If you’re considering getting a new door, you might have heard about composite doors. They’re becoming more and more popular across the UK. Unlike traditional timber doors or standard uPVC doors, composite doors combine different materials to create something stronger, more secure, and better at keeping your home warm.

Let’s break down exactly what goes into making these doors, what they can offer you, and which is the best composite door for your home.

What is a Composite Door?

A composite door uses a combination of materials, each chosen for its strengths. While traditional wooden doors look great, they often need lots of maintenance. UPVC doors, though low maintenance, often lack style. Composite doors solve these problems by combining the materials into a tough, secure, and attractive door with superior thermal efficiency.

The Construction and Materials

The Core

The heart of every composite door is its solid core, and this is where different manufacturers take different approaches. Our range covers all the main core types available – solid timber in our Solidor doors, high-density foam in our Residor range, Rockdoor’s unique high-impact core and reinforced fibreglass in our Palladio doors. The core gives each door its strength and helps keep heat in your home, so having these options means we can match the right door core to your needs and budget.

The Outer Layers

The core is wrapped in durable layers of weatherproof materials. First comes a layer of insulating foam, which helps keep heat in your home. This is covered in a rigid GRP (Glass Reinforced Plastic) skin, which gives composite doors their wood-like appearance. The outer skin is usually between 2mm and 4mm thick, depending on the manufacturer.

All these layers are pressed together under high pressure during manufacturing. This creates a robust door that won’t warp or twist like wooden doors can. The whole thing is then finished with a weatherproof coating that protects against sun, rain, and whatever else the British weather throws at it.

Our Door Range

At Double Glazing Essex, we offer four different composite door types, each with its own price point, functionality and set of benefits.

Solidor

Solidor doors feature a substantial 48mm thick solid timber core, making them about 10% thicker than standard composite doors. Each door comes with the renowned Ultion lock system as standard, which offers one of the highest security ratings available.

With 23 different colours available, you can create a door that perfectly matches your home’s style, whether that is a modern look of a classic appearance. The timber core provides excellent insulation, helping keep your energy bills down while giving the door a solid, premium feel.

You can design your Solidor from the comfort of your own home with our online Solidor designer. This lets you pick through your options and receive a free, no-obligation quote for your design.

Blue Solidor Doors with side lights

Rockdoor

Rockdoor takes a different approach to composite door construction, using a high-density core that strengthens their doors. Their unique S-Glaze technology means the glass is built into the door rather than fitted separately. This not only improves security but also helps prevent draughts.

Rockdoor doors achieve impressive A-ratings for energy efficiency thanks to their clear backing glass and low uPVC threshold. With 14 different colours and various wood-effect finishes, there’s plenty of scope for your personal taste.

Vermonth Grey rockdoor composite door on a brick house.

Residor

Residor doors stand out with their thick 3.6mm GRP skin, more than twice as thick as standard composite doors. They combine this tough exterior with a thermally efficient polyurethane foam core. Every Residor comes fitted with an Ultion cylinder and Era multi-point lock as standard.

While they offer six standard colours, you can choose from over 250 RAL colours to give you almost unlimited options. We have a Rockdoor designer on our website, letting you create your perfect door online and receive a quote on your design.

Open black residor composite door with sidelight.

Palladio

Palladio doors use an innovative 65mm monocoque structure reinforced with fine fibres of glass. This unique composite door construction process means the door won’t warp, twist, or delaminate over time. They achieve impressive U-values as low as 0.85 W/m²K for solid doors and 0.98 W/m²K for glazed versions, making them some of the most energy-efficient doors available. With 25 different designs and 13 colour options, Palladio doors offer plenty of choices for both modern and traditional homes.

Agate Grey Palladio Composite Door

Security Features

Built with a dense, solid core, composite doors provide exceptional strength. Unlike standard wooden doors or uPVC doors, a composite door offers far greater resistance to forced entry.

Each door we install is fitted with Ultion cylinder locks, one of the most secure locking systems available in the UK market today. These locks are designed to withstand snapping, drilling, and picking, ensuring the protection of your family and home.

Our PAS 24 certification guarantees that every composite door we install meets rigorous security standards, giving homeowners complete peace of mind.

Beyond their physical strength, composite doors also act as a visual deterrent. Their solid, heavy-set design makes it clear to any potential intruder that this is no ordinary front door, and they will often opt for more vulnerable-looking homes.

Energy Efficiency and Environmental Benefits

Compared to standard uPVC or wooden doors, Composite doors provide superior thermal performance, helping to reduce heat loss and keep your living space at a comfortable temperature all year round. They can reach U-values as low as 1.5 W/m²K.

Thanks to their multi-layered construction, our doors prevent draughts and warm air from escaping. This means lower energy bills and a reduced carbon footprint, making them a smart choice for homeowners and the environment.

Why Choose Double Glazing Essex?

With nearly 15 years of experience fitting doors across Essex, we know what works best for local homes. Our installation teams are fully trained and experienced with all our door ranges. We don’t just sell doors – we help you choose the right one for your home and make sure it’s fitted perfectly. Our aftercare service means we’re here to help every step of the way, even after installation.

Ready For a New Composite Door?

Composite doors offer durability and endurance, a high level of security, an array of colours and a range of materials. With a variety of styles and options on offer, we can help you decide the ideal composite door that will suit your needs and property the best.

To discuss our range of doors and your options, you can: