Choosing the best wood for French doors: expert guide

French doors are a beautiful and elegant addition to any home and choosing the right building material for your French doors can make all the difference.

Sometimes referred to as patio or balcony doors, French doors fill your home with more natural light and are perfect for opening up your home and creating a greater connection between the inside and outside.

With so many different options available it can be hard to know where to start so we’ve created this expert guide to help you choose the best wood for your French doors. We will explore the many advantages of choosing wooden French doors and also offer some top tips and advice on what to consider when investing in your own set of French doors for your home.

Read on for more.

Which wood is best for French doors in the UK?

When choosing wood for French doors timber is the ultimate building material as its style and performance can’t be beaten. Plus, as a 100% renewable resource it’s incredibly energy efficient and sustainable.

Beauty, sustainability and outstanding service are at the heart of everything that we do at Bereco, so we only work with laminated engineered defect-free timber for our products. As it is far more dimensionally stable than solid timber, it’s perfect for external French doors which are great for connecting the inside to the outside.

Why do we choose timber? Well, we know our customers are looking more closely at their carbon footprint so we strive to make sure the wood we use is naturally renewable and energy efficient. What’s more all of our timber is FSC® certified, giving assurance that our wooden windows and doors are responsibly sourced.

By following sustainable forestry practices, we ensure the timber we use is in perfect condition when harvested. Our sawmill processes the timber into engineered laminated sections which are strong, stable and resistant to warping. This creates a product that not only has far less initial ecological impact than its counterparts but, with basic care and maintenance, also has a lifespan of up to 60 years – two to three times that of the equivalent uPVC or aluminium window.

Advantages of choosing wooden French doors

Opting for a wooden French door made from timber is an excellent choice for anyone on the hunt for a durable door that adds a classic and timeless feel to their property. There are many advantages of timber French doors so let’s take a closer look at each one to see whether they are the right choice for your home.

Timber French doors offer natural thermal insulation

Timber is a fantastic insulator making these external doors a top choice for those looking for a product which will deliver fantastic thermal performance.

At Bereco, both our double and single French doors include incredibly thick door leaves and have been manufactured to deliver exceptional draught proofing capabilities and weather performance which means that your home will be well insulated all-year-round.

The large panels of double-glazed glass have also been specially designed to achieve incredibly low U-values (the measure used to calculate heat transfer) so the French doors can successfully retain the heat during the winter, and reduce the amount of energy needed to heat a property – helping to lower a homeowner’s monthly heating bills.

Timber French doors can be customised for any design

When it comes to the finished design, you can now pick every detail from the colour of the door and the type of handles used to the overall size and style of their French doors.

While you might think there’s just one type of French door at Bereco we actually offer two unique styles to choose from.

The lipped French door is a more modern design where the leaf lips the frame, whereas the flush French doors have been designed to create a more classical style – and as the name suggests, the door leaves sit flush within the door frame.

Our French doors can be fully customised so every homeowner can create a French door design that’s truly unique to their home. There are plenty of options to choose from including sculpted panels, tinted solar control glass, painted or coloured glass. We can even incorporate lead into the French door in either square, diamond or Queen Anne.

The final colour also has an incredible impact so we provide single or dual colour options so you can create the perfect match to the exterior façade and interior door of the property. We offer a full range of environmentally friendly water-based paints or stains from a wide variety of popular paint colours including any RAL Classic, RAL Design, NCS and BS colour charts, we can even match to the Farrow & Ball Eathborn or Fired Earth colour collections.

Timber French doors are eco-friendly and long-lasting

Made from a robust and reliable material that’s 100% renewable means that timber French doors truly tick all of the boxes for those environmentally conscious homeowners.

The durability of the material makes it another fantastic choice, plus it is replenished naturally, is fully biodegradable and also has an incredibly low embodied carbon rate. Plus, with proper care and maintenance they can last a lifetime.

Timber French doors are incredibly secure

To keep homes well protected all-year-long, Bereco French doors have been specially manufactured to include a high level of security by including three locking points in total. Our multipoint locking espagnolette provides two locking points and the third is provided by a 3* Neighbourhood Watch approved cylinder lock.

To build trust with homeowners we also make sure the locks we use in our French doors are insurance approved. The espagnolette locks are supplied by Fuhr and Winkhaus are certified to PAS24:2016 Secured by Design, while our cylinder locks from the ERA Fortress range, certified to TS007 and are three-star rated, Sold Secure Diamond, Neighbourhood approved and Secured by Design Approved.

How much do timber French doors cost?

The cost of your timber doors is calculated by a number of factors including the measurements, specifications and also your choices in relation to the final style and colour. Additional features like door handle styles and paint finishes will also cost extra so be sure to have a clear budget in mind.

Our team of experts can work closely with you to run through our style guide, explore the different options available and review your allocated budget to find a French door style that meets your specific requirements.

What homeowners should consider when choosing French doors for their home

While the style and performance of French doors is essential something that often gets forgotten, even though it is just as important, is space.

Space should be one of the biggest considerations when it comes to determining if French doors would be suitable for your home.

French doors can open in and out which means that they can sometimes interfere with your indoor or outdoor space. Make sure there’s plenty of room for the doors to open and you’ll be sure to find a solution that perfectly complements and enhances your home.

How to know if wooden French doors are the right choice for your home

We appreciate that buying timber French doors is a big investment so it’s important you consider your property type, budget and style preferences to make sure they’re the right fit for you.

Bereco has been operating for almost 20 years and our team has a wide range of knowledge and expertise and can help you to find the perfect French door match for your home. We take pride in our customer service and do what we can to offer the best experience for all our customers.

Get in touch today to talk to a member of our friendly team to either go through all of your French door questions or requirements.