Emerald Doors FAQ

There are a number of points you should consider before you purchase a new door, either for yourself, or if you are fitting it for a customer.

Choose a design that suits the house style:

On this website there are many designs of doors; ranging from the traditional designs to the more modern ones. There is also a choice of glass designs available, and our glazed doors are not offered with glass packs, so there is no need for glazing.

Ensure that you have made a note of the appropriate measurements:

The height, width and depth of the frame are important, but decide by measuring, whether the frame is square and true. This will allow you to estimate how complex the fitting task will be. Buy a door that is either the right size or slightly too big.

Check both the frame and threshold for signs of wear or damage and ensure the frame is secure to the wall.

Decide your budget

We know, from the wide number of doors we offer that you will find a door to suit your budget.

Questions you should ask before finally selecting your door

Is it guaranteed?

Goods supplied by Emerald Doors Ltd are guaranteed from defects in manufacture for twelve months from the date of receipt, any claims against extended warranties offered by our suppliers must be taken up with them directly, Emerald Doors Ltd will supply contact details, but will not be liable or become involved with any such claims. The Warranty supplied with your product applies to goods installed on UK Mainland only. Warranties apply to goods or product which have been treated/decorated and installed in accordance with the manufacturers and our instructions

Are the doors you wish to purchase constructed using the best methods available ?

Here are some points you should look out for:

External doors should either be jointed using traditional mortice and tenon joints or dowel joints coupled with modern adhesives. All our doors are. To ensure strength and stability make sure that the mid rails of the door are at least 150mm wide.

Make sure you know exactly what tolerances the door will give you if you have to trim – you must be able to take 12mm from each side of the door without affecting its structural integrity.

Make sure that the panels are fully weatherproofed.

Ensure when buying pine doors that you ensure that the joints are jointed and glued using modern adhesives and that the doors are suitable for either stain or paint, you will find that all the pine doors in this catalogue are constructed to the highest standard.

Can you ensure a consistent look throughout your house?

We offer a complete family of doors that are matched in design. Please refer to our products range menu and select the door you are interested in and you will be given a list of ‘related products’ which will enable you to create your family of doors.

Should I book a joiner before my doors are delivered ?

ABSOLUTELY NOT Always wait until your door/s is delivered before arranging a joiner. We have great faith in our distributors, but doors are not an easy thing to transport and complications on delivery may occur. Especially on special order items where in rare cases, problems in supply may mean the original lead time is reinstated.

Is the glass in the door toughened for safety ?

All the glass in our doors (with the exception of our traditional leaded light designs) is rated to BS6206, the standard for toughened glass in the UK.

Safety Glass (Excerpt from BSI website) The Kitemark scheme for safety glass is changing to reflect the recently published European standards EN 12600, EN 12150 and EN ISO 12543. It is likely that BS EN 12600 will replace BS 6206 in the UK Building Regulations later this year. Therefore we have decided to use this as the primary standard for the Kitemark scheme for safety glass. Bringing these requirements into the Kitemark scheme, we will ensure that you have the required technical evidence to support the necessary compliance with the Construction Products Directive in addition to compliance with UK Building Regulations.

The main difference in testing is in the size of the sample and the impactor used.

• BS 6206 requires the impact test to be performed on a 1930mm x 865mm sample using an impactor bag.

• BS EN 12600 requires a sample size of 1938mm x 876mm and the use of a ‘twin tyre’ impactor.

Are you offered comprehensive instructions in how best to fit and finish your door?

We have reprinted some excellent advice from the British Woodworking Federation along with advice from our experienced technical people on how to ensure that your door when fitted is finished to the highest standard. Please read our ‘Installation, treatment & care’ instructions for further information.

CARE OF TIMBER DOORS ON SITE

Contents

1. Introduction

2. Delivery and Storage

3. Installation

4. Finishing

INTRODUCTION

Doors and doorsets manufactured by members of the British Woodworking Federation are designed and manufactured using the best available techniques to produce performance rated components. After delivery it is vital that doors are correctly treated to ensure that the moisture content is appropriate for the situation and that they are not physically damaged in unloading, storage and installation. Good practice avoids damage, maintains quality and saves money.

Internal and external doors and doorsets may be supplied 'in the white', with a primer or stain base coatapplied or as fully finished components.

Each type needs careful handling and protection although the actual requirements vary slightly.

DELIVERY & STORAGE

CