Composite doors and wooden doors look quite similar from the outside, so which one should you choose and why? More importantly, are there enough differences between the two to justify choosing one over the other? Now, while the two types of doors may look similar to each other and are downright identical in some cases, they are not the same and there truly is justifiable cause to choose one over the other, as we will discuss next.
5 Factors you should consider
1. Cost
Composite doors cost more than wooden doors, so in a straight up price comparison, the wooden door will definitely cost you less than its composite counterpart. However, composite doors are priced higher because of the fact that they are a superior product, which will become apparent as we progress further into the comparison.
2. Maintenance
Composite doors are a lot easier to maintain than wooden doors because cleaning them with soapy water and a piece of lint-free cloth is pretty much all that it takes to maintain them. If you fail in that, the only effect would be that you will have a dirty door that is in need of cleaning. The hinges may require annual oiling too, but that’s pretty much universal when it comes to hinged doors.
Wooden doors, on the other hand, need to be maintained regularly with paint jobs or varnish, especially if the region experiences extreme temperatures and/or a lot of rainstorms. If you fail in this, even a good door will begin to rot, warp, peel and swell up, eventually making it too ugly and brittle to be used anymore. Moreover, wood doors are affected by the internal temperature of your home as well, which further quickens its degradation.
3. Longevity
There is no comparison here because composite doors outlast wood doors by a huge margin. Make no mistake though because a high-quality door made out of oak will last for decades. However, for that you would definitely to maintain it well enough, however, even then, the composite door will outlast the wood door. In fact, the combination of longevity and low-maintenance is what makes composite doors a cheaper option. In the long run, as wood becomes much more expensive the longer it lasts, due to the associated maintenance costs.
4. Energy Efficiency
Among the two, wood doors are not much behind composite doors in terms of providing energy efficiency because both materials provide thermal insulation (as well as noise insulation). However, composite doors win in the long run once again because, with each passing year, your wooden door will lose some of its insulation properties. On the other hand, a composite door will provide the same level of insulation throughout its lifetime.
5. Security
It is so easy to forget the primary reason why we install doors in the first place, which is to provide a point of entry and exit to our homes that can be closed to keep the structure relatively safe from external intrusion. In this department, the galvanized steel reinforced composite doors by Home Design Group are just unmatched and it simply isn’t possible for any wood door on the planet to compete with that level of security. You can check out their collection of composite front doors on their official website at https://thehomedesigngroup.co.uk/products/composite-doors/ and see for yourself. While oak or mahogany can make for some very tough doors, they cannot compare with the strength of composite doors. Over the course of time, all types of wood will inevitably become brittle, which won’t happen with composite doors.
We hope that this establishes the differences and the reasons behind why composite doors have become the more preferred choice for front doors in the UK. Therefore, you can remain assured that you won’t have to sacrifice décor in favour of quality by choosing composite over wood. The former can be made to look identical to real wood, without anyone being able to tell the difference.
Article Submitted By Community Writer
