Front Door: wood versus pvc

J

Johnny Boy

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I was going for a wood door but was told that it would will expand and "unexpand" and that I be better off with a pvc door. The house is south facing and the door would be exposed to everything that the Alantic could throw at it. Rather go with wood, but if the wood door warps rather the pvc for to be pratical. Any comments welcome
 
I think PVC doors are an abomination! They look dreadful, prone to flex and unlike timber you can't change the colour (well you can paint PVC but it kind of defeats the purpose). Nothing can drastically alter the appearance of the front of your house quite like a PVC door- for the worse. Please dont do it! PVC has a very bad environmental pedigree and cannot be recycled. Timber on the other hand is durable, can be be repaired, painted and is a sustainable product which can be recycled or re-used at the end of its life.
 
Hi Johnny Boy, Carpenter is right! I'm coming to the end of a new build and while I have wood grain PVC windows, I am really glad I went for a teak porch and door. It is a huge addition to the look of the house. You will have to maintain it (especially if it is south-facing) but it looks much better. Next time you are out and about take a good look at front doors and you will be convinced!
 
I'm not alone on this one, thankfully. If you really want to appreciate how bad PVC doors look find a street terrace in any Irish town- whilst you may find some original doors that could do with a lick of paint you will also spot the PVC door somewhere in the middle, sticking out like the proverbial sore thumb. PVC doors should be banned IMHO- I'd live witha PVC at the back or side of a house but not on the front.
 
I also agree with Carpenter. PVC doors are horrible. Most of them look like something from a submarine and completely spoil the look of a house. We have a wooden front door, also south-facing and as we are on a hill in Leitrim, exposed to the elements. A good paint or varnish job to start with, then a couple of coats once a year on a lovely warm summer's day and the job's OXO.
 
its not that I don't agree with you guys about the wood doors but will the extreme elements warp the wood door
 
We have a wooden door and I would agree with Carpenter that they look much better but we have had a lot of problems with expansion/contraction even though we have a sliding porch door to keep the elements at bay. The radiator nearby probably does not help the situation. Don't suppose you have the porch option?
 
I have put in a PVC door in oak grain effect and we are very happy with how it looks it. I never really considered a wooden one.
 
My folks have a wooden door on their house also south facing door up 25 yrs+ and no major probs can get a little stiff in winter with wet weather etc but a little rub of soap usually does the trick ;) stick with the wooden door...
 
Had someone from a windows company come out to give us a quote on windows the other night. She also mentioned they do PVC doors that look very much like timber doors. I was definitely going to go with a timber door and am still going to go with a timber door. Apart from the price (the doors she was selling are about €2500 (!)) the look of the doors in the brochure just wasn't what I wanted - no matter how similar they look, the PVC is too smooth to really mimic the look of a solid timber door...

have had recommendations here on AAM about doorsireland.ie and checked them up and got a quote for €150 for a solid timber mahogany front door - is this not incredibly cheap???
 
Toby said:
Have you looked at http://www.arcticdoors.com/gallery.html. I've seen these doors and they look just like painted wood and would seem not to have problems associated with wood.
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We have one of these doors and it looks like painted wood. It requires no maintenance, just a wipe with a damp cloth each week. It's nearly 7 years old and looks as good as new.
 
If you are going for a Timber External Door it should be Iroko Teak. Mahoganny is not an exterior grade (used to be - but timber was re-graded).

A Teak door should not swell or shrink once it has been painted and protected properly.

Most people neglect to paint the top and bottom of tha door as no one will see it, but it is important to seal your door all around.
 
Thanks all, wood is definently is what I want but need to be practical too. NHG I'm going to check into Iroko Teak thanks for the lead
 
Iroko it is what most architects specify & where I work it is the only hardwood used for external use.

Most of the Iroko coming into Ireland is from the Ivory Coast and is from Managed Forests for those of us who like to think of our environment!
 
NHG said:
A Teak door should not swell or shrink once it has been painted and protected properly.

Most people neglect to paint the top and bottom of tha door as no one will see it, but it is important to seal your door all around.
Click to expand...

All timber is subject to movement through the seasons as timber is hygroscopic and will respond to the environment in which it is used. That said Iroko is excellent for exterior use and is very resistant to cracking and decay. Whatever about treating the bottom of the door I don't think all edges should be treated- it is traditional to leave the top edge unpainted, perhaps this allows the timber to breathe- I don't know. The top edge of the door (unless an outward opening door) is the least vulnerable part of any door. The most important thing to consider after your door is the threshold you use with it, Exitex do IMHO the best door thresholds on the market in this country.
 
I agree with carpenter about the Exitex draught excluder - I use a Hi-per Bar (HPB) in the majority of cases with a timber weather board to the bottom of the door and a Mobility Weatherbar Kit MWK/25/R where a mobility cill is required.

I like a draught excluder that has no rubber seal on the floor as they wear and need regular replacement of the seals.
 
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