Deciding Between A UPVC Or Composite Door For Your Home: Which Option Is Best?
Deciding between a UPVC or composite front door for your home can be a daunting task. However, rest assured that you can make a great choice either way.
Your front door plays a crucial role in creating a welcoming atmosphere for guests, enhancing the overall character and style of your home, and ensuring top-notch security.
If you find yourself questioning whether your current front door meets these criteria, it may be time to consider a replacement. During your research, you will likely encounter two popular options: UPVC doors and composite doors.
UPVC doors are well-known among UK homeowners, while composite doors may be less familiar to some.
Understanding the composite door
As the name suggests, a composite door is crafted from a combination of materials, including wood, foam, UPVC, and a GRP skin (Glass Reinforced Plastic). This unique blend offers homeowners the best of both worlds: the timeless elegance of timber and the durability and performance of modern materials.
The GRP skin provides a realistic wood grain finish, adding to the door’s aesthetic appeal.
Notably, one of the standout features of a composite door is its exceptional strength. At ERG Scotland, we take pride in offering composite doors that are unrivalled in terms of both strength and thermal efficiency.
The key distinctions between a UPVC and composite door
While a composite door combines various materials, a UPVC door is made solely from plastic. Additionally, composite doors are thicker, with a frame measuring around 44mm compared to the 28mm frame of a UPVC door.
It’s worth noting that the increased materials and superior attributes of composite doors come at a slightly higher cost. However, UPVC doors are by no means inferior and offer remarkable thermal and security advantages.
How easy is it to clean and look after my composite or UPVC front door?
Maintaining and cleaning your composite or UPVC front door is a hassle-free task. Simply clean the door with warm, soapy water every four months, avoiding abrasive materials and solvent-based cleaners.
Once a year, lubricate all hardware components, paying special attention to hinges, locks, handles, and other door furniture.
Regularly clear debris from the threshold and drainage holes to prevent water accumulation and ensure the door’s longevity, particularly during adverse weather conditions.
How do they compare for thermal efficiency?
An energy efficient home is reliant on it having an insulating front and rear door, as well as windows with a high energy rating.
Formed of wood, uPVC, insulating foam, and glass reinforced plastic (GRP), composite doors have superb thermal properties and dramatically low U-Values, from as low as 0.8 W/m2k, slightly ahead of UPVC doors.
But the U-Values and energy-saving benefits of UPVC doors are not to be dismissed as they too will contribute to lower fuel bills and enhance overall comfort within the home.
There can be no argument that the latter comes out on top in which is best upvc or composite doors from an energy efficiency standpoint, however for how cost-efficient they are, UPVC doors similarly do a fine job of keeping cold air out and heat in.
Are composite doors worth the extra money?
A new front door isn’t something you buy regularly and may only occur once in your lifetime, so we wouldn’t let the added cost of a composite door put you off.
However, we realise that money matters and you want value from an investment into a replacement door. Without hesitation, composite doors justify their price bracket and there’s plenty of reasons to back that up, including the unmatched durability of the door frame, constructed using an amalgam of rugged materials.
The outer GRP (Glass Reinforced Plastic) skin of a composite door only demands occasional maintenance too, and this component of its design figures heavily in its outstanding insulation qualities. Don’t lose sight of these points when deliberating the price of composite doors vs UPVC.
Lifespan of UPVC doors and composite doors
The life expectancy of UPVC and composite doors bought from our trusted company is a minimum of 20 years, proved in the robust testing procedures we subject all our designs to.
A 20-year guarantee is issued off the back of this analysis, entitling you to prompt aftercare in the unlikely event of an issue or fault arising inside this period.
That’s not to say our doors will need replacing after two decades as there are plenty of instances of them performing to sufficient standards and still looking fabulous beyond the guarantee. Carry out the suggested routine maintenance of a UPVC or composite door to give it the best opportunity of exceeding its predicted age time frame.
Discover your ideal door at ERG Scotland. Visit our local showroom to explore our extensive range of UPVC and composite doors and learn more about their unique features. Book an appointment now to begin your journey to a perfect front door.
LOOKING FOR A NEW REPLACEMENT DOOR?
From French and patio to bi-folding, we offer an incredible variety of doors inlcuding the latest front and back door designs, all of which are made to measure for the perfect fit to your home.
LOOKING FOR A NEW REPLACEMENT DOOR?
From French and patio to bi-folding, we offer an incredible variety of doors inlcuding the latest front and back door designs, all of which are made to measure for the perfect fit to your home.
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