New front door - any advice welcome

[Andy Whitfield]

Hi I'm going to get a new front door. I need it to be a good secure one but also I have a limited budget.

A steel front door and frame costs the earth. I've been quoted £2000+ which is too much.

A PVC door and frame vary a lot in price but also in security. They typically have a

3 point locking system (which is a good thing) but I'm not sure just how strong a 'plastic' front door is? Anyone ever had a break-in via a PVC front door?

A solid wooden door is probably stronger than a PVC door but I've been told wooden doors can't have a 3 point locking system. And wooden doors are vulnerable around the lock(s) and the wooden frames also tend to splinter under force.

Any comments or advice very much appreciated!

Regards Andy

[Set Square]

Have you considered an aluminium door? A powder-coated thermal-break aluminium door looks good, and is strong and secure. Obviously, it's dearer than uPVC - but hopefully not two grand's worth.

[Doctor Evil]

also I have a limited budget.

which is too much.

typically have a 3 point locking system (which is a good

Anyone ever had a break-in via a PVC front door?

told wooden doors can't have a 3 point locking system.

also tend to splinter under force.

The Swedes make highly insulated front doors. Well with getting.

[Andy Pandy]

have a limited budget.

much.

a 3 point locking system (which is a good

a break-in via a PVC front door?

doors can't have a 3 point locking system.

to splinter under force.

I had a hardwood door with three point locking ( similar to a PVC door ) except the pins retract into a metal box top and bottom which is housed in a mortice, so they are, or were, available.

Andy

[Uno Hoo!]

"Andy Whitfield" wrote in message news:d8pk1a$s7o$ [e-mail]...

A local window installer had, for some years, a uPVC window clamped down to a piece of chipboard. There was a tenner underneath the glass. They challenged anyone to get the tenner without breaking the glass or cutting through the chipboard. No-one managed it during the time I was dealing with them. uPVC is very tough and the multi-locking is very sound. When I had a uPVC front door installed at my Mother in law's just over a year ago I specified that it should only be openable from the outside with the key, even if the door was 'unlocked'. I'm quite satisfied that the door is very secure.

Kev

[Steve Walker]

You just need to make sure she doesn't get hold of a key then...?

(Greets Kev - long time since we saw you in uk.legal, btw)

[Mike]

told wooden doors can't have a 3 point locking system.

also tend to splinter under force.

There are many wooden doors with multi-point locking available. I think Wickes offer pre-hung ones with 3 point but you can also get more than this from the specialists.

[nightjar]

"Andy Whitfield" wrote in message news:d8pk1a$s7o$ [e-mail]...

Wooden doors can have multi-point locks. However, the Police recommendation is two BS thief resistant mortise locks, one at 1/3 and one at 2/3 of the door height. All external doors should also be hung on three metal hinges, not less than 100mm long.

Colin Bignell

[biff]

I've never tried it, but I'm told uPVC doors and windows are easy to get through with the help of a blow lamp. Plastic melts. Of course the burglar may suffer from dioxin poisoning. :-)

[Set Square]

No, it it would need to be key-only from the *inside* for that idea to work!

[Andy Whitfield]

Are the aluminium doors just an aluminium subframe with uPVC panels or they solid aluminium? I forgot to mention the door must have a wood grain finish to match other doors in the stairwell. Do you know if the aluminium comes with a wood grain finish? Thanks Andy

[Andy Whitfield]

Insulation isn't a problem as front door opens on to stairwell. Andy

[Andy Whitfield]

have a limited budget.

too much.

have a 3 point locking system (which is a good

had a break-in via a PVC front door?

doors can't have a 3 point locking system.

to splinter under force.

I haven't seen multipoint locking wooden doors but will do a search for them. My concern with wooden doors is that they are weak around the lock due to the wood has to be cut out to fit the lock. Did your door have a wooden frame (the bit fixed to the wall)? Andy

[Andy Whitfield]

I've been to a local firm that make the doors on-site. The uPVC box sections look pretty tough to me but they are plastic welded together. I'm not so sure how tough a plastic weld is? Maybe that's a weak point of uPVC doors? The panels in a uPVC door are rather thin and they look vulnerable to me. The ones I saw are a 5 layer sandwich. Layer of uPVC, then insulation polystyrene, then thin bit of MDF or aluminium, then polystyrene and then uPVC. To counter the weakness of the panels I'm thinking of going for an 8 panels door, so if a panel or two is removed the gap left should be too small for anyone to get through.

Surely all front doors are key operated only from outside?? Andy

[Andy Whitfield]

The is a specialist wooden door shop just down the road from me. They've twice told me you can't have multipoint locking on a wooden door! I'll go and have a look at Wickes. What's the door frame (the bit fixed to the wall) made of? wood or something more solid? Andy

[Andy Whitfield]

Good point! The uPVC doors I looked at, had steel inserts in the uPVC sections. Though the steel inserts weren't very big and weren't fixed to the uPVC; they were just slotted in. Andy

[Andy Whitfield]

"nightjar .uk.com>"

So the police don't recommend multipoint locking wooden doors? (by multipoint, I mean operated from one handle & key) Thanks for the info Andy

[Dave Plowman (News)]

To me, the idea of having two locks is silly, as they'll rarely both get used.

[Peter Riocreux]

Ironmongery direct sell a 5 point locking system for wooden doors (code AB-YWH418). It says in the catalogue that it is for "single and double rebated doors", but the picture looks like it should fit perfectly well to a non-rebated door. It needs a separate euro-profile cylinder and handle and is GBP99 each.

I tried to find it on the website but couldn't, but it is definitely in the paper catalogue. There seems to be a remnant of it online

but not the actual product.

ISTR a 3-point system in Screwfix but again cannot find it.

HTH

Peter

[s--p--o--n--i--x]

a 3 point locking system (which is a good

a break-in via a PVC front door?

A good kick with a steel toecap boot will go straight through a uPVC door.

doors can't have a 3 point locking system.

to splinter under force.

3 point locks *are* available for wooden doors. The door will need a channel routed down the lock side to fit, however.

sonix