New solidor front door too hard to open - anyone else had problems?

[ConfusedofYork]

Hi, we had a new Solidor front door fitted by our builders recently as part of renovations on our house. I really don't like the door but the main issue is that the key is incredibly hard to turn in the lock. Our builders have basically washed their hands of it and said it will always be stiff to start with and what do we expect them to do?! But none of my teenage children can open it and I find it incredibly difficult. I need two hands so can't do it if I'm carrying anything.

It was not a cheap door. Am I really being unreasonable expecting a door that we can all open without it being a drama? I just wondered if anyone else has had this issue and if it's realistic to expect it to get better over time?

Was it supplied and fitted by your builders, or have you used an approved Solidor installer?

The latch should be adjustable to make it easier to open but needs special tools (your builders should have these).

Is it a dark colour door that gets direct sun by any chance?

We had issues with a Rockdoor. Used a local firm (but not an approved Rockdoor supplier). Turned out it had been badly fitted. We ended up taking the local firm to the small claims court to get our money back, and won.

Keep a record of every contact you make with the builders in case you need to take it further.

Listen these doors are a nightmare...My SIL has one and has shelled out so much money for locksmiths because of the jamming etc..we recently purchased a home and we have one now too and the moment I saw the door I sighed :( but obviously wouldn't pass up on a house just because I didn't like the door. Sellers said it was brand new. Its a beautiful door tbf but It's so hard to open. We just have to get use to it. Must say it is getting easier to open now after a few weeks...

I had to get someone out for my lock. They used graphite powder which they blew into it and the key was much easier to turn.

Our Solidor was installed by a Solidor fitter and we've had no issues with it. It has an Ultion lock and, as said above, there's a special powder to use if the lock gets stiff. We bought a small tube of it direct from Ultion. They say not to use WD40 or equivalent and to use this powder instead.

We got some powder from amazon which you put on the key and pop in the lock every 3 months or so

It is called graphite powder

I had this issue and the key eventually broke in the lock. Locksmith came round to help and put something in the lock (oil maybe) and it's been perfect ever since.

We have Solidor with Ultion locks front and back and they are no problem at all

Thank you for all the responses and sorry for the late reply. For some reason, I don't get notifications of replies at the moment.
I'm not sure who installed it TBH. It was organised by our builder. It is north facing so not in direct sunlight. Thank you for the powder recommendation! I will buy some and give that a go.

If a builder installed the door there’s every possibility it’s not been fitted correctly. The doors will drop and settle on the hinges it will cause issues with locking and unlocking. You will need the door adjusted by someone that knows what they are doing ie a local glazing company.

We’ve got the Ultion locks and the fitter took care to demonstrate how you have to line up the key exactly. I do find it tricky occasionally then realise I’m not doing it properly.

We also have a solidor with ultion lock. Firstly you need to push the door slightly if opening from the inside and pull it slightly if opening from the outside. This is a bit hard to get used to because it's so counterintuitive. Ours works better if you push it with your foot slightly at the bottom, from the inside.

And yes to everyone who said you need the graphite powder. We contacted ultion because we found it so hard to open with the key and only bought the graphite powder on their say so, to prove we'd done everything before demanding the faulty lock was replaced. It worked. You sprinkle it on the key and then put the key in the lock and turn it. You are supposed to do it every six months.

We have a solidoor wirh the Yale lock and it’s not stiff or hard to unlock at all so I think this could be down to the fitting

We have one of these and have had no issues. Yeah it’s a bit more fiddly than a standard pvc door (that we had before) but relatively easy once you’ve got the hang of it. We’ve had ours years and if it feels a bit stiff we just spray some wd40 into the lock…. Never realised you’re not supposed to do this! Works a treat though.

We have one and the lock is fine, it was installed by an approved supplier or whatever the term is. We did have a problem where when you lift the handle up it wasn’t dropping back down but the supplier came out and fixed the issue no charge. Had the door about 6 months. Your builder should rectify this, my 4 year old can turn the key- which is why we also have a chain!!

Ours was fitted by an approved fitter, but the lock was still stiff. The back door, which has the lock on a handle isn't, and never had been, but the Yale-style lock that is only operated with a key was. But as I said above, this was cured with the graphite powder.