Its now approaching the time of year that local locksmiths like to refer to as the busy period.
As the cold weather approaches the uPVC door locks begin to fail and I usually see my door repairs in Sheffield double in frequency in the run up to Christmas.
The problem with using plastic to build doors is that its very sensitive to changes in temperature, expanding in the warmer climate and then contracting in the cooler winter months.
Over several years this can leave your door mis-aligned and in some severe cases, bowed or deformed.
I have been repairing upvc doors in Barnsley and Sheffield for a good few years now and have noticed that the darker coloured doors have a considerably shorter lifespan.
Firstly i would suggest that if you are thinking of having a dark finish uPVC door fitted you need to be sure it is in a well shaded area, I would not advise having one fitted in a hot spot absorbing the heat of the sun all day.
Of course there are alternatives to upvc doors.
Newer style composite doors are much more robust in terms of weathering due to their layered design of various materials such as insulating foam, wood, GRP and wood. As with upvc doors though The darker coloured finishes are prone to sun damage during the hotter weather and can cause the GRP skin on the door to crack or bubble.
If I had to give one piece of advise i have learned over the years repairing doors its that you should never leave a problem to get worse.
As soon as your door begins to feel too stiff, fail to lock on occassions or generally becomes annoying or difficult to use then it would be wise to have a professional door repairman such as PSS locksmiths Sheffield to come and adjust the door.
A simple adjustment can make the difference between a smooth locking door and a broken £150+ replacement locking mechanism.
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