UPVC Front Door
 

Following on from the UPVC windows thread, my front door, surround and threshold/step needs replacing and don’t know where to start.

The current door and surround are the originals from 1970. The surround is rotten and looks a real mess but the door itself is ok.

Ideally I’d have the surround replaced with wood although I know it’s more maintenance. The thing I don’t like with UPVC surrounds is the visible silicon seal between it and the brick work.

Is it possible to get the surrounding frame replaced with wood in the same style or would it be far more expensive than UPVC ? With wood I could keep the front door.

Thanks

Linda. A standard door frame with a hardwood cill is about £80/£90. A bit more if you opt for all hardwood albeit the cill is always better timber as it needs to take heavier weathering and the wear from the footfall.

Takes an hour to rip one out and put a new one in. Then the issue of the door comes into play. The World is your oyster on design and cost. About 2 hours max to hang a new door with the door furniture as well e.g. letter plate, lock(s), house number etc. Probably only 45 mins to put the existing door back on.

If the whole lot is being replaced in one hit 2+ hours max as the existing door will be trashed off with a nail bar.

If you don't want to see white mastic around a uPVC or any type of door frame you can specify translucent to be used. However that is pure silicon and is not as robust as mastic. For neat lines I use masking tape, then gun it and then strip the tape off.

Good tip with regards the masking tape, I always do the same and end up with a nice neat finish.

I normally end up with more silicon sealant on me than on the job I'm doing.

I'm more concerned about my tongue!

How many Tradesmen and DIY people lick their middle finger then smooth down the mastic!

For certain jobs I now put on a pair or even one rubber glove. A box of extra large ones from Amazon is about £5. Lasts for about a year I find. Handy for painting (1 glove). Waxing the car (2 gloves) etc etc.