Always eager to please, those DIY gurus at B&Q have joined creative forces with shutter specialist California Shutters, to launch a new online shutter shop. The easy-to-use service provides information on every step of the shutter buying process, from selecting and measuring, to ordering and installation. You can enter your exact opening size, choose from numerous designs and even alter the number of panels on each window. And getting started couldn’t be easier. Simply, visit the website to select your individual style, made to measure to suit your needs. Prices start from £175 per square metre.Our range of door types including wardrobe doors, external doors, internal doors and UPVC doors, as well as sturdy door frames to fit, we can provide the exact style, size and colour you need. More information about Doors Ideal for bedroom wardrobes, the silver or white frame sliding door with mirror twin pack benefits from a smooth, gliding action and offers a space-saving alternative to outward opening wardrobe doors.
Extremely easy to install, our sliding mirror doors come with simple to follow instructions to save on installation time. Our highly popular range of internal doors are available to suit any budget from cost-saving internal plywood doors to solid oak doors. Full of character with vintage door hinges & handles, the Rustic Oak Ledged Internal door is perfect for period rooms and homes and is extremely tough and robust. Sitting in the middle of the range is the Internal Four Panel Grained Firedoor, manufactured using manmade wood effect skins pressed onto a timber frame. Suitable for more modern interiors, this style is also available glazed, in bi-fold and firedoor options. Plain and simple to elegant and refined, we also have an eclectic selection of external doors for any home, including front doors, back doors, garage doors and garden gate doors, along with beautiful PVCu front doors, patio doors and French doors to flood any room with light.The most common door size is 762mm x 1,981mm (2’ 6” x 6’ 6”), although if you are renovating an old home, the openings may be non-standard, requiring new doors to be custom made.
In contemporary settings, extra-wide or tall doors look fabulous, so don’t feel confined by regular sizing. In terms of thicknesses, internal doors are generally either 35mm or 40mm, while fire doors must be 44mm. When creating a new door opening, in addition to buying the door you will also require a door lining. This is made up of a timber kit that is fitted into the opening, on which the door is then hung. They are relatively simple to install on a DIY basis. Alternatively, you can opt to buy a doorset which contains the door already hung within the frame. Getting the right interior doors is a notoriously difficult task — so often they end up jarring with the house’s style. Never forget that, period or modern, they must always complement the décor. For an older-style property, choose doors to match the period of the house. Panelled doors are the most popular and many manufact urers have a large stock of these; but for instant character consider reclaimed doors. Some salvage yards offer a reconditioning service, but bear in mind that reclaimed doors are rarely available in standard sizes and should be checked for splitting, warping and damp.
Ledged and braced doors are also a good option for period properties – especially cottages, country-style homes and barns – and are made up of planks of wood, held together by horizontal ledges and diagonal braces. Contemporary homes generally suit minimalist flush doors, complete with fantastically sleek door furniture. Glazed doors are also good for contemporary spaces: it may be clear or obscured but safety glass must be used in lower panels. Folding sliding and sliding doors are perfect for homes short on space as they require no outswing, and are great for optional open plan living. Folding sliding doors fold back on themselves, stacking on one side, while sliding doors can be designed to disappear into cavities within the wall. If none of the off-the-shelf designs suit, you can have your doors custom made. Many manufacturers offer this service, as do most joiners. Internal doors are most commonly seen as panelled or hollow core. Panelled doors are made from solid wood and so can be expensive to buy.
The number of panels may vary from two to eight; these can be glazed. Hollow core – or ‘flush’ – doors are made of either a laminate timber-effect or a real-wood veneer and are indeed hollow, apart from some cardboard filling. They are popular due to their low cost, but also because they tend to have flat, unmoulded faces — perfect for contemporary schemes. Another option is solid core doors — like hollow core doors they are veneered, but have either a steel or chipboard centre to replicate the weight and feel of solid wood. Both options can be pressed into a mould to give an embossed surface, and the appearance of a panelled door. Traditional or contemporary, solid timber doors are a failsafe option. Darker woods such as cherry and oak are perfect for contemporary schemes, while lighter timbers such as pine and ash are better suited to period homes. Wood doors must be properly sealed with a quality solvent-based finish before being hung; the tops and bottoms must also be treated, as well as the frames.
Other options include all-glass doors or, for industrial chic, a metal door – chiefly aluminium or steel – can be very striking. In homes with more than two storeys or with loft conversions, doors leading to escape routes and staircases are required by Building Regulations to be fire doors. In some instances, doors with a fire-resistance period of 20 minutes (FD20) are recommended and in others 30 minutes (FD30), although most manufacturers only make FD30 doors. All doors between the dwelling and a garage must be FD30 and also have a self-closing device fitted. Fire doors are created from a number of materials that include timber, steel, gypsum and vermiculite boards, and most manufactures produce fire doors that are complementary to their other ranges. Advice from the Experts Tony Pell, Business Development Manager, JELD-WEN UK (0845 122 2890) “What’s the difference between buying a door and a doorset? A door – set refers to the door, its frame and hardware, such as handles and hinges.