Call us free 24 hours a day, 7 days a week Get an Online Quote High security multi locking system. Can be locked from inside or out. Built to severe weather ratings. Plain glazed, diamond lead and Georgian bar designs The new Modern Classics UPVC door collection is a range of contemporary styled continental door panels available as coloured, white or wood grain UPVC. All panels are supplied with a choice of modern stainless steel trims to further compliment the range. Each panel is painstakingly made to the highest possible standard incorporating steel reinforcing and toughened safety glass as standard and each panel carries a 10 year guarantee. Our unique security system helps to keep you and your family safe and sound from any unwanted visitors. Most panels featured are available in white and a choice of wood grain finishes. Our door panels are manufactured using a high technology technique that bonds two UPVC skins to a variety of core materials and ensures the integrity of the panel for heat and moisture.
Depending on the degree of security required, our panel can be supplied using a choice of core material. The Type A Expanded Polystyrene we use is classified under BS 476 and is totally recyclable, nontoxic and inert. It contains no CFC's or HFC's and contains a fire retardant additive tested to BS 4735, formulated to restrict the extent of burn. Click here to get an instant quote for double glazed windows, doors, conservatories, orangeries, rooflines and garage conversions. Get an online quote Book a FREE consultation to learn more about our products and services and have your questions answered by an expert adviser. Order your FREE personal copy of our brochure to view our full product range, simply fill out your details and we'll send you one. This page has been archived and is no longer updated. How secure are your doors? If you are unsure whether your front door, back door or patio doors are secure enough to prevent intruders, use this quick checklist to find out how safe they really are .
• Five lever mortice deadlock (if door over 44mm) – check they are British Standard 3621 or European Standard EN12209 • Avoid glazed panels, replace with toughened glass or laminated glass panels • Fit a spy hole • Fit a door chain or limiter • Check hinges are secure - use good long screws and consider hinge bolts • Install them no closer than 400 mm from the door lock • Never fit a letter box to the bottom rail of a door • Consider an internal cover plate or letter basket (with the bottom removed to prevent mail theft) • Use 5 lever 2 bolt sash lock halfway up the door (British Standard 3621 European Standard EN 12209) • Supplement sash lock with mortice rack bolts at the top and bottom of the door • Avoid glass panels, use laminated panels fitted from the inside and consider grilles as well French doors (a burglar's favourite!) • Use mortice rack bolts • Or, consider surface-mounted locking bolts
• For extra security, consider mortice sash locks • If your doors open outwards, use hinge bolts Patio doors (a burglar's favourite!) • Use extra locks if not fitted with a multi-locking system • Anti-lift devices to avoid door being lifted from its track More ways to protect your doors Dave Stokes, a member of the Master Locksmith Association, recommends the following security measures: • British standard nightlatch - this is used to make sure the lock is dead locked • Mortice deadlock - Frameguard: London bar: fits round the yale lock and straight down frame. Brum bar: flat strip lock in the middle of the door frame • Hinge bolts: fit a hinge side below and above hinges of wooden doors • Lock guard over mortice lock. This prevents door from splitting out (stops anyone being able to jam door) • Multi-lock three point locking system, 2 hooks, 1 top and bottom of the frame, with a latch and deadlock in the middle of the door
• You can't fit anymore locks to UPVC doors due to the structure of the door • Consider using a small window alarm which beeps when you enter the room • Letterbox cage: fits to the back of a letterbox, needs a padlock to keep it secured • Letterbox homeguard: which is made of a fire retardant material. So can resist fire if a firework is put through the door, and also blocks people getting in • Do not leave keys hanging inside the letterbox, under plant pots or doormats – these are the first places a burglar will check • Locks and bolts are only as good as the doors they are fitted to. Make sure weak rotten woodwork is replaced, and that the frame is well fixed. More information on door security from the Met Police - www.met.police.uk/crimeprevention/doors.htm Master Locksmiths Association – www.locksmiths.co.uk The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites. Series 3, Episode 20 Call Crimestoppers anonymously anytime on 0800 555 111
Crimestoppers is an independent charity helping to find criminals and help solve crimes. Call Victim Support on 0845 30 30 900 Victim Support is the independent charity which helps people cope with the effects of crime. BBC iD Settings Sign out BBC navigation News Sport Weather iPlayer TV Radio More…Medium-density fiberboard (MDF) is generally cheaper than plywood, but it is not as hard and can sag under heavy weight. MDF doesn't handle moisture very well, either, so it is more suited for indoor use, such as in furniture. Moisture also affects the strength of plywood; exterior-glued plywood can be used outdoors, but it works best when moisture content remains low. MDF versus Plywood comparison chart MDFPlywood 3.46/512345 3.82/512345 Constituents Wood fibers got by breaking down hardwood and softwood residuals are combined using wax and resin and heat pressed Thin sheets of veneer are glued together Structure Uniform, smooth and free of knots. Odd number of layers with grains of adjacent layers at right angles to each other.
Face veneers are higher grade than the core veneers. Safety hazards Use of urea-formaldehyde and phenol-formaldehyde resin which are carcinogenic in very high concentration Use of urea-formaldehyde and phenol-formaldehyde resin which are carcinogenic in very high concentration Uses Cabinet construction, crafts, Mouldings/trim, shelving (bookshelf sliding) Roofs, Walls, Subfloors, Boxes, Packages, Sports equipment, Musical equipment, Playground equipment, High-end loud speakers Description • Has a smooth, even surface • Easily machined and painted or stained • Available in water and fire-resistant form • Can be machined • Often veneered or painted to improve its appearance • A very strong board, constructed of layers of veneer or plies, which are glued with the grains at 900 to each other • Interior and exterior grades available • A very durable water and boil proof (WBP) plywood that can be used in extreme con Contents: MDF vs Plywood
Medium-density fiberboard (MDF) is an engineered wood product formed from wood fibers obtained from breaking down hardwood and softwood with a defibrator. The wood fibers are then glued together using wax and resin adhesive. They are made into panels by applying high temperature and pressure. The resulting smooth wood product has no wood grain and shares many characteristics with particle board. However, MDF is slightly stronger particle board. Plywood is made from peeler logs. Thin layers are peeled from wood logs by rotating them along their horizontal axis. The sheets of veneer obtained from this process are cut to the desired dimensions, dried, patched, glued together, and then baked in a press at 140 °C (284 °F) and 1.9 MPa (280 psi) to form a plywood panel. Depending on the grade of plywood, it may or may not be smooth and useful for visually pleasing interior wood pieces. Some grades of plywood can be stained and made to look good for kitchen cabinetry. Watch the video below to learn more about how plywood, MDF, high-density fiberboard (HDF), blockboard, and particle board differ.
MDF is not as hard as plywood and can be damaged easily when roughly handled. It is not as stiff as plywood and can sag with if too much weight is applied to it. For example, when MDF is used for shelving, it is important to reinforce the shelves to prevent sagging. The cross graining of plywood improves dimensional stability by reducing expansion and shrinkage. This makes a panels' strength consistent in both directions. The odd number of sheets also reduces warping. Another advantage of plywood is that extreme cold does not affect its dimensions or strength. When driving a screw at the edge of MDF, the soft core splits easily. When a countersink drill bit is not used, the head of the screw might snap off before sinking in or it might push up chips. In contrast, the cross graining of plywood slightly reduces its tendency to split when nailed at its edges. MDF is commonly used in affordable, lower-end furniture pieces. Due to MDF's non-directional grain structure, it is ideal for cutting, machining, and drilling without producing splinters or chipping.
The absence of knots makes it easier for finishing. MDF's smooth surface makes it ideal for simple interior design pieces that will be painted, while plywood adds some durability to those pieces that need to be stronger. Both can be relatively easy for experienced DIYers to use and are found in a number of cheap and affordable furniture products. For example, both MDF and plywood, as well as oriented strand board (OSB), are often in many IKEA furniture pieces. The following video gives tips on how to safely and effectively work with wood panels and which types of saws to use to cut them. Any DIY jobs that require cutting MDF or plywood should take place outside with proper protective equipment. Cost of Plywood vs MDF MDF is usually cheaper than plywood, but a lot depends upon the grade of plywood and types of wood used. Higher grades of plywood are more expensive because they are more aesthetically pleasing, often displaying natural hardwood or softwood grains; lower grades are used in construction work where they will not be seen (e.g., for subflooring).