A composite door is a door built from multiple materials layered together to combine the best properties of each.

Unlike a single-material door:  Pure timber, pure uPVC, or pure steel, a composite door is engineered as a whole system.

A typical composite door consists of:

• A solid timber or high-density foam core for structural rigidity and insulation.
• A glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) outer skin that mimics the look of real timber without any of the maintenance.
• A uPVC or aluminium subframe around the edges, and a multi-point locking system built into the door leaf itself.

The result is a door that is stronger, better-insulated, more secure, and lower-maintenance than any single-material alternative.

A standard composite door replacement: (removing the existing door and frame and fitting the new doorset) typically takes 3–4 hours for a single door.

More complex installations, such as door and frame into masonry or installations alongside side-light panels, may take a full day.

We will confirm a clear timeline when we provide your quote. We aim to minimise disruption to your household and always leave the property clean and secure at the end of the installation.

A quality composite door, properly installed, will typically last 30 years or more with minimal maintenance.

The GRP skin is UV-stable and colour-fast.

The solid core is not susceptible to the moisture ingress that causes timber doors to rot or warp over time.

The elements that may need attention over a 30-year lifespan are the hardware (handles, hinges, letterbox, and lock cylinder; all of which are replaceable without replacing the door itself) and the rubber weather seals around the frame, which can be refreshed as part of routine maintenance.

Many composite doors installed in the early 2000s are still in excellent condition today, outlasting the uPVC doors fitted around the same time on the same streets.

Absolutely.

In many ways, a composite back door is an even more important security upgrade than the front.

Back doors are statistically a more common point of forced entry, yet many homes still have older or lower-specification doors at the rear.

Taurus Locks & Glazing installs composite doors front and back across Lincolnshire.

Back door composite installations can be specified with or without glazing, with the same security and thermal performance as front doors.

Our composite doors are fitted with multi-point locking systems as standard.

This means that when you lift the handle and turn the key, the door locks at multiple points along its height simultaneously, not just at a single central point.

A typical multi-point system locks at the top, middle, and bottom of the door, with additional hooks or bolts engaging into the frame.

This makes it dramatically more difficult to force a door open by applying leverage at a single point, which is how older single-latch doors are typically attacked.

Multi-point locking also improves the door's weather seal, as it pulls the door tightly against the frame at multiple points.

In almost all cases, yes. Particularly when compared to older timber doors.

Traditional timber front doors, especially those with single-point Yale or mortice locks, have significant vulnerabilities.

Timber can split under impact, frames can warp and weaken over time, and older lock types offer limited resistance to modern forced-entry techniques.

A modern composite door with PAS 24 certification, multi-point locking, and an anti-snap cylinder represents a substantially higher level of security.

The solid core resists impact, the GRP skin does not split, and the certified locking system is independently tested.

Compared to a modern, high-specification timber door with equivalent security hardware, the difference is less pronounced.

... But composite doors achieve that security level at considerably lower cost and with no ongoing maintenance requirement.

Lock snapping is the most common method of forced entry in the UK.

It involves inserting a tool into the cylinder (the barrel you insert your key into) and applying leverage to snap the outer section off, which then allows the lock to be operated from inside without a key.

Many older Euro cylinders fitted to both uPVC and composite doors in the 1990s and 2000s are highly vulnerable to this technique.

An anti-snap cylinder is designed to break at a sacrificial point that leaves the locking mechanism intact, and the door still secure even if the outer section is snapped off.

All composite doors we install at Taurus include anti-snap cylinders as standard.

If you have an existing composite door but are unsure whether it has an anti-snap cylinder, we can inspect and upgrade the cylinder independently without replacing the whole door.

Call us on 01205 615 047 to arrange this.

PAS 24 is the British Standard for enhanced security performance on doors and windows — published by the British Standards Institution (BSI).

It tests doors against a range of simulated attack scenarios, including manual attack with tools, impact resistance, and lock manipulation.

All composite doors we supply and install at Taurus Locks & Glazing are PAS 24 compliant.

This is increasingly required by insurers, particularly for new-build properties and those subject to recent planning conditions.

If your composite door was fitted by Taurus and your insurer asks whether your door meets PAS 24, the answer is yes.

Composite doors are among the best-insulating door types available.

The solid, high-density core (whether timber or foam) provides excellent thermal resistance.

Combined with high-performance weather seals around the frame and thermally-broken frame profiles, a modern composite door will perform significantly better than an older timber or single-skin uPVC door.

The threshold (the bottom seal where the door meets the floor) is often the weakest point for heat loss in any door.

Our composite door installations include low-threshold options with effective draught seals, minimising heat loss at ground level.

In practical terms, households regularly report a noticeable improvement in hallway temperature after replacing an old timber or failing uPVC door with a new composite.

A U-value measures how readily a building element transmits heat, expressed in W/m²K (watts per square metre per kelvin).

Lower is better: a lower U-value means less heat passes through the door.

For context, an old timber door with single glazing might have a U-value of 3.0 or higher.

Current Building Regulations in England require external doors to achieve no worse than 1.8 W/m²K.

Quality composite doors typically achieve U-values of 1.2–1.5 W/m²K for the door leaf itself, with some premium specifications achieving lower still.

When comparing doors, always ask for the U-value of the complete doorset (door + frame) rather than the door leaf alone, as the frame contributes significantly to total heat loss.

Yes.

Glazed panels in a composite door will typically have a higher U-value (worse thermal performance) than the solid door leaf, so a fully solid door will outperform a heavily-glazed one in pure insulation terms.

