A composite door is the most popular choice for UK homeowners, offering a perfect blend of security, style, and durability. This guide covers the essential features to help you make the right decision for your home.
What Is a Composite Door Made Of?
As the name suggests, composite doors are engineered from a combination of materials to maximise performance. This multi-layer construction typically includes:
- A solid core, usually made of timber or high-density insulating foam.
- Layers of uPVC for stability and weather resistance.
- A durable outer skin made from GRP (Glass Reinforced Plastic), which can be moulded into different designs and colours.
This layered structure makes composite doors incredibly strong, secure, and thermally efficient.
The Key Benefits of a Composite Door
Compared to doors made from a single material like uPVC or timber, composite doors provide a superior combination of features.
- Exceptional Security: The robust, multi-layer construction makes composite doors significantly stronger and harder to break into than uPVC or wooden doors. They typically come with high-security, multi-point locking systems as standard.
- Durability and Low Maintenance: Composite doors are built to last for over 30 years. Their GRP skin is resistant to dents, warping, and fading, and unlike timber, they never need to be painted or varnished. A simple wipe with a damp cloth is all that’s needed to keep them clean.
- Energy Efficiency: The insulated core provides excellent thermal performance, preventing heat from escaping your home. This helps to reduce your energy bills and easily exceeds the minimum building regulation requirements for U-values.
What Styles and Colours Are Available?
Composite doors offer huge design flexibility. The GRP outer skin can be moulded to create a wide range of traditional and contemporary styles, perfectly replicating the look of a classic wooden door without the maintenance drawbacks.
You can choose from hundreds of colours, finishes, and glazing options, as well as customising the hardware, including handles, letterboxes, and knockers, to match your home’s kerb appeal.
What to Look For When Buying
When choosing a new composite door, there are a few key quality marks to look for to guarantee performance and security.
- Security: Look for doors that are accredited by ‘Secured by Design’ (SBD), a police-backed initiative that ensures the highest security standards.
- Locks: Check that the locks carry the BSI Kitemark to confirm they meet minimum legal security requirements.
- Energy Efficiency: Ask for the door’s U-value. The lower the number, the better its thermal performance.
What door will you choose?
Download our brochure to see our range of door designs, colours and glazing options.
