postmaster @ stejonda wrote:
In message , Stuart Noble
writes
postmaster @ stejonda wrote:
We've had an Anglian uPVC front door & sidelight for just over 10
years. The locking mechanism has become troublesome

I have doubts that the door is worth spending further money on &
SWMBO would prefer a hardwood door & frame.
The nearest hardwood door supplier/fitter quoted reasonably and
appeared competent at first but in a conversation yesterday told us
that the frame & door would be untreated when fitted (with the door
furniture attached to the untreated door???) and we would be left to
complete that.
I'm unconvinced that sealing the bottom edge of an external door
in-situ is feasible let alone the usual way of working???
Thoughts/suggestions/recommendations etc. welcomed...


No big deal removing the door furniture to do the finishing. I just
rub candle wax into the bottom edge, which is usually doable in situ.
IME no surface coating comes anywhere near it terms of longevity and
water resistance. Not pretty, but effective in hidden areas.

Ok - so just loosen the furniture to apply the finish? - thanks Stuart.

I prefer to take the furniture off altogether. Nothing complicated.
Putting 3 or 4 coats of anything on a front door at this time of year is
a pain though. Leaving it ajar for 12 hours at a time to let the edges
dry is fine if you never go anywhere :-)


I did mention on here recently that I wouldn't fancy an engineered
hardwood wood door in an exposed location. Certainly round here, those
without a porch look pretty sorry for themselves after a couple of
years, especially the varnished ones.

You'd suggest going with uPVC again? I really can't face dealing with a
DG saleperson again!

Plenty of local firms will fit a front door (pvc or wood) for £500, and
IME there's no difference in quality from a national type firm like
Anglia. If pvc even remotely suits the house, I'd go with that again.
I'm in a line of terraced houses, all with wooden doors, so I did the
decent thing.

The door is inset about 2ft from the front of the house so it's quite
sheltered. What are the better alternatives to varnish?

Mine is protected too but, having looked round the neighbourhood and
seen all the treacle effect varnished finishes, I went for dark green
paint. At least it'll look the same in 5 years time, unlike any
varnished door I've ever seen.