Me again! Views on timber doors please...builder very anti due to draughts and movement/jamming

[hellostarling]

I have posted before about trying to decide between UPVc doors and timber when the decision was largely based on cost and aesthetic and have decided to get both doors to our rear elevation in timber.

Our builder would very emphatically prefer us to have UPVc as he claims there are loads of issues and inconvenience associated with timber fittings - namely jamming and draughts. Is he right?

hardwood shouldn't cause problems - softwood would be more likely to

I was talking to my cousin, who's a general builder, about getting a composite front door, & he said not to because they can change slightly but can't be planed like timber so if they stick it can't be helped???

so I don't know. I think they all make it up as they go along

My mum's wooden front door is over hundred years old and works perfectly. My wooden front door is about thirty years old and works perfectly.

do a search on "Door" in DIY and I bet you will find lots of people with broken/sagging/sticking/jamming doors, or broken locks or handles that they can't get replacements for. I bet you £1 that at least 99% of them will be plastic doors.

My choice is a panelled hardwood door, competently fitted by a joiner. It will last longer, be stronger and more secure* and cost less that a plastic door. It can be fitted with modern draughtstripping and a BS lock.

*plastic doors and windows are fundamentally insecure, because the material is fundamentally weak and pliable. You will have noticed they are always festooned with multiple locks and catches. This is an attempt to overcome their inherent insecurity. Most of them are fitted with Eurocylinders, which can be defeated with a couplke of widely-known techniques needing little skill.

You are very unlikely to find a plastic door with a lock that meets the British Standard for thief-resistant locks.

Hardwood, well made doors, properly looked after, should have no problems and should last centuries. Even uPVC sellers will give theirs a life span of 30 max.

They're also more attractive and MUCH more environmentally friendly. But they're expensive.

Plastic doors/windows are rarely if ever (may actually be physically impossible) fitted very securely into the building. An acquiantance was burgled by having her windows lifted off the front of the house and then put back in. This wouldn't be possible with sash windows, for instance, because the frame is fitted tightly into the brickwork of the building while plastic ones are just kind of glued in.

The plastic is also scarily bendy, if you see the material before it's been made into a door/window. Hance all the locks and bolts as someone else said.

someone else

Thanks everyone...you are confirming lots of things that I had thought but our builder is so sure about it I am starting to think we are paying a premium for an inferior product!

perhaps he makes extra profit out of plastic. Do you know the price?

Plastic windows and doors look tired quickly, they gather mold in their tight joints which is impossibly to clean. Their frames are wider and panelled upvc doors look completely out of proportion.

Stick with timber, factor in the maintenance- ie painting and you can change the colour whenever you want!

you do need to paint or stain them every few years. The makers usually say the coatings will last five years. In a protected open porch it lasts much longer than if fully exposed to the weather. If you redecorate before the surface degrades, a light sanding and wipe over with white spirit is all preparation you usually need. If left too long, you may have to strip off the old coatings. I prefer a microporous/breathing coating outdoors, with a silk or low-gloss finish.

I have been using linseed oil recently, but am not in a position to say yet how well it lasts in my coastal location.

Timber without question!

An issue with UPvc which might interest you is the fact that it expands in direct sunlight - a builder persuaded us to have a UPvc back door in our old house and we had to throw a bucket of cold water over it to shut it if we'd had it open on a sunny day (and as it was a stable door it was designed to be at least partly open). I was fuming when he admitted this is a known issue with UPvc. Timber all the way.

It sounds like he isn't able to fit a timber door - they are harder to fit properly, so that explains his reticence. My DP is a carpenter and much prefers timber but there is a SKILL in fitting them. The other problem with UPVC doors is there is less tolerance for wonky frames etc which is quite common.

Thanks again for all the responses.

pigletjohn yes I think he must make money from plastic...his supply prices were certainly higher than the ones we were able to find. Thanks for the maintenance tips!

suburbandweller - very interesting and reflects other comments I have heard.

Lucy - DH and I were wondering this only last night and are going to ask our suppliers for a fitting cost in the hope that they are more skilled at fitting timber.

At least all your comments are making me feel we have made the right choice...just need to make sure they are fitted correctly!

PigletJohn, you are always so helpful. I also agonise over this.