If you ask a timber door supplier whether you should buy UPVC, they’ll tell you wood is warmer and more natural. If you ask a UPVC supplier, they’ll tell you timber is expensive to maintain and falls apart in the rain. Neither is being completely straight with you.
So here’s a version that tries to be.
Wood Does Look Better, to Start With
Let’s get this out of the way. A well-made timber door, freshly installed and finished, is a beautiful thing. There’s a warmth and craftsmanship to good wood that UPVC hasn’t fully replicated, even with modern woodgrain laminates. If aesthetics are your absolute top priority and you’re willing to maintain the door properly, timber can deliver something UPVC can’t quite match.
That’s the honest case for wood.
Now for the Indian Climate Reality Check
Punjab and Haryana are not kind to timber. The humidity during the monsoon is high enough to cause wooden doors to swell, sometimes so much that they won’t close properly. Then the summer dries everything out and the wood contracts, leaving gaps. This cycle, year after year, takes a toll.
And then there’s the termite issue. It’s not a small thing in this part of India. Termite treatment helps, but it’s an ongoing commitment, not a one-time fix. Plenty of homeowners have invested in beautiful, solid wood doors only to find, years later, that the frame has been quietly hollowed out from the inside.
UPVC doesn’t have any of these vulnerabilities. It doesn’t absorb moisture, so it doesn’t swell or warp. Termites have nothing to eat. UV radiation doesn’t cause it to crack. The door you install today will open and close the same way in fifteen years.
The Maintenance Cost Nobody Budgets for
Timber doors need to be repainted or repolished every two to three years if you want them to stay looking good. That’s not a trivial cost, whether in money if you hire someone, or in time and effort if you do it yourself. Add pest treatment, hardware replacement, and the occasional re-hanging when the door’s warped enough to bind, and the “cheaper” timber door has quietly become quite expensive.
UPVC needs a wipe down. That’s essentially it.
What About Security?
This one often surprises people. Timber doors can absolutely be secure, with the right lock, the right frame, and proper installation. But UPVC has a structural edge: it naturally accommodates multi-point locking systems that engage the frame at three or more points simultaneously. These are significantly harder to defeat than a standard single-point lock.
Older Indian homes often have wooden doors with locks that wouldn’t delay a determined intruder for long. Replacing them with UPVC and a proper multi-point system is a genuine security upgrade.
Thinking About UPVC Doors and Windows Together
If you’re renovating and comparing door options, it’s also a good moment to look at windows. UPVC doors and windows installed together by the same supplier means matching profiles, consistent hardware, and a uniform look across the house. People searching for UPVC doors or UPVC doors near me often find that bundling doors and windows gives them better value and a cleaner result than replacing them separately.
So Which one Should you Choose?
If you’re building a heritage home, you want a specific traditional aesthetic, and you’re prepared to do the maintenance, timber makes sense.
For most other situations, new builds, apartment renovations, homes in urban Punjab and Haryana, UPVC is the practical choice. It’ll perform better, cost less to own over time, and won’t ask much from you in return. That’s a reasonable deal.
Still deciding? ArcEye Windoors’ experts in Mohali can help you choose the right doors for your home. Get in touch today.