Flagship guide · 9 min read
The Ultimate Guide to Aluminium Windows
Everything worth knowing before specifying aluminium windows, from frame construction and thermal performance to colour, glass and realistic pricing.
Choosing the Right Entrance Door
How to choose between composite and aluminium entrance doors, what security and insulation ratings actually mean, and what a good door costs.
4 min read
The front door does more work than almost any other single item on a house: it is the first thing a visitor sees, the main line of security, and a significant source of heat loss if specified poorly. Getting it right means balancing appearance, security certification and thermal performance rather than choosing on looks alone.
This guide covers the two main options for a new entrance door — composite and aluminium — along with the security and insulation standards worth checking, and typical costs across the range.
Composite versus aluminium entrance doors
A composite door has a glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) skin over an insulated core, usually timber or foam, giving good thermal performance and a wide range of woodgrain and painted finishes at a moderate price. An aluminium entrance door, often part of the same system as a home's windows or sliding doors, gives a slimmer, more contemporary frame and a colour-matched finish across the whole house, typically at a higher price point.
| Factor | Composite | Aluminium |
|---|---|---|
| Typical price | £2,500 - £4,500 | £3,500 - £7,500 |
| Style range | Wide range of panel styles and woodgrain finishes | Contemporary flush or glazed panel styles |
| Colour matching | Good, wide RAL and foil range | Excellent, matches window and door frames exactly |
| Insulation | Strong, solid core | Good with a thermally broken frame |
| Best suited to | Most homes, period or contemporary | Contemporary homes matching aluminium windows |
Security standards worth checking
PAS 24 is the recognised security standard for entrance doors, testing resistance to forced entry using the tools and techniques commonly used in opportunist break-ins. It is a requirement for new-build dwellings under Part Q of the Building Regulations, and worth specifying on any replacement door even where it is not compulsory.
- PAS 24 certified door set, not just a PAS 24 lock fitted to an untested door
- Multi-point locking with anti-snap and anti-drill cylinders
- A door chain or viewer, and where relevant, a video doorbell mounting point agreed in advance
- Reinforced hinges and a robust letterplate if post is delivered through the door
Thermal performance and glazing options
Entrance doors are covered by the same 1.4 W/m²K Part L requirement as windows. A solid composite door with no glazing typically performs very well, while a fully glazed door needs a good glass specification to reach the same standard. Decorative glazing — obscure, leaded or coloured panels — can be combined with a low-e coated unit without compromising performance.
- Solid or part-glazed composite doors generally exceed 1.4 W/m²K comfortably
- Fully glazed aluminium doors need triple glazing or a very good double-glazed spec to match
- Obscure or textured glass gives privacy in a hallway without losing natural light
- Sidelights and glazed panels above the door bring extra light into an entrance hall
Colour and hardware
Anthracite grey and deep greens remain the most popular entrance door colours, with black and heritage cream not far behind. Hardware — the handle, knocker, letterplate and escutcheon — should be chosen as a set rather than piecemeal, and finished to complement window hardware elsewhere on the house.
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Relevant colours
Colours StudioAnthracite Grey · RAL 7016Jet Black · RAL 9005Fir Green · RAL 6009Heritage Cream
Related hardware
Hardware Studio
Door Knockers
Letterplates & Numerals
Escutcheons & Cylinder Guards
Lever Door HandlesQuestions
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