what kind of door shall I buy for the front door to my flat

Hi Leslie, You can indeed choose an internal door along as its fire rated (FD30) It sounds like you're looking for a simple flush ply door which will be easy for you to pick up from and decent supplier. Just to be clear, the front door to your flat will form part of the overall fire protection plan for the whole building so it is important that you pick and install the new one correctly. The complete spec for a flat front door should be at least an FD30 door fitted with 3 x 4" fire rated butt hinges and a self closing device. The liner should have 2x1 door stops screwed round it (the wood that overlaps the door edge). The door should also have intumescent and smoke strips 15mmx4mm either inserted round the liner of door edge (these bits swell up under heat to stop any flames or smoke coming round the door edge in the event of an emergency) The door should be well fitted to the liner with no more than a 3mm gap between the door and liner. The good news is a correctly fitted fire door will also give you good acoustic protection from the neighbours. If you are concerned about security i would recommend you fit the same door with a 5 lever mortice lock (old fashioned key) about a third up the height of the door with a yale type night latch a third from the top. With you 3 fire hinges the other side that door will be pretty well pinned in the liner when locked. Add yourself a security chain inside and a viewer/peephole and your good to go! (btw avoid a letter box as it will reduce the fire and acoustic protection of the door) I hope that helps you make a better decision Regards adam

Hi Leslie on past experience on working within flats the normal requirement is a fire door. People seem to think they are solid wood door this is far from the truth and you can also get a fire rated composite front door if you go onto a website called "just doors and windows uk" you will see that they have quite a range to choose from. Hope this help a little Regards Simon SKC Construction

Yes I agree a internal fire door with fire strips to your choice of look is all that's required.

Hi Leslie, Fire regulation is forever changing and it’s near impossible to keep up with the times. But compartmentation is a HUGE deal when is comes to fire regs within apartments. It’s important to get it right otherwise you can be legally forced to change it and served notice due to failing to comply and putting others at risk. That being said, if the flat is fairly new in build you may find some tell-tell signs of the existing door being a fire rated door set. Easiest way to tell is as follows: - Does your door have a door closer fitted internally and intumescent strips fitted around the door or frame? - Is there a label on the top of the door that reads FD30 or FD60, Certifire, BWF BM Trada or similar? There’s mamas other signs however the above are easy to identify. If the answer is yes to the above, you’ve more then likely got a fire door in place. Easiest thing to do is to replicate the standard - just the FD rating. If the answer is no, that’s not to say it’s not a fire door as the sticker can be removed, closers are not always required subject to speciation and intumescent seals can sometimes be built into the lipping surrounding the door. In this instance is would consult the building manager and or building freeholder and ask them to confirm what is required in alignment with their fire risk assessment (it’s a legal requirement to have one in place). I hope the above helps. Ps, Never use an internal door for an Entrance regardless for flat or house/inside or out. They’re built completely different and serve a completely different purpose.