However, our glazed composite door panels use double-glazed sealed units with Low-E glass coatings and argon gas fills; the same technology as our window units.

This significantly reduces the thermal penalty of having glazing in the door.

The difference in real-world performance between a well-glazed and unglazed composite door is modest.

If maximum thermal performance is your priority, for example, in a very exposed northerly elevation, we can discuss solid or minimal-glazing specifications when you enquire.

Replacing a draughty or poorly-insulated old door with a modern composite door will reduce heat loss at that point in your home's fabric.

Whether this translates into a measurable reduction in your energy bills depends on several factors: the condition of your existing door, how often it's used, the overall insulation of your home, and your heating habits.

The impact of a single door is typically less dramatic than replacing multiple windows, but it does contribute to the overall thermal envelope of your home.

For properties where the existing front or back door is visibly draughty, warped, or has failed seals, the improvement can be quite noticeable in terms of comfort, even if the bill saving is modest.

Modern composite doors are available in a very wide range of colours. The most popular choices in Lincolnshire currently include:

• Anthracite grey — the most popular contemporary colour nationwide
• Black — bold, timeless, and increasingly popular on both period and modern properties
• White — clean and classic, suits all property types
• Cream — softer than white, popular on older and rural properties
• Chartwell green — a muted sage green with strong heritage character
• Duck egg blue — distinctive and popular in coastal and rural settings
• Woodgrain foils — Irish Oak, Rosewood, Golden Oak — for the look of real timber

We also offer dual-colour options, where the outside face and inside face of the door are different colours.

The most popular combination is anthracite grey outside with white inside, giving strong contemporary kerb appeal while keeping hallways bright and fresh.

Quality composite door colour foils are UV-stable and colour-fast.

They will not peel, flake, or require repainting over the door's lifetime.

Some very slight fading is possible on south-facing doors after many years of direct sun exposure, but modern GRP skins are designed to resist UV degradation.

This is a significant advantage over painted timber doors, which typically need repainting every 3–5 years to maintain their appearance.

The colour you choose on a composite door is essentially the colour you'll have for the life of the door, with no intervention required.

We offer composite doors across the full range from traditional to contemporary:

• Traditional styles: Victorian raised panel, Edwardian half-light with leaded glazing, cottage arched, farmhouse stable doors
• Transitional styles: Classic glazed, Craftsman, Shaker flat-panel
• Contemporary styles: Flush profile, full-glazed, Crittall-inspired steel look, side-light entrances, grand entrance configurations

If you're unsure which style suits your property best, we're happy to discuss and advise based on your home's architecture and your personal preference when we visit for your free quote.

Yes.

Modern composite doors with woodgrain GRP skins are convincingly realistic.

The GRP moulding process faithfully reproduces the grain structure of real timber, and the woodgrain colour foils (Irish Oak, Rosewood, Golden Oak, and others) add authentic depth of colour that looks entirely natural when the door is painted out in a property setting.

The difference between a quality modern composite door in a woodgrain finish and a real painted timber door is genuinely difficult to distinguish at normal viewing distance.

This makes composite an excellent choice for properties where you want the warmth and character of a timber-look door without any of the maintenance.

Yes.

Replacing an external door in England is a notifiable work under Building Regulations Part L (Conservation of Fuel and Power).

The replacement door must meet minimum thermal performance requirements (currently a maximum U-value of 1.8 W/m²K for the complete doorset).

As a registered installer, Taurus Locks & Glazing handles all Building Regulations compliance on your behalf.

We self-certify through a government-authorised scheme, which means you receive a Competent Person certificate following installation, confirming compliance.

This is an important document to retain for any future property sale.

Yes.

Most of our installations in Lincolnshire involve traditional brick-built properties, and fitting composite doors into masonry openings is standard practice for our installation team.

The frame is fixed directly into the masonry with appropriate fixings, the gap between frame and brickwork is filled and made weathertight, and the internal reveal is finished neatly.

Where the existing masonry opening needs any remedial work, for example, if a lintel requires attention or the brickwork around the opening is damaged, we'll advise you at the survey and quoting stage.

Composite door prices vary considerably depending on the style, colour, glazing specification, hardware choices, and the size of the door opening.

As a general guide, a fully fitted composite front door from Taurus Locks & Glazing will typically fall in the range of £800–£2,000, including installation, with most standard residential installations sitting toward the lower end of that range.

Factors that affect price include:

• Door style and panel configuration
• Colour: standard colours are lower cost than special or dual-colour options
• Glazing specification and glass type
• Hardware: standard vs. premium handle and furniture sets
• Opening size: larger or non-standard openings cost more to manufacture and fit
  Whether side-light panels are included

The only way to get an accurate price is a free, no-obligation quote, which we provide at your property at a time to suit you.

There are no vague estimates or hidden extras.

Yes.

Taurus Locks & Glazing offers finance options to help spread the cost of your new composite door installation.

Finance can make a significant difference to affordability, allowing you to have the door you want now rather than waiting to save the full amount.

Full details of our finance options are available on our Finance page, or ask us when you request your free quote, and we'll talk you through the options available to you.

Yes.

A new composite front door is one of the most cost-effective home improvements for kerb appeal and perceived value.

Estate agents consistently note that the front door is among the first things buyers notice, and a tired, draughty, or dated front door can create a negative first impression that is hard to recover from during a viewing.

A new composite door in a well-chosen colour and style signals that the property has been maintained and cared for.

Some market studies have suggested a new front door can add up to 2–5% to a property's perceived value; a return that significantly exceeds the installation cost in many cases.

For landlords and letting agents, a new composite door also reduces maintenance costs and tenant calls over the long term.