Industrial Style External Doors

Traditional external steel doors have a classic art deco design that brings personality to bland exteriors but they are no longer a practical option in today's world. Steel-look external doors made from aluminium carry all the aesthetic appeal of steel doors from days gone by, but they are much more lightweight, corrosion resistant and easier to use than steel.

This is important for patio doors, whose functionality is a big part of their appeal - the ability to open the doors and completely remove the barriers between the inside and outside of your home. With Crittall-style patio doors, that task is quick and simple, so you'll be able to enjoy that effect with minimal effort.

Modern aluminium doors are also considered more secure and energy-efficient than steel doors too. They are just as durable, with an expected lifespan of up to 40 years on aluminium frames, and because aluminium is naturally corrosion resistant they’re much easier to maintain. And probably most importantly of all, because aluminium frames are easier to manufacture than steel, heritage style doors are a lot more cost-effective.

It's easy to see why modern, Crittall-style doors are eclipsing traditional steel doors in popularity.

Aluminium Crittall-style doors are double glazed using low E glass and thermally broken aluminium frames to keep you warm on cold days and cool on hot days. The frames are also internally insulated, ensuring maximum thermal efficiency with the lowest possible U values.

Building regulations even exist to set a minimum baseline for thermal efficiency on external doors. Though our external steel-look doors have a traditional style, we use every modern technique possible to ensure they’re thermally efficient enough to not just meet but exceed building regulations.

When you're looking for patio doors, energy efficiency needs to be one of your biggest priorities. The large glass panels and slim frames of most patio doors can lead to serious heat loss when it comes to old, low quality or ill-fitting doors, so choosing a quality door set is vital.

All our heritage style aluminium doors have impressively low U values thanks to their thermally broken aluminium frames. This means that a layer of insulating material is sandwiched inside the aluminium frames to stop heat from passing through them. We also use low E double glazing as standard to make sure the entire door is as thermally efficient as possible.

Without this technology, aluminium frame doors can compromise the energy efficiency of your home. Aluminium is a great conductor of heat, so it will let heat escape and cold creep in. With high-quality, thermally broken aluminium frames, this is not an issue.

It may surprise you to know that Crittall-style external doors made of aluminium - including French doors, sliding doors and bifold styles - are actually more environmentally friendly than wooden ones.

Although both materials are kinder on the planet than uPVC, aluminium is so easy to recycle that it’s considered far more sustainable than timber.

Many modern homes feature aluminium steel-look doors rather than traditional steel doors for a number of reasons.

Aluminium frames are a lot lighter and naturally resistant to warping and corrosion, unlike steel. This means they are a lot cheaper to manufacture, maintain and easier to install than steel doors too.

They are also equally durable as steel - if not more so. The steel frames of traditional Crittall doors and windows have a reputation for being resilient, but it is only stainless steel that rarely rusts. The steel used is very vulnerable to corrosion and rusting if the primed and painted finish gets damaged. Aluminium may be lightweight, but it is hard to damage and hard to compromise the paintwork, and even if you did it’s far less likely to rust.