Windows and doors are essential components of any building and in the modern construction industry, multiple new materials are being used to make them. One material that has gained popularity over the last few years is uPVC, which is being used in residential, commercial and industrial buildings. Continue reading to learn the uPVC meaning, what makes uPVC doors so popular, their benefits and limitations and the uPVC door price.
What is uPVC?
uPVC stands for Unplasticised Polyvinyl Chloride, which is a type of plastic material commonly used for various purposes in buildings. First introduced in the year 1935, uPVC is a form of PVC (a hydrocarbon compound) without plasticisers like phthalates and Bisphenol A. The lack of such plasticisers makes uPVC rigid, ensuring sufficient strength for construction uses like plumbing, door and window framing, roofing and electrical routing.
How Are uPVC Doors Made?
uPVC doors are manufactured in factories, where all the raw materials, including PVC resins, colouring pigments, stabilisers and lubricants, are stored. These raw materials are added in the required proportions to a mixer which rotates at high speeds, producing a uniform blend. The blend is then transferred into barrels at high temperatures, which converts it into a liquid state. This liquid is poured into moulds to obtain profiles of the desired shapes. Typically, the uPVC profiles and panels are produced in standard shapes and sizes, which are then cut to make doors in the required sizes after on-site measurements are taken.
uPVC Door Design and Types
Types of uPVC Doors Based on Opening Mechanism
- uPVC Hinged Doors/ uPVC Casement Doors: These are the most commonly used type of uPVC doors and have hinges that connect the side of the shutter to the door frame, allowing the shutter to open 90-180°.
- uPVC Sliding Doors: Operating along tracks placed at the top and/or bottom of the opening, these doors slide across each other and are ideal for spaces where there is limited space available for the door to swing outwards or inwards.
- uPVC Bifold Doors/ uPVC Folding Doors: Two or more shutters are fixed in a single opening and connected to each other with hinges. The hinges allow them to fold towards each other, reducing the area taken up when the doors are opened.
- uPVC Sliding Folding Doors: Operating along tracks and with hinges, such doors are ideal for large openings where the weight and size of just folding doors would make them difficult to handle.
Types of uPVC Doors Based on Design
- uPVC Panel Doors: These doors have a uPVC frame, and the shutter has a uPVC border with uPVC foam infill panels. While the solid uPVC provides rigidity and strength, the foam provides insulation and makes the door lightweight.
- uPVC Glass Door: Such doors allow natural light to flow inside, seamlessly blending outdoor and indoor spaces. However, the weight of very thick and heavy types of glass—such as toughened glass or shatterproof glass—cannot generally be supported by uPVC frames.
- uPVC Mesh Door: A mesh door is typically used along with another door to provide additional security or to prevent the entry of pests like mosquitoes. uPVC mesh doors are very lightweight and have thin sections, making them ideal to be used with other doors.
Why Opt for uPVC Doors?
uPVC doors offer several benefits that make them preferable over doors of other materials, including:
- Lightweight: uPVC doors are much more lightweight than doors made of other materials like wood, steel, aluminium, WPC (Wood Plastic Composite) and FRP (Fiber Reinforced Plastic).
- Cost Effective: Apart from flush doors, uPVC doors have the lowest costs. They also do not require much maintenance, making them a cost-effective solution even in the long run.
- Versatility: uPVC door frames and panels can have diverse finishes like smooth, glossy, matte or satin in any colour. They can also mimic materials like timber, steel and aluminium, enabling design versatility.
- Insulation: uPVC doors have excellent thermal and acoustic insulation properties. They help prevent heat loss from buildings, thus ensuring energy efficiency. Their ability to block out sound waves also allows them to make rooms soundproof.
- Durability: Unlike steel doors (which can rust) and wooden doors (which can rot), uPVC doors do not rust, rot, warp or peel. This makes them ideal for usage even in wet areas like bathrooms and kitchens.
Limitations of the uPVC Material for Doors
- Unsustainability: The manufacturing process and use of plastic products like uPVC are energy-consuming and not environmentally friendly. These doors typically cannot be reused either, since there is a loss in strength when the frames are removed from their original locations.
- Discolouration: uPVC doors can lose their original colour and sheen over time with prolonged exposure to direct sunlight or high pollution levels. Although this is not very common, it can sometimes be observed in doors that are more than 10 years old.
- Strength: Structurally, uPVC doors are not as strong as wooden, steel or aluminium doors. Adverse climatic conditions like hurricanes and storms can greatly affect them. Additional reinforcement is required in regions that are prone to such conditions, drastically increasing their cost.
- Expansion and Contraction: Under extreme heating and cooling weather conditions, uPVC door frames undergo expansion and contraction. This can cause misalignment of fittings and improper functioning, hindering their smooth movement.
uPVC Door Price
In India, the commonly prevailing uPVC door cost is as follows:
- uPVC Sliding Door Price: ₹400- ₹800 per sq ft (with 3mm-6mm thick glass panels)
- uPVC Casement Doors: ₹200- ₹400 per sq ft (for uPVC panel doors), ₹300- ₹600 per sq ft (for uPVC glass doors).
- uPVC Folding Doors: ₹600- ₹900 per sq ft (with 3mm-6mm thick glass panels).
- uPVC Sliding Folding Doors: ₹800- ₹1500 per sq ft (with 3mm-6mm thick glass panels).
However, the above-mentioned values of uPVC door cost per sq ft are variable based on several factors like brand, type, design, location, market trends and availability. Consult with an expert like Brick & Bolt to get accurate cost estimates.
Getting Modern uPVC Doors Designed and Built
Choosing the right type, brand and design of uPVC doors and ascertaining their quality can be a difficult task. Brick & Bolt is a construction company that collaborates with the leading manufacturers and brands in India to supply the best quality materials at the lowest prices. End-to-end construction services lets customers sit back and relax as their dream building projects are completed with assured premium quality. To ensure that your residential and commercial construction needs are fulfilled by using the best quality of uPVC windows and doors, get in touch with Brick & Bolt today!
Hemali Patel