Door Care

Read this notice before installation & finishing

Doors should always be stored flat, ideally in similar environment to where they are to be installed. They should be protected from damp and dirt and located in an area where they will not be damaged during storage.

A building which has recently been built or renovated, using processes such as concreting, plastering, rendering, etc., will have a very high humidity level until dried and ventilated. Gentle internal heating and good ventilation of the building will greatly reduce the problem. Doors should remain in their packaging until ready for preparation before hanging.

Please Note : Veneered Engineered Doors and solid doors : Should trimming / cutting be required, A Maximum up to 5mm can be trimmed from each edge of a door to a total reduction of 10 mm in both height and width

External doors must have a weather bar or rain deflector fitted to ensure that water runs away for the face and bottom edge of the door.

A drip bead should be fitted to prevent moisture ingress to the top edge of the door, e.g. fitted to tall wooden Doors installed he door frame head. Preferably three hinges should be used to hang the door. Stable doors require 4 hinges and a weather seal fitted between the 2 leafs. All hardware screw holes should be pre drilled to prevent splitting of the timber. Locks should not be fitted adjacent to door mid-rails where the joint may be compromised, so weakening the joint and the possible cause of warping and twisting. All wooden doors installed externally should be protected by a canopy or porch additional to the recommended finishing.  Bare timber doors will require a light sanding prior to finishing.  

All timber surfaces must be given a total of 3 coats of high performance wood seal or paint.  It is important to apply the treatment to the door before final installation. When applying the finish pay particular attention to sealing the timber and grain to the tops and bottoms of the doors and any grooved areas within the door design.

It is recommended that 2 coats of an end grain sealant are used on the top and bottom edges of the door prior to the final finishing of the door, Ensure all the lock, letterbox and hinges cut outs are also finished to the same degree as visible surfaces. 

Failure to follow all installation instructions and treating all the timber surfaces may leas in excessive changes in moisture content which will cause the timber to shrink or swell, possibly causing a splits and distortion. Clear translucent coatings are not recommended as the timber may discolour through UV degradation. 

PRE FINISHING SUMMARY

do’s

• Use a good quality tinted wood stain or good quality wood sealer.
• If being painted use wood primer and undercoat before applying a topcoat faces and edges (in severe exposure conditions apply extra coats).
• Apply the same number of coats equally to the face, edge, lock, letterbox and hinge cut outs.
• Apply at least 1 coat immediately upon unpacking of the door.
• Check that paint stain manufacturers products are suitable for veneered engineered doors.

don’ts

• Use thin penetrating seals, oils, wax, dyes, preservatives or hard, brittle varnish finishes.
• Apply stains or paints in damp / wet weather.
• Use thinned / mixed paints or stains.
• Mix incompatible products, e.g. Paint on one door face and stain on the opposite face.
• Maintenance: fully re treat the door every few years as required and depending on degree of exposure.

PLEASE CHECK YOUR DOOR BEFORE YOU COMMENCE ANY WORK