Sliding doors SE London - uPVC vs Composite/Velfac vs Aluminium (Rosewood/White)

Joined
11 Sep 2021
Messages
26
Reaction score
0
Country
United Kingdom
Hi,
I need to replace a single glazed (security glass) 2 pane external sliding door, c. 2380 mm wide / 2082mm high. Near Crystal Palace.

The current one is hardwood with two single panes of security glass, but is in a poor state and would need significant rebuilding (I'm open to that, but can't find anyone willing to take it on; seems a shame to waste the glass ... ).

I'm ideally after something white on the inside, rosewood (or similar shade of dark wood finish) outside; double glazed; ideally toughened or security glass with decent u value.
Ideally with a threshold suitable for wheelchair access.

- uPVC seems to be by far the cheapest. Best price being c. £830 delivered (using a third party 10% cashback scheme). Extra for fitting by someone else (or possibly DIY). However, some other quotes I've had have been c. £2.6k fitted. I guess there's a fair bit of variance in the quality of the product, but you don't always get want you pay for. Any brands and fitters to go for or avoid?

- I gather Velfac/composite is typically around £450/m2 fitted, so > £2k. Possibly more given delivery, etc.

- I gather aluminium is typically c. £500/m2 fitted, perhaps more.

We plan to be in the property c. 20-25 years if possible. The door is in a timber frame building to a courtyard and I'm a little concerned about:
- Discolouration of upvc (white internal part yellowing, brown bits fading)
- Security
- Heat - e.g. damage/expansion

The previous owner replaced some of the wooden sliding doors with uPVC (rosewood/rosewood) in 2018. Those seem fine to me. (Though a quote from the same company that did that for uPVC comes in at aluminium prices).

uPVC is tempting, since it'll be around half (or less) the price of composite/alu and we have a lot of works up coming so spending less if very tempting. However, I'm keen to buy well/buy once ...

Thoughts / recommendations / advice most welcome.

Many thanks!
 
Last edited:
I've got a Nordan slider, build quality is excellent, it's engineered wood construction, low threshold, clad in powder coated aluminium (outside).

Being a Scandinavian product it's triple glazed (think you can get double). This is very similar to Veflac in construction. Overall design of hardware is also nicer than the upvc offerings you're probably looking at. For me, if you are spending time there, I'd stump up the money and have similar.
 
Nordan are just great, the best of everything, weatherproof aluminum on the outside, nice timber on the inside. As mentioned as a premium product they also cost a premium.
 
Are the Velfac units you've seen Aluminium clad... if so, these would be my choice.

As mentioned before hardware is nicer, build I think is better. Design/detailing is also better in my opinion, if you have a new house, Nordan/Velfac look a notch above UPVC.

There are good upvc flush casement windows (if that's what you want) from the likes of Bison Frames or Residence.

Good luck
 
Back
Top