The entrance door market is a very different place from what it was when I joined the industry 17 years ago. Then composite doors exploded, and that changed everything. Composite doors changed the game I joined the industry when I was 16 years old, learning about the product and how to deal with clients. [...]
Where is the next step in the evolution of entrance doors? The composite door has been the biggest innovation in the entrance door market over the past two decades. It has transformed the door market from something pretty pedestrian into something that is now seen as a sexy purchase by homeowners. But the composite [...]
This is a letter to the editor article by Mark Hutchinson, Managing Director of Tradesmith Dear Jason, Following the Government’s announcement (31 July) that five manufacturers’ fire doors failed to meet fire performance standards after an on-going investigation by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), Tradesmith is suspending the sale of [...]
A little while ago I was asked for my thoughts on Door-Stop's impending new solid core composite door. At the time, all I had was a teaser page on the Door-Stop website to go on, so I couldn't make much of an opinion on it. However, details of the product have been announced, and [...]
Not too long ago I wrote a post asking how much people would charge a home owner for one of our high end PVCu engineered doors. You can catch up with that post and the results of the poll I included here. It got people talking, which is the whole point of these posts [...]
There is no doubting that strength of the composite door market. From less than 20% of door sales in 2007 to an estimated 50%+ of door sales by 2018 (Palmer Market Research) this part of our industry is undergoing growth like no other. D&G Analysts forecast that installed value will reach an impressive £439m [...]
For the sake of clarity, this isn't a paid-for post. Merely the reporting of figures from our family run installations business. So why am I bothering? Well, with a 250% rise in the sales of composite doors compared to the same period last year, I believe that the uplift in sales we have seen [...]
I have decided to close my poll in which I asked readers to tell me what they thought a good quality composite door should cost a home owner. The votes were plateauing a little and I looked at the number of votes it already had and the results should be pretty accurate. The results Here [...]
After years and years of selling quality solid hardwood composite doors, Solidor, who manufactures over 60,000 doors per year, announced a GRP foam composite door slab at this year's FIT Show. So, why, after all this time touting the benefits of timber, have they gone down the foam route as well? I'm going to take [...]
Minimum standards in security have been raised in recent weeks. With new Document Q and PAS24 regulations, the emphasis has very much been placed back on the security of the products many of us sell and install. One of the most prominent products to have been put into focus is the composite door. Arguably the [...]
There's no doubting that composite doors have been influential for the wider window and doors industry. They have been responsible for the evolution in the entrance door market. They have been the main reason why colour has become so popular in the last few years. They have even become a recognised product with the UK [...]
We all know how popular composite doors have become in such a short space of time. Their aesthetics compared to PVCu panel doors and wider range of colours and designs have rocketed them past most other door alternatives. There are varying qualities within the market place, but when it comes to the world of the [...]
Now here is an interesting news article from the Solidor website: Solidor Group has received a significant investment from DW3 Product Group, which has just been set up with the financial backing of private equity firm NorthEdge Capital, to form a new and dynamic group of businesses that’s set to change our perception of the [...]
Door-Stop and the composite door market in general has been at the forefront of conversation over the past few days, thanks to their purchase by Masonite. So continuing that theme, I thought it might be a good time to analyse the impact composite door have had on the overall fenestration market. Colour Before the explosion of [...]
Well it seems a response has prompted a response. The 'energetic' discussions about the state of the PVC door panel sector have continued as MD of Door-Stop International Nick Dutton has responded to a reply from Gareth Mobley (spelled correctly this time) which was prompted by Nick's initial comments about the state of the sector [...]
>Let me ask you a question: did you find that you sold more doors than normal?I sold A LOT of doors during the second half of 2011. Maybe people were prioritizing doors above windows as they see doors as more of a security risk. Maybe there were more knackered old doors that needed replacing than [...]
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