of choice available today where do you start?!
As the gateway to your home, your front door is a lasting investment in your property’s visual appeal, warmth, and security.
Our short guide will take you through all the key considerations, to help you choose the perfect door for your home.
What do you want from your new front door?
Understanding your priorities for your new front door is the first step in making the best decision for your home.
These key factors will help you in your search for the right door:
Energy efficiency
A well-insulated door contributes to energy saving by helping to manage heat retention in the home. Plus, if your home is near to a busy road, the insulating properties of your front door will also help with noise reduction.
Security features
Knowing that your new door has robust security features provides real peace of mind.
There are many different locking systems available for your door. However, multi-point locking systems offer enhanced security.
It is also worth noting that all doors should come with toughened safety glass as standard, as well as meeting industry standards for security, achieving PAS24 British Standard.
Our range of Duo Composite doors incorporate some of the most reliable technology and hardware in the industry.
These include steel reinforcement in both the door frame and outer frame, along with a 68mm thick construction that is 54% thicker than standard UK composite doors, contributing to its strength and security.
Weatherproofing
One of the most effective ways to keep the weather at bay is to install a door with a double rebate, which provides superior weatherproofing qualities along with effective insulation against the colder weather.
Other weatherproofing options include:
- Weather bar, which attaches to the bottom of the door to deflect wind and rain.
- Low threshold to help keep the cold air out during winter months and prevent heat from escaping.
- Substantial cill (the threshold at the bottom of your door frame) to create a physical barrier and further insulation.
- Weather seals or strips, which go around the door to create a wind- and watertight seal. Dual seals are most effective as they give you a double layer of protection.
Noise reduction
Where customers require a glazed element to their door, to assist with noise reduction, our doors include a minimum of double glazed, toughened safety glass. Our Duo Composite doors come with triple glazing as standard for enhanced performance.
Our hardwood doors are individually designed and tailor made to incorporate the glazed unit of your choice.
Door styling
With a wide range of designs, colours, finishes and glazing options available, you can tailor your front door to perfectly complement the character and architecture of your home.
If achieving your perfect colour is top of the list, our Duo Composite doors enable RAL colour matching in a huge choice of shades.
Maintenance
When you invest in a new front door with state-of-the-art components, you expect that any maintenance you need to perform should be minimal.
PVCu and composite doors are both extremely low-maintenance options. To keep your door looking and working perfectly, a regular wash in a mild soap and water solution is sufficient. We recommend that this should be done every 3 months if you live in an urban location, to keep the door free from the build-up of deposits. If you like in rural area, usually every 6 months is sufficient. For more stubborn marks, use a non-abrasive cleaner and a soft cloth.
Composite doors with a gloss finish can be waxed to revive their lustre. The wax should be specifically formulated for GRP.
With timber doors, we recommend cleaning with a non-abrasive cloth and mild soapy water at least twice a year. Any marks can be removed using a detergent with little or no water, before carefully rinsing. When required, a micro-porous stain or paint can be used to recoat the timber – this will protect the wood whilst allowing it to breathe.
Read more in our maintenance guide.
Warranty checks
It is always important to have confidence in the quality of the product that you are investing in for your home, and a good reflection of this is the guarantee that is offered.
Window Wise has been trading over 34 years and offers a 10 year guarantee on all our workmanship and products.
Reassuring credentials
Knowing that the company you choose is both reputable and reliable means that you can have confidence in how they will approach the supply and installation of your new door.
It is worth checking their membership of trade and service bodies to ensure you’re dealing with a company that’s committed to high quality products and service.
Find out more our certification and accreditation here.
Material matters
We explain the materials and construction of composite, PVCu and timber doors, with the pros and cons of each:
Composite
As the name suggests, composite doors are made up of more than one material, and this makes them extremely robust.
Steel reinforced, with a high density foam core and heavy-duty GRP (Glass Reinforced Plastic) surface, composite doors are ideal for customers who want to invest in a door that’s incredibly durable and secure.
In terms of aesthetics, composite doors are popular with customers with all styles of property. There is a huge variety of designs to choose from.
For customers with period homes, the quality of the wood grain effect on a composite door makes it virtually indistinguishable from timber.
Our composite doors all feature a double rebate for superior weatherproofing and insulation:
PVCu
Whether you are looking for contemporary or period styling, a solid or glazed door, one of the main benefits of PVCu doors is the sheer choice of style, colour and grain.
Timber
Timber doors are a popular choice for homeowners with period properties who want to be true to the original styling of their home.
When our customers choose a timber door, they can be assured that there are features in place to make them as low maintenance as possible.
Our bespoke timber doors are made from seasoned hardwood, so they are naturally more durable; hardwood has a higher density than softwood, giving it enhanced strength.
This natural material has some specific considerations. The porous aspect of the wood grain means that maintenance in the years ahead will be necessary to seal the wood and prevent moisture from being absorbed. This will preserve the look and functionality of the door.
Talk to the experts
If you would like to talk to us about designing the perfect door for your home, please visit our showroom or call us on 01444 45 71 45 to chat through your requirements.