UPVC doors, uPVC patio doors or PVC French doors can help to create the impression that you want for the entrance into your home. Currently available on the market in a vast array of door styles, colour options and wood grain effects to meet exactly with your tastes and budget. UPVC front doors fitted provide high levels of protection against the elements due to the air tight seals that are incorporated into the frames, keeping out draughts and rain. In addition uPVC front doors and frames require minimal maintenance to retain the door’s appearance and performance. Coloured upvc front doors retain their original colour for a long period of time.
If you plan to replace an existing door and frame the standard uPVC frame, which is 70 mm front to back, is similar in size to a wooden door frame, meaning the damage to the existing wall decoration surrounding the existing frame is minimal. UPVC front doors prices are reasonable and affordable.
PVC front doors can incorporate glazed or decorative moulded PVC insulated panels. Reducing or avoiding heat loss with these doors is important to keep energy costs to a minimum.
A few examples of uPVC exterior door styles
Colours Available
A few years ago the standard colour for uPVC doors was white, however nowadays there is a wide range of other colours and wood grain effect doors available for you to choose from.
Popular colours available include:
- Polar white
- Cream
- Rosewood
- Light oak
- Cherry wood
- Mahogany
Refer to colour panel
Range of uPVC colours
In addition, if none of the above colours do not suit your needs, there are over 150 RAL colours available. Click here to see the REHAU colour range.
Glazing Options for uPVC Doors Available
Glass panels on upvc double glazed front doors can be in either clear or obscure glass. The double glazed units can incorporate energy conservation properties for example ‘Low E glass’ to improve the thermal efficiency of the glass units.
Advantages of Low E glass are:
- Improved thermal efficiency
- Less energy consumption
- Less solar gain
- Condensation reduction internally
Then there is the safety consideration for glass……
Doors with glass panels can be dangerous to the user if the wrong glass is fitted. Even though each door is generally fitted with a handle, quite often people will push a door open by placing their hand directly on the door itself or the panels of the door. If the panels are made of glass it is possible, with the pushing action of the door, that their hand could go straight through the glass, causing in some cases major injury. For this reason safety glass is very important and it is also a requirement of the Building Code.
The choices of safety glass available are of two general types:
Laminated Safety Glass – consists of a glass sandwich of two layers of glass with a plastic membrane in between. Should the pane of this glass break the integrity of the glass will be held by the plastic layer between the glass panes. This glass is quite strong and will withstand a blow from a heavy object such as a football.
The second type is Toughened (Tempered) Glass – it’s much stronger than standard glass (4 times). The additional strength comes from the tempering process leaving it resistant to thermal stress and impact. It can still break, however, if it receives a big enough blow. In this case, the glass shatters into small pieces known as dice. The dice is small enough, therefore the risk of injury is considerably less.
Typical Specification
The typical specification for standard White uPVC Front Doors is as follows:
| Door Leaf | ||
| Framing | 70 mm multi chambered profile, 3.2 mm thick outer walls with fully welded construction | |
| Colour | White | |
| Panel | Insulated panel | |
| Glazing | Doubled glazed units – 28 mm thick with 20 mm air space Toughened and Low E glass | |
| Locks | Multi point ‘Espagnolette’ mortice locks including 2 hook boltsAnti drill cylinder | |
| Hinges | 3 No adjustable security hinges | |
| Handles | Lever/Lever handles in white as standard (or gold, silver and black) | |
| Threshold | Aluminium low threshold weather bar | |
| Reinforcement | Galvanised box section steel complete door for added strength and rigidity | |
| Beading | Bevelled or profiled beaded internally for maximum security | |
| Dimensions | Made to measure | |
Door Accessories
To finish of the door you can add a number of accessories, as follows, in varying colors and finishes:
- Door chains
- Spy holes
- Handles
- Door knockers
Door Security
Security on your uPVC front door is very important therefore make sure they are fitted with uPVC door locks incorporating the latest anti tamper key cylinders. If you want the ultimate in security for the home then read our article steel security doors.
If PVC is not for you then try reading choosing a timber front door. There are many different types and styles of wooden doors to choose from for external use. A popular choice is mahogany exterior doors.
Read all our ideas on UPVC French doors.
The choice is yours……