01494 778787
01494 778787
Urban Front are hardwood door specialists. Our wooden exterior doors are custom-made to your needs and handcrafted in the UK. They feature double steel reinforcement and ventilation for maximum strength and performance. And they're designed to offer exceptional beauty and security using advanced specifications that we continuously test and improve.
Browse all our wooden door designs or keep reading below to learn more about the substantial benefits of investing in a handcrafted hardwood front door.
Hardwood is a natural product with beauty, texture and diversity. Hardwood doesn’t stay the same over time – it ages and develops its distinctive appeal.
You are never guaranteed exactly the same door even if you do everything the same. Every tree is different and therefore the grain, colour, and end product are fresh and unique every time. It is also:
As a natural product, hardwood weathers and changes so it’s not comparable to a composite or aluminium product. But if individuality and exclusivity are your preference you won't beat a handcrafted, natural wood door.
Traditionally in the UK, most hardwood doors are made in European oak. This is probably mainly because it is readily available (from the UK and Europe). It's also a durable wood and it looks attractive with both traditional and contemporary homes. Other popular woods include walnut, iroko, larch and Douglas fir.
At Urban Front, we choose our woods based the following criteria:
The hardwoods we currently offer are:
While in the past, wooden door maintenance may have been a bit more laborious, these days the finishes available are a lot easier to update and apply. Meaning that upkeep is simpler and making the dream of having a long-lasting, beautiful natural wood door very achievable.
There are two primary finishing options, oiling and lacquering. In the last few years, oiling our wooden doors has overtaken lacquering as our main choice of finish:
However, lacquer does require a less frequent maintenance time than oiling (2-5 years, again depending on the location), so while it might take a bit longer to update, it won't be required as often and you may still prefer to choose this finish option.
Watch our video to learn exactly how to maintain a wooden door with oil or lacquer.
As explained above, hardwood is a natural product that evolves. While these changes create beautifully individual finished doors, it's important to understand these quirks.
Natural movement is common with most timbers, and you will find that very small cracks open and close depending on the time of year. This mostly occurs due to the difference between the heat inside and the cold outside during the autumn and winter months.
Urban Front has developed systems to minimise these movements. For example, our insulated wooden doors are fitted with a unique, high-grade ventilation system that encourages air to rotate. This helps to reduce the build-up of moisture which can cause hardwood to move, crack and sometimes warp during the different seasons. At the same time, we also combat any potential warping by using steel reinforcement within the door.
As described in the maintenance section, wooden door maintenance is very straightforward. Along with the exceptional build of an Urban Front door, simple upkeep will ensure your wooden door stays beautiful year after year.
At Urban Front, we offer a wide range of bespoke wooden front door choices that come with the highest grade features and fittings, including:
Browse more front door styles
