If your home is undergoing renovation, the doors will be among your top priorities. Transformative for both the internal and external aesthetics of your property, the types of doors you choose really can make or break your design. That’s why it’s so important to understand everything available before committing to installing your new doors. In this article, we’ll use our expertise to walk you through the specific qualities of each door type, helping you understand which is most suited to your property.
Understanding The Types Of Doors
It’s often underestimated how many different types of doors are available. With new designs being developed all the time, it’s impossible to say the number of styles on the market, so we’ve narrowed it down to our eight favourites for UK households. From style to functionality, we’ll assess a mixture of front and patio doors to help you confidently navigate your home renovation.
Types Of Front Doors
There are five main types of front doors, each with their own benefits. The perfect front door should create privacy, reduce noise, and contribute to a property’s style. For that final reason, each of these doors will be better suited to different kinds of property.
Flush
This is the most simple door design, featuring a plain surface on both sides. It’s contemporary in styling and very common in modern homes. These doors have skyrocketed in popularity over recent years due to their sleek design, which exudes luxury.
Flush doors are frequently used as interior doors because they’re easily styled. However, they’ve become a trendy choice for front doors in modernist architecture. They’re most commonly finished in a quality wooden veneer such as oak to complete the minimalist but sophisticated look.
Panel
Panel doors have long been the most popular style for both interior and exterior doors in the UK. Its versatility and aesthetically pleasing design have made it the door of choice for thousands of UK households. The traditional styling can become contemporary with the right finish and colour, so panel doors are excellently placed to suit all house types.
A panel door is any door featuring moulded panels, but it can be made in many different variations and configurations. From simple two-panel designs to more complex six-panel styles, the panels are often glazed to allow natural light through the doorway.
Stable
Also known as a Dutch door in the US, a stable door is split into two parts, creating a unique style. Commonly associated with country houses and cottages, stable doors offer immense versatility and practicality as the top and bottom half can be opened independently of the entire door.
As the name suggests, stable doors were originally used in farm stables to allow air circulation while the animals were kept in place. Today, this design is popular in the kitchens of country properties, helping to bring the outside in.
Glazed
If implemented correctly, glazed doors have the potential to transform an entrance area. It’ll allow plenty of natural light through toughened or laminated glass, offering secure protection against accidental or incidental breaks. For those concerned about the privacy of glazed doors, obscure frosted glass will continue to allow light in without external visibility into your home.
Fully-glazed doors are usually seen in contemporary properties, while traditional properties tend to go for half-glazed front doors. The patterned and stained glass panels found in Victorian homes are massively sought after in today’s market and will typically boost a property’s value.
Glazed doors are most common at the rear of a property, but front doors featuring a glazed portal allow for extra visibility of who is at the door. If you are curious about glazed doors, get in touch with the team at Crown Windows. We’ll use our decades of experience providing double glazing in Milton Keynes to help you understand your options.
Fire
Fire doors are specialist doors with increased thickness that take longer to burn through in a fire. They can be glazed as long as the glass is borosilicate or ceramic. They add an extra level of safety to a property and allow homeowners additional peace of mind.
Fire doors are required to be a minimum of 44mm in width, 9mm thicker than standard. They’ll also need a minimum rating of FD30, which means a fire will take 30 minutes to burn through the door. Although it is not essential for the front door of a house to be fire-rated, an entrance door from a garage or basement will need to meet these standards. You can find the complete statutory regulations for fire doors here.
Types Of Patio Doors
As patio doors are typically at a property’s rear, homeowners are afforded extra flexibility in terms of privacy and security. As a result, almost all patio doors are entirely transparent and work to complement the home’s interior in a way that front doors can’t. While a large part of the decision depends on your home’s layout, there are plenty of ways you can use patio doors to transform your space. Whether you’re looking to maximise your garden view or create an open-plan living area for the summer, these patio doors will help you achieve it.
French
French doors are ideal for smaller openings and homes with limited space. Consisting of two doors that open from the centre, French doors are the most common design for patio doors in the UK. They’ll often provide the flexibility of opening inwards or outwards, individually or simultaneously, so you can adjust your set-up to suit you. With customisable glazing preferences to suit your property, French doors’ versatility makes them such a popular choice.
Before you commit to French doors, it’s important to note that they’re not always suitable for wide openings, and the reduced glazing area can limit the view compared to other patio doors.
Sliding
Sliding doors’ unique mechanism makes them an excellent option for homeowners looking to maximise the potential of their space. In this design, one door slides behind the other, allowing easy access in and out of the property. They’re far less susceptible to wind than French doors, and the ability to choose how much of the door you’d like open makes for excellent ventilation. Sliding doors often feature expansive glass panes to provide an uninterrupted view of the outdoors.
Bi-Fold
While the installation of bi-fold doors has the potential to be complex and costly, they’re unrivalled when it comes to opening up your living space. The latest addition to the UK patio doors market consists of panels that fold back onto each other, creating an unobstructed flow between interior and exterior.
When opened entirely, bi-fold doors offer maximum accessibility and a fantastic panoramic view. They’re often equipped with a traffic door, which creates a convenient entry and exit point without fully opening all the doors.
Door Materials
The material you use to construct your door is equally important as design. There are four main types of door material, each with its own benefits.
Timber
All doors used to be made of timber, and as a result, it’s the oldest material still used to make them. Most common in traditional properties, wooden doors are sturdy and beautiful. However, timber is not the most cost-effective choice and requires a higher level of maintenance than other options.
uPVC
uPVC doors were introduced in the seventies as the first maintenance-free front door option. It rapidly became the material of choice for new builds and is now one of the UK’s most common front door materials. A quality uPVC door should last over 30 years and require little maintenance. It is the cheapest of all door materials.
Composite
Composite doors offer the best of both worlds. Made from a combination of materials, they’re highly durable and energy efficient. They feature a glass-reinforced plastic outer skin that is among the best materials for deflecting extreme weather.
Most composite doors are finished with a wood grain effect to match the aesthetics of timber without any maintenance that comes with a wooden frame. Additionally, they’re more affordable than timber and aluminium doors, so it’s no wonder they’re the most popular type of door in the UK.
Aluminium
Stylish and robust, aluminium doors have an expected lifetime of 45 years, making them the most durable doors on the market. While it is among the most expensive door materials, aluminium has advanced energy efficiency, meaning you’ll see immediate returns on your investment.
Find The Best Door For You
If you’re considering a door replacement in your home, it’s clear there are plenty of options on the market. To select your perfect door, you’ll need to consider a few variables. Firstly, and perhaps most crucially, figure out your budget. Door styles and materials all have different price points, so be clear about how much you want to spend before shortlisting some options. It’s also important to understand your property’s architecture to choose a door that suits that style. For example, a period property will likely look best with a timber or composite panel door, whereas a flush aluminium door might suit a contemporary build. Finally, consider the durability of your door. While aluminium doors require some initial investment, they also have the longest lifespan. Alternatively, timber doors can last a lifetime but will need consistent maintenance.
For assistance selecting the right door for your household, don’t hesitate to contact our team of experts at Crown Conservatories, Windows & Doors. Over the years, we’ve developed a fantastic reputation for installing doors and conservatories in Milton Keynes, so we’re perfectly placed to help you make the right decision. Book your free consultation and start your home transformation today.
