Should I change my teak door?

Comer1

I have a teak front door since the house was build in 1996. It's in an alcove under a balcony so gets no weather whatsoever. It's in absolutely perfect condition, exactly as it was the day it was installed by Munster Joinery. It has triple locking and I also fitted a mortise lock a couple of years ago.

The only issue is a bit of condensation on the panels and single glazed glass panels during very cold weather. My wife wants to change it for a composite door but I'm not sure if it's really necessary. Would I be mad to take out (what I consider) a very good door or would the advantages of a composite door over this one be worth it?

Thanks

Outkast_IRE

How are it's seals , is it drafty any noticeable air getting in ?

I have s new Palladio with no letterbox and it's a different class to the previous teak door , but I had issues with the old door sealing so the improvement was always going to be massive

The Continental Op

Tell your wife to get her sowing machine out and run up some curtains to put on that wall that can be pulled across the door. Would look nicer and be cozier than a lump of white plastic

Comer1

Outkast_IRE wrote: »

How are it's seals , is it drafty any noticeable air getting in ?

I have s new Palladio with no letterbox and it's a different class to the previous teak door , but I had issues with the old door sealing so the improvement was always going to be massive

Thanks for the reply. No noticeable drafts so seals must still be good.

CoBo55

The Continental Op wrote: »

Tell your wife to get her sowing machine out and run up some curtains to put on that wall that can be pulled across the door. Would look nicer and be cozier than a lump of white plastic

He could always get a brown composite door.

CoBo55

Comer1 wrote: »

Thanks for the reply. No noticeable drafts so seals must still be good.

Resistance is futile.
Start getting those door catalogues aul son, at least try and get one you like. You'll probably get a few quid for the old door on DD.

chooseusername

The Continental Op wrote: »

Tell your wife to get her sowing machine out and run up some curtains to put on that wall that can be pulled across the door. Would look nicer and be cozier than a lump of white plastic

Be a bit boaring though.

Alun

Depending on the model of Palladio door you can get the inside any colour you want. Ours is white, but it's a woodgrain pattern, just like the outside so doesn't look like a tacky piece of white plastic at all.

Comer1

CoBo55 wrote: »

Resistance is futile.
Start getting those door catalogues aul son, at least try and get one you like. You'll probably get a few quid for the old door on DD.

Decision will ultimately be mine (I think :rolleyes::) ), just want to know if the substantial cost will be worth it for the upgrade.

Our current door isn't worth upgrading for appearances sake only, I just don't know if the difference in performance will be worth it.

chicorytip

Work out your budget first of all. A composite (Palladio) type of door will cost significantly more than a teak one but may not be worth justifying the extra cost.

Government buildings

Why not paint the teak door? Benefits of teak door is that it can be repainted over and over as you get tired of the colour. PVC doors? No taste!

CoBo55

Comer1 wrote: »

Decision will ultimately be mine (I think :rolleyes::) ), just want to know if the substantial cost will be worth it for the upgrade.

Our current door isn't worth upgrading for appearances sake only, I just don't know if the difference in performance will be worth it.

Let us know what door you get:D The mil has a lovely wood grain type pvc door it looks very well and it's a few years old at this stage.

mr_cochise

Would I be right in thinking that the fact there is condensation occurring means the door is acting as a cold bridge, i.e., the house is losing heat through the door?

ShatterProof

No. A good heavy curtain.

mr_cochise

ShatterProof wrote: »

No. A good heavy curtain.

Would definitely be a cheaper option.

CoBo55

mr_cochise wrote: »

Would definitely be a cheaper option.

Yea, in 1900 to stop the draught blowing out the candles...

Comer1

mr_cochise wrote: »

Would I be right in thinking that the fact there is condensation occurring means the door is acting as a cold bridge, i.e., the house is losing heat through the door?

Yes, but would how long would it take to make back the 2.5k cost of a new door in heating savings?

I'm slightly the wrong side of middle aged so might not even live long enough to make that saving :rolleyes:

listermint

Hard to give you and answer without seeing airflow. If you know someone with a FLIR camera could check the cold levels on door. And also use a incense stick lit to see if there smoke is moving around the door edges.

If yes then ya new door. Wouldn't bother with curtains personally.

The Continental Op

CoBo55 wrote: »

Yea, in 1900 to stop the draught blowing out the candles...

