Storage, Handling, Finishing, Installing, Maintaining or Doors & engineered Joinery Products

Why Choose timber doors?

If you looking for beauty, style, sophistication, elegance, performance and adaptability then these are just some of the reasons architects, business, and homeowners alike choose timber doors. In order to preserve the fine qualities of the modern made door and provide a lifetime of excellent service, proper storage, handling, finishing installing and maintenance is vital. Failure to follow our guidelines may result in damage and void any warranty.

Delivery

1. Doors must be checked for signs of damage before signing for the delivery, and must be unpacked with out delay and thoroughly inspected. Our transit packaging is not suitable for storing the doors, and will need to be removed, stored and handles in accordance with our storage and handling procedure.

Storage And Handling

1. Doors should be stored in a dry well ventilated building, lying flat on a level surface supported on three bearers wider that the width of the doors. Doors should be kept at least 9cm off the floor and should have protective coverings under the bottom door and over the top door that allow air circulation and offer protection from dirt, liquids and accidental damage under, over and around the stack.

2. Avoid exposure to direct sunlight and some forms of artificial light as certain species of timber in their natural state are susceptible to discolouration. Direct sunlight can also heat and dry out the door unevenly causing warping or bowing.

3. Do not subject doors to extremes of heat or humidity and do not allow them to come in contact with water as this may cause damage. It is recommended that doors are stored in temperature controlled environments with relative humidity between 25%-50% at 10-26ºC. Do not store doors in buildings that have excessive moisture content, or recent wet trades such as plastering, rendering, or screading.

4. Doors should always be handled with clean hands or gloves, and should be lifted and not dragged across one another or any other surface.

Finishing

1. Timber is hygroscopic and dimensionally influenced by changes in moisture content caused by changes in the surrounding environment. To assure uniform moisture exposure and dimensional control, all surfaces must be sealed and finished equally.

2. Doors should not be considered ready for finishing when initially received. Before finishing, remove all handling marks, raised grain, scuffs, burnishes and other undesirable blemishes with 150-120 grit sandpaper using a sanding block. Never sand across the grain, sand with the grain and at 45 degrees to the grain where stiles and rails meet. Some doors due to their weight will compress the veneer grain while in the stack, therefore sanding will be required to open the grain to receive the applied finish evenly.

3. Certain species of timber, particularly Oak may react unfavourably with foreign materials in the finishing process. Do not use wire wool on bare wood, rusty containers, or other contaminates in the finishing system.

4. A thinned coat of solvent based sanding sealer may be applied prior to staining to help provide a uniform finish and avid sharp contrast in colour or a blotchy appearance. as with any application you are advised to check with the manufacture as to suitability and test on an inconspicuous area prior to application. We cannot be held responsible for the final appearance of on-site finished doors, it is expected that the decorating contractor will make any adjustments as needed to achieve the desired results.

5. All surfaces of the door must be sealed including the top and bottom edges and sides prior to installation. Cut-outs for furniture and fittings such as hinges letter plates and locks must also be sealed prior to the installation of hardware and exposure to humidity and weather.

6. Dark colours must be avoided if the door is exposed to direct sunlight, in order to reduce the risk of warping, panel distortion and splitting, we recommend the use of canopies in exposed locations to help protect a finished door in such locations.

7. Water based coatings are not suitable on bare or unfinished doors, as they may swell the veneers causing delamination, splits, raising the wood grain and highlighting joints.

8. Exterior doors must be properly finished with a suitable exterior grade product following the product manufactures instructions and adequately protected from the elements. Interior doors fitted to kitchens, bathrooms, on-suite, airing cupboards, pocket doors, top-hung sliding doors and other locations of fluctuating heat or humidity will also need to be finished as if the were fitted externally.

9. After each coat ensure the surface of the door is satisfactory in both smoothness and colour. Allow adequate drying time between coats, following the manufactures recommendations. Remember thin coats will dry quicker and provide a better finish than thick coats, it is better to apply more thin coats than fewer thick coats, lightly sand and remove dust between coats will provide the perfect finish. Do not finish the doors until a sample of the finish has been approved.

Installation

1. The structural strength of the door must not be impaired during installation and fitting of hardware such as locks, letterplates or other detailing.

2. Three hinges are required for all external doors. All internal doors fitted to kitchens, bathrooms, on-suite, airing cupboards, pocket doors, top-hung sliding doors and other locations of fluctuating heat or humidity require three hinges per door to help prevent distortion, Internal doors weighing less than 22kg in other locations can be hung on two hinges.