Walk or drive up to any Australian home and scan what you see. The walls, the windows, the landscaping, and of course the front door. As well as providing protection and security, a home’s front door underpins its curb appeal and that all-important first impression.

So, why is it many homeowners and builders often stick to timber entry doors, when technology can offer a solution that outperforms? It might be time to consider a change to aluminium. From advanced CNC machining and thermal engineering to powder coating and final hand-finishing, every Parkwood aluminium door is shaped for precision, performance and architectural quality.

Designed to perform

Parkwood Doors have specialised in crafting premium doors for over 30 years, focusing on contemporary quality and design, says the company’s Key Account Manager, Alex Goodsell. So what makes Parkwood aluminium doors different? ‘We have developed a range of thermally broken doors with anti-bowing technology, when a door panel is insulated the exterior heats up and the interior does not, due to the heat on the exterior the outside of the door expands while the interior of the door stays the same which can bow the door, with our advanced thermal insulation and innovative connector technology that allows controlled expansion and contraction through changing temperatures, the exterior skin can expand and contract independently to the interior skin, helping maintain long-term stability and straighter door panels. Which allows us to warrant a black door in full sun against bowing/warping for 10 years’ Alex explains. 
‘In basic terms, Thermtek is designed to help keep warmth in during winter and heat out during summer, helping maintain long-term stability and structural integrity. This means your panels stay straight, and there is no maintenance required.’

As a pre-finished powder-coated product, all Thermtek doors come with a 10-year warranty. The system also reduces condensation and delivers superior acoustic performance compared to standard aluminium systems.

And for high wind areas, there is the option of doors with Pultrusion, an advanced composite material created by continuously extruding a combination of high-performance polymers and glass fibres. This innovative material offers remarkable strength and thermal efficiency and features in Parkwood’s V2 Thermtek FL range.

‘While our standard Thermtek doors have a base thickness of 41mm, we also offer our Thermtek FL doors at 50mm. They offer a combination of thermal efficiency, structural strength, and anti-bowing capability – making them particularly well suited to homes located in high wind areas,’ Alex says.

So, how does pultrusion work? It involves pulling fibres through a special resin, then curing them in a mould to form a solid, continuous piece. The result is a material that has the best of both worlds: the strength and resistance of glass, combined with the flexibility and insulating power of polymers.

‘There are years and years of development into our doors, even just to get the finish and quality in a thermally broken door. In New Zealand, where we started, our weather extremes meant we naturally became a strong advocate of thermally broken window frames and doors. Now that we are manufacturing locally in Australia, we felt passionate about developing a door that would suit the Australian market,’ Alex explains.

‘In New Zealand, I would say we would be the leaders in that thermally broken 41mm door. There are products that come from Europe, but they are a lot chunkier, a lot thicker. The difference is that Thermtek is still a standard 41mm size door, but the technology and performance outpaces any timber counterpart.’

Designed for beauty

Finish is just as important as function, so Parkwood’s refined panel detailing includes bold batten profiles and sculptural forms. Alex notes that Parkwood’s popular vertical joinery designs pair beautifully with contemporary builds. ‘Our doors are crafted for durability, stability and low-maintenance living. We’ve developed a collection we believe integrates seamlessly with contemporary homes and aluminium window systems.’

Parkwood combines large-scale manufacturing capability with the precision and expertise required for contemporary architectural projects. ‘With over 100 aluminium doors crafted daily, every system is built to deliver consistency and durability.’

It is also the details and the finishing touches that bring a door to life. From hardware selection and surface texture to batten profiles, woodgrain finishes and powdercoat colours, every detail is designed to work together as part of a considered architectural outcome. ‘In contemporary Australian architecture, it’s often the smallest details that leave the biggest impression, such as a dark sophisticated palette. Builders can now specify a dark front entrance, for example, in Monument or Black, without worrying about how it might affect the warranty or performance of the door. A key benefit here is that a timber door painted in a dark colour voids the warranty, however our aluminium doors are warranted in any colour in full exposure to weather, for 10 years.’

For projects where clean detailing, durability and architectural simplicity are the priority, Parkwood’s Strata range delivers the refined look of contemporary aluminium architecture with the confidence of low-maintenance performance and long-term durability. ‘Built with a strong and stable aluminium construction, Strata is ideal for projects seeking sleek architectural lines, oversized panels and material consistency throughout the home.’

Alex notes that a trending look among builders and designers is our TGV door with a colour matched Moon Pull handle. ‘This profile makes a real statement. We have also recently noticed a move to some brighter colours.’

For more traditional styling, Parkwood also offers its doors in a timber-grain finish, so builders can achieve the best of both worlds. ‘This allows you to create a natural look but without the inconsistency of performance,’ Alex says.

Easy to include

Another advantage? Parkwood Doors can be supplied through the window fabricator, which streamlines admin processes. ‘A builder can basically buy all their windows from one supplier and then include our door, which makes it a much easier process for the builder,’ Alex says. The doors come to site already pre-hung in the frame, with all the hardware fitted without the need for extra on-site work like cutting locks, painting the doors and refitting hardware. ‘It's all just done and finished through the one supplier.’

To find out more about the benefits of Parkwood’s range including aluminium doors, visit the website at parkwooddoors.com.au.

This article was compiled with contributions from Parkwood Doors.