Essential Door Care and Maintenance Advice
The principal enemy of timber doors is excess exposure to moisture or dryness. Having left our custody, we have no control over the conditions to which they are subjected and to avoid any subsequent cause for disappointment, we strongly advise the following advice is heeded. If suitable care and treatment is not taken to prevent the free passage of moisture either into or out of the wooden door, stresses within timber may be released resulting in movement or distortions such as swelling, shrinking, warping, splitting, twisting or even discolouration. We cannot accept any liability for any failings that have arisen due to the free passage of moisture.
Storage
Upon receipt, check your doors carefully for condition and suitability, as claims made later may not be considered. Please store doors laid flat, fully supported off the floor with at least three full-width bearers of the same dimension in a dry fully ventilated area, with protective packaging intact. Doors supplied unfinished should be thoroughly sealed on all faces and edges before the commencement of any joinery work, although first sizing them may be to advantage. We recommend that veneered doors are sealed using Manns Extra Tough Interior Varnish or Manns Door oil.
Wood finishes
There are numerous brands on the market and we fear many are formulated to achieve a low market price rather than quality. We have tested Manns Extra Tough Interior Varnish and Manns Door Oil which have produced excellent results. For this reason, we strongly recommend the use of one of these two wood finishes to help protect the guarantee. Either of these two finishes will provide a lasting seal between component parts. Good quality solvent or acrylic finishes may be used, but check they are suitable for use with timber laminates or veneers. Follow the treatment manufacturer’s instructions carefully and avoid over applying the treatment, particularly the first coat.
We recommend keeping a copy of the claims made for the product in the event it fails to perform. It is vital all finishing systems are applied equally to both sides and edges at the same time. Rapid changes in ambient moisture are extremely detrimental especially when unbalanced.
Natural oils such as Danish oil, tung oil and linseed oil are not suitable for use with any of our products. These solutions are penetrating oils and are not suitable for use with veneered doors. The application of a base coat stain or paint primer alone is not deemed to form a seal. Failures related to treatment will be assessed based on their application and the claims made by their manufacturer.
Installation
Check the door for suitability prior to commencing work. Claims made later may not be considered. When trimming doors, reduce them equally and not excessively from the top and bottom for height, to the hanging edge only for the width, if minimal, but equally with the meeting edge if a greater amount is necessary.
Recesses for hinges (3 No. 75mm internal, 3 No. 100mm external) and mortises for latch/locks etc. should be cut to the minimum recommended sizes. Panel door rail joints will be significantly weakened if mortises are located there. On completion remove doors, taking off all ironmongery and treat every cut/untreated surface liberally with a number of coats of an appropriate treatment before finally refitting. Remember to pay attention to all edges of your door, particularly any exposed end grain where the propensity for moisture is much greater.
Installation – Fire doors
When fitting our FD30 fire doors, please note that there are strict limitations about how much they can be trimmed and these must not be exceeded. Ironmongery used in the installation of fire doors must be strictly in accordance with the door’s certification and appropriate for use with a fire door.
Internal door specific
We strongly advise against the installation of all types of timber doors into a building with recent plastered or screeded areas. Wet sites with enclosed unheated buildings represent extremely detrimental environments and must be thoroughly dry, without condensation, before doors are introduced. Even our Finished doors should not be exposed to inappropriate damp site conditions.
External door specific
Even in times past, it was never advisable or intended that timber entrance doors be fully exposed to the worst elements of our climate, even if well coated. A South / South Westerly elevation is the worst direction for the prevailing weather and exposure to the hottest sun which can seriously degrade external doors.
We recommend they are set back from the front face of the building or covered by a canopy or porchway projecting not less than about 1.5m, regardless of elevation. Always fit with a suitable weatherboard regardless of frame cill type fitted, to prevent droplets of moisture from hanging off the door bottom.
Future maintenance is most important to retain good appearance over many years and we recommend washing down with warm water and detergent every two to three years and re-coating.
Quality standards
All external and internal doors are supplied in accordance with BS EN 942:2007 “Timber in Joinery General Classification of Timber Quality”, BS 5278:1976/EN25:1975 “Doors measurement of Dimensions and of Defects of Squareness of Door Leaves” and BS EN 951:1999 “Door leaves. Method for measurement of height, width, thickness and squareness”.
Any claims against warranty relating to manufacture will be assessed strictly in accordance with the criteria contained within.
Any claims against warranty relating to storage, handling or installation of any of our doors will be assessed against guidelines contained within BS8000 part 5:1990 and British Standard Code of Practice CP151. JB Kind Terms and Conditions of Trading apply.
Safety Glass
To comply with building regulations all our pre-glazed doors meet the requirements of the British standards.
IMPORTANT
Wood is a natural material and variations in colour and graining should be expected. Note: With door pairs we cannot guarantee an exact veneer match.
Colours depicted are representative only and are reproduced as accurately as possible. Colours may vary depending on monitor or screen resolutions. When colours are printed, the process can also cause variations in how the colours appear.
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