Composite Door Shop Blog

Just like a suit from a bespoke tailor, made to measure front doors from The Composite Door Shop are not manufactured until every dimension has been thoroughly checked. Our front doors are designed to fit first time and be comfortable for the rest of their lives. In addition, the door is made to survive everyday wear and tear, staying durable and attractive for at least 10 years (see our guarantee).

Front doors made to measure

The composite front door process goes like this: normally within 48 hours of your order being place, one of our surveyors will contact you to arrange a home visit at your convenience. The surveyors will check and double check all of your door dimensions, discuss options and answer any questions you may have. Our made to measure checking process also includes a confirmation order for you to approve to make sure we have everything absolutely correct – then (and only then) do we approve your door for manufacture.

Online door designer

You know your home best, and we pass the majority of the design process over to you with our online door designer.

We have a huge range of options for your new front door including:

• eight frame styles in a choice of three colours,
• a door range of twenty styles in a choice of seven wood grained finishes,
• over forty glazing options,
• accessories in a choice of gold, chrome or black.

Quality composite doors at a fantastic price

All of our doors are composite doors, factory manufactured to stringent quality control standards and are made up of:

• a reinforced PVCu frame,
• a solid thermally insulated polyurethane foam core slab,
• a 2mm thick and durable GRP skin to prevent warping, twisting or bowing,
• a thickness of 44mm that creates a strong, secure door.

In order to ensure that our statements about door strength are up to date and correct, we submit them to independent testing authorities to ensure we are providing the product you wish to purchase. All Composite Door Shop doors are tested and accredited to relevant standards, “Secured by Design” and “PAS 23 & 24”.

Easy installation service

We know how stressful front door installation can be so we have pledged to make the process as fast and convenient as possible for our customers. Aiming to offer a full bespoke service from the design to installation, we have partnered with a highly regarded installation company who operate nationwide.

As well as being authorised service providers to the insurance market, our installation team has the depots, network and administrative capacity to fully support our service and ensure that you get the bespoke front doors made to measure, supply and installation service that you deserve!

To complete your new composite front door, why not order the state of the art Yale keyless lock? No more rummaging for keys or getting caught out, the keyless lock is the ideal solution for anyone with a busy life who wants a clever solution to their home security.

Convenient and safe

The Composite Door Shop offer the Yale Keyless Lock because it just can’t be beaten for safety and convenience. A smart touch pad is used as the main lock, but just like traditional locks, there is also a extra lock above the handle in order for you to leave the door unlatched if you need to pop outside or unload the car. The stylish touch pad can’t be beaten for safety, and once you get used to having no key that can get lost or stolen, it’s easy to see why keyless locks are the way forward for front door security and peace of mind.

Great features of the keyless lock

There are many extra features of the keyless lock, for example, you can set up a temporary code to allow guests or trusted tradesmen access to your home when you are not there. The electronic lock is insurance approved with the BS3621 mortice lock, and pin codes can be chosen from 4 to 12 digits, perfect for children to use as well as adults.

Security features

There are a number of ways that the Yale keyless lock protects your home and enhances security:

• There are no mechanical buttons on the touch screen keypad, and therefore no trace of your secret pincode,
• A ‘fake pincode’ feature confuses onlookers whilst still allowing you to access your home,
• A low battery warning light comes on in good time, reminding you to change batteries ( a rare occurrence as you’ll be glad to hear that one set of four AA batteries is enough to unlock your door up to 10,000 times!)
• If your batteries do go flat, all your pincode settings will remain programmed in the lock, and two emergency battery points can be used to power your lock temporarily with just a 9v battery.

Weather resistant too!

Designed specifically to withstand our changeable UK weather conditions, the keypad is totally weather resistant. IP protection is 5,5.

We can answer your questions

If you have any questions about the Yale keyless lock, please get in touch with us today and we’ll be happy to help.

Offering a huge range of front doors with both traditional and modern designs, the Composite Door Shop have got it covered when it comes to choosing the right style of door for your house.

Apart from our Georgian and Victorian style designs (once considered ‘modern’ themselves!) we also offer cutting edge ‘match board’ pattern doors for the most contemporary of homes, complete with state of the art keyless locking systems – it really doesn’t get more modern than that!

Contemporary door designs

We offer an extensive range of twenty door styles, all of which fit perfectly into the front doors modern design category, depending on your individual tastes and how the rest of your home is styled.

Five particular styles lend themselves very well to modern homes. These are vertical grooved match board door with irregular pattern glazing and contemporary accessories and are provided with a choice of five timber grained colours in addition to five glazed panel options.

Explore our online door designer and you will find the following modern door styles:

• the Cottage door with a choice of diamond glazing or solid door front,
• the Totteridge door with four centre square glazed windows,
• the Balham door with two half circle glazed panels set at eye level,
• the Strand door with three square glazed panels set to the right or
• the Southall with twin side glazed panels.

Contemporary hardware to match

It takes more than just the door style to create a modern look for a front door and so for every product in our range you can choose from 42 glass patterns and a huge selection of contemporary door hardware, including handles, letter plates, door knockers, door numbers and spy-holes in a choice of chrome, gold or black.

Modern construction as well as design

Of course, modern design applies to construction as well as aesthetic and our doors also excel in that department.

Made from tough, durable materials to stringent quality controlled criteria, our products are factory manufactured to create beautiful composite front doors that boast:

• a reinforced hardwood frame,
• a solid thermally insulated slab of polyurethane foam core,
• a 2mm thick, durable GRP through coloured skin to prevent warping, twisting or bowing,
• a thickness of 44mm, resulting in creates a strong, secure door.

Strength and durability comes from modern design

The 44mm thickness is a very important aspect to our composite doors, as it enables our composite doors to match the strength and durability of any competing timber door.

But don’t take our word for it, we have sought independent testing by third parties to accredit our doors as both Secured by Design and PAS 23 & 24 for your peace of mind.

For more information on modern or traditional composite front doors, simply browse our easy to use website or give us a call today on 0800 1123230

If you live in a coastal area, choosing a new front door involves the consideration of several more factors than it would if you lived inland. If you have noticed that your existing front door is looking a little worse for wear and you live in a coastal area, it’s definitely time to invest in a new one.

Coastal areas are a whole different ball game when it comes to front door weathering, due to the increased likelihood of strong eroding winds and the impact of the salty air which sweeps round the UK coast. Wooden front doors bear the brunt of coastal erosion, compromising the safety of your home and shortening the life of the front door.

Wooden front doors look attractive, however they can be severely affected by the salty elements of weather in coastal regions. Wooden front doors often warp, split and swell in coastal conditions, meaning that your home is more vulnerable to crime and burglary.

Benefits of Composite Doors

So you now know to steer clear of wooden front doors if you are concerned about coastal weathering, but what other options are there?

Composite front doors, made with high quality, weather resistant materials and with a wood look finish are the best bet for a long lasting front door in coastal regions.

Made from tough materials, the finish on composite front doors are designed to look like wood, but perform like uPVC, delivering a front door that is impervious to the erosion experienced by many on the coast.

Combat coastal erosion with a composite front door, choose from many different designs and finishes to complement your home.

Is really possible to find a composite front door that looks exactly how you need it to without spending the earth on an expensive, bespoke service?

The answer is yes!

Choice is a luxury you can afford when it comes to buying a new composite front door.

It is easier than ever to buy a composite front door that is unique to your specific requirements and tailored to the look of your house. Many front door companies only offer a fixed and limited range of front doors, but with the Composite Door Shop you can design your own front door from beginning to end using our fantastic online door designer.

There are many things to choose from when designing a unique front door including:

• whether or not to have side panels and their shape and size,
• fourteen different door styles,
• seven different colours including white and black,
• several different woods for the inner door frame,
• glazed glass panel options, from no glass panes to four glass panes,
• whether to have the hinge on the left or the right of the door,
• three different metals for front door fixtures,
• a range of options for fittings, including handles, letterboxes, door knockers, door numbers,
• a ‘Secured By Design’ (SBD) feature which upgrades your door with additional security features such as laminated external  glass, spyhole and security chain.

So to design a front door that is unique to you, visit the Composite Door Shop. A well designed front door can increase the kerb appeal of your home, adding value to properties in these difficult financial times.

How to measure and fit a front door

Although The Composite Door Shop offers a full UK front door installation service, we know that sometimes a competent DIYer might find it quicker to measure their own front door for a fitting.

Measuring a front door requires care and attention, as the wrong measurements can lead to your door fitting incorrectly, meaning that your new front door will be less secure and difficult to use.

When measuring for a new front door, the areas you need to measure are the width, height and diagonals. Be sure to include the complete door, frame and cill in these measurements.

Measure the width of the front door at 3 points, the top, middle and bottom. Take the smallest measurement of each and deduct 10mm.

To measure the height, measure at left, centre and right and again take the smallest measurement and deduct 10mm.

For the diagonals, measure from top left corner to bottom right corner and vice versa, to ensure that the opening is square (less than 5mm difference in both measurements).

When measuring for a new front door:

- Use a new, metric tape measure
- Don’t use a linen or paper dressmakers tape measure
- Ensure enough clearance around the edge for the door to open properly

We provide detailed instructions on how to correctly measure a front door, including a free downloadable front door Measuring Guide PDF.

You can also see our online measuring guide for more help.