New front door

[miniman]

About to get quotes to replace my knackered windows (thank you, Crest, a whole decade before the sealed units failed, wow) but I really don't want a horrible white plastic door, or one of those "supposed to look like wood" (i.e. brown plastic) ones. I've seen the composite ones which look quite nice, but is it possible to get a proper wooden door, but with the multi-point locking etc. that the UPVC ones have?

TIA

[Stamp]

I would say a good hardwood door wouldn't need a multi lock. I have just replaced two outside soft wood doors with oak. The back door with a 7 lever mortice lock and the front with the same plus a yale type. ( All Abloy keycard locks. )
IMHO, much much more secure than your multi lock system.

[MikeyT]

Do a search for 'wooden front doors' - we had a new one about three years ago - solid wood but not that expensive. You can pay thousands ... ours was abouut £500 fitted I think. No glass - five lever lock and bolts top and bottom to stop it warping etc, and a good varnish every year.

Edited by MikeyT on Monday 20th October 08:26

[Balmoral Green]

Stamp said:

IMHO, much much more secure than your multi lock system.

How do you work that out then? A multipoint in addition to the locks is not as secure? Surely it would be the same level of security at the very least, not less secure. How can the fitting of a multi point mechanism with your 7 lever mortice make the 7 lever mortice less secure? And if they didn't get past the locks, the multi point would make it more secure against forced entry.

In answer to the OP, yes, you can get a hardwood door with the multipoint locking mechanism, whether you specify a cylinder, 5 lever or 7 lever mortice, or Yale type, or a combination thereof, for the actual lock(s).

Edited by Balmoral Green on Monday 20th October 08:53

[DJFish]

The only problem with some multi-point upvc doors is that they are extremely vunerable to certain methods of entry, Obviously I won't go into details but I once locked myself out whilst working in the garage and was able to "let myself in again" in about 20 seconds.

[davido140]

DJFish said:

The only problem with some multi-point upvc doors is that they are extremely vunerable to certain methods of entry, Obviously I won't go into details but I once locked myself out whilst working in the garage and was able to "let myself in again" in about 20 seconds.

I thought that was just patio doors / french windows? I've seen those removed in about 20 seconds...

You do see the old bill struggling to get through upvc doors on streetwars etc.

[Nurburgsingh]

I have recently seen some steel doors with a laminate facing which I thought wre fantastic.

Something like the ones from www.matadoors.co.uk

[Balmoral Green]

I have seen PVCu doors opened with a plumbers blowtorch, they just cut through the PVCu at the top and the bottom adjacent to the fusion welds in the corners where there is no reinforcement, like a knife through butter. You find the door swinging on its hinges, but the side with the handle and lock is still locked securely with the multipoint mechanism all neatly still engaged into the outer frame.

Half glazed PVCu doors are even easier to melt into with a torch at the half panel below the midrail, unless the panel is reinforced with ply or steel inside. Usually they are just polystyrene or styrofoam or similar.

Edited by Balmoral Green on Monday 20th October 09:01

[DJFish]

davido140 said:

DJFish said:

The only problem with some multi-point upvc doors is that they are extremely vunerable to certain methods of entry, Obviously I won't go into details but I once locked myself out whilst working in the garage and was able to "let myself in again" in about 20 seconds.

I thought that was just patio doors / french windows? I've seen those removed in about 20 seconds...

You do see the old bill struggling to get through upvc doors on streetwars etc.

For forced entry I'm sure they're great, but a bit more thought could've gone into the locking mechanisms in my humble opinion.
If you watch the likes of streetwars and see the various bits and bobs that burglars have on them when they get pinched they are startlingly simple but very effective.
That said, if they're determined enough and remain undisturbed, they'll get in eventually.

Edited by DJFish on Monday 20th October 09:03

[Balmoral Green]

Usually, PVCu doors, French doors, Patio doors, Composite doors etc all have the standard and very commonplace 'Euro' cylinder lock. They are very easy to unlock and are not secure at all compared to a good old fashioned 5 or 7 lever mortice. If you can open the lock, the multipoint mechanism is irrelevant.

Google bump locking and cylinder snapping.

[Stamp]

Balmoral Green said:

Usually, PVCu doors, French doors, Patio doors, Composite doors etc all have the standard and very commonplace 'Euro' cylinder lock. They are very easy to unlock and are not secure at all compared to a good old fashioned 5 or 7 lever mortice. If you can open the lock, the multipoint mechanism is irrelevant.

Google bump locking and cylinder snapping.

That's kind of what I meant by my statement, the one you flamed!
I'm sure you can get very good multi point locks, but the average UPVC one is operated by a cheap euro cylinder.

[shirt]

i had new doors fitted last year.

bought the [high spec.] doors & frames from the local timber merchant and the locks from www.directlocks.co.uk. then had one of the joiners at work to fit everything for me.

fitted a yale & 5 lever mortice on the back door but went for the full works on the front by fitting a 7-point lock, the best barrel i could find and used a reinforced frame.

the joiner hadn't fitted one before but didn't have any problems. i do remember that i couldn't fit a certain type of multipoint into a wooden door but can't remember which [might be the ones with hooks].

[Parrot of Doom]

Any carpenter can make a door. They're really very simple. Get one made from a good hardwood and it'll last for hundreds of years. Same with windows. If your house is of a decent age you will even be able to get a copy of the correct period door. Just look around the area for similar houses.

[Balmoral Green]

Stamp said:

That's kind of what I meant by my statement, the one you flamed!
I'm sure you can get very good multi point locks

The multi point is not the lock, the lock and the multi point mechanism are two separate things. A seven lever mortice locking up a multi point mechanism will be more secure than just a seven lever mortice, you were suggesting the opposite!

[miniman]

Thanks all, useful info. Now, can I **really** bring myself to call... Safestyle? I said you buy one, you get the idea. Friend recently used them, very happy overall. But it does seem logical to pay more simply not to have their van parked outside for 2 days.

[V12Les]

Composite Door, either steel or fiberglass faced. Very secure with muli-point locking, should be able to get for around £550 upwards, piece of piss to fit.

[CaptiV8ted]

Letter from the Times a while back....

"I've just bought a lovely new solid wood front door for £500. I paid the same for another sold wood front door back in 1964, but then it came with a 3 bedroom house attached to it!

/oldgit

[TVR Andy]

miniman said:

About to get quotes to replace my knackered windows (thank you, Crest, a whole decade before the sealed units failed, wow) but I really don't want a horrible white plastic door, or one of those "supposed to look like wood" (i.e. brown plastic) ones. I've seen the composite ones which look quite nice, but is it possible to get a proper wooden door, but with the multi-point locking etc. that the UPVC ones have?

TIA

Try Munster Joinery

[Pigeon]

Just make sure it opens outwards. Not inwards, in the usual moronic way designed to facilitate smashing it in.

[Furyous]

These people do higher scurity locks for wooden doors....

http://www.banham.com/