So in 2000 we should be living in plastic boxes?

mr_cochise

Comer1 wrote: »

Yes, but would how long would it take to make back the 2.5k cost of a new door in heating savings?

I'm slightly the wrong side of middle aged so might not even live long enough to make that saving :rolleyes:

Yeah, that's the nub of it really, cost versus benefit.

listermint

Comer1 wrote: »

Yes, but would how long would it take to make back the 2.5k cost of a new door in heating savings?

I'm slightly the wrong side of middle aged so might not even live long enough to make that saving :rolleyes:

I do tend to think of things through comfort and not return on investment though. You could get less than a Palladio door with similar UValues for less than that though.

Something like this or adverts.

https://instagram.com/wholesalepvcireland?igshid=1jnr6nyp8gc9m

Outkast_IRE

As it's just a door with no side panels a Palladio composite could be gotten for 1500-1600 . Yeah the condensation on the glass is a sign heat is escaping . I think they are a worthwhile investment assuming you have tackled the other low hanging fruit such as attic insulation , cavity wall insulation etc.

CoBo55

Comer1 wrote: »

Yes, but would how long would it take to make back the 2.5k cost of a new door in heating savings?

I'm slightly the wrong side of middle aged so might not even live long enough to make that saving :rolleyes:

Ah for God sake would ya stop, either you (the wife) want to change the door or you don't. Put the spreadsheets away and make the decision. Life is too short to be measuring things in sips of oil saved.

cute geoge

I would be interested in the teak door if you are changing .In fact I had top of range door fitted by MJ a few years back .the door panels all cracked within 12 months and mJ wanted E80 to just to come out to see the problem .Lucky I knew one of the managers and got it sorted but to see door stripped down there was not much in them ,I reckon you could drive in the panels with a good kick .I would say warranty and repair service by mj is just a joke but reasonably good quality otherwise

Government buildings

The door is perfect. Paint the frame around the door. Then paint the door a different colour, so it stands out. Your wife will be delighted! Of course, she will choose the colours.

John Hutton

Had a similar door in the past, I stuck a curtain up, it feels snug and blocks out annoying street-light as well as helping with heat.

There's nothing wrong with your door, maybe paint it if its the looks she is on about. Otherwise you are just wasting money that could be better spent on something else.

Your house is coming up on 30 years old, so maybe consider replacing the cold water tank in the attic, or the kerosene tank outside (if you have one) or replacing all the electrical sockets and light switches in your house, or there are other jobs that could be done for not far off the money a new door (to replace a perfect door) would cost.

listermint

John Hutton wrote: »

Had a similar door in the past, I stuck a curtain up, it feels snug and blocks out annoying street-light as well as helping with heat.

There's nothing wrong with your door, maybe paint it if its the looks she is on about. Otherwise you are just wasting money that could be better spent on something else.

Your house is coming up on 30 years old, so maybe consider replacing the cold water tank in the attic, or the kerosene tank outside (if you have one) or replacing all the electrical sockets and light switches in your house, or there are other jobs that could be done for not far off the money a new door (to replace a perfect door) would cost.

Wtf has light switches and cold water tanks got to do it with heat retention....


Bizarre

John Hutton

listermint wrote: »

Wtf has light switches and cold water tanks got to do it with heat retention....


Bizarre

Nothing, I'm pointing out there are more important jobs to be done on a house pushing 30 than replacing a perfectly fine door.

CoBo55

listermint wrote: »

Wtf has light switches and cold water tanks got to do it with heat retention....


Bizarre

Woosh....

JustAThought

there’s a major world recession coming. Paint the door - you might well rue the day you spent a couple if grand in an entirely unnecessary dior & vanity acessory to please your wife when the bottom falls out of the ecomomy entirely. Say no and pInt it if needs be. Few folk in my area have jumped on the MDF/Composite doors aNd its just another house fashion fad - few have had problems with fit and huge delays due to covid/factory ordering/availability uncertainties - keep your money in the bank for the emergency you might need and leave the beautiful solid teak door where it is.

Lumen

That door is probably leaking about 100W in very cold weather, assuming seals are good. That's maybe 300kWh over the heating season, costing less than 20 euros in heating.

That makes the payback time on a 1500 euro door about a hundred years.

Exact numbers arguable but there is no economic case for replacing that door.