Am looking at replacing two external doors – one half glazed the other solid. Am looking for secure doors, prefer timber finish, would ideally like them to be a matching pair but that’s not 100% needed. Not set a budget yet but would rather go for quality rather than cheap and cheerful

Any hints, tips or suggestions?

tks

local tradesman + Howdens Joinery do loads of solid wood external doors

If you can afford it, go for English Oak as it will last forever and forgive laziness in recoating.

Trouble is, it is much more expensive than European oak (but that stuff goes black as soon as moisture penetrates any sealant).

Howdens. Just ordered two for our new extension and after trawling through loads of stuff on the net (this is going to sound daft but…) just picking up the decent Howdens catalogue and looking at their smallish but quality range, it was decision made.

If you want something secure look for minimum accreditation to BS:PAS 24

Look for this Branding.

Meeting the Secured by Design spec provides a high level of security, much higher than any comparable door set either composite or upvc. There is also an approved list of manufacturers on that site.

Look to budget for around £500 for a complete doorset though. However, it will last you forever and no one will ever get through it.

Avoid B and Q DOORS, as they are basicly lego blocks of wood witha veneer stuck on both sides, problem is this veneer can and does lift off, also the side lipping is thin, plane a bit to much off to get the dood to actaually fit and you see the blockwork.

Also not all Howdens have the same prices,our local one usually charges a lot more than the branch i use most.Free tea and biscuits as well.

no one will ever get through it.

I somehow doubt that!

If you are going down the Howdens route try and get a carpenter with a decent discount their (might even be worth asking in Howdens for them to recomend a local carpenter) it can make quite a big difference. Never had an exterior door from them but have had kitchen / interior doors and other bits and pieces, always been pretty impressed by the quality for the price. Much better than any of the DIY outlets.

Much better than any of the DIY outlets.

But don’t Howdens make stuff FOR the DIY outlets and just re-badge it as their own?

About 8 years ago I bought a new kitchen from them (uncle is a builder) and it was identical to the Shreiber kitchens available on the High Street – so identical that the Howdens catalogue actually had the same room set (albeit from a slightly different angle) as the High Street version.

No, Howdens buy doors in & rebrand them. We used to sell to them but they’re working mostly with Jeld-Wen

http://www.premdor.co.uk

no one will ever get through it.

Not much good as a front door then eh?

I too could do with a new front door. Could do with a really well insulated one.

Howdens kitchens are made in the same factory that used to make MFI, ones, and Schreiber ones,In Runcorn and few other places.

Howdens kitchens are made in the same factory that used to make MFI, ones, and Schreiber ones,In Runcorn and few other places.

Yeah – as I said above (and use the same room sets to sell their kit).

Rock door, every time

Like Jesus?

Thanks all, a few to look at. Finding a decent local joiner will be the next difficult step !!!

You want somebody time served, has a load of experience, interesting to talk to,happy most of the time, has his own vacuum cleaner,own tools, own dust sheets,turns up on time,has customers ring him back after 10 years, to do more work on their new house,not after one day to say theyre not happy with the work.

Not many of them around 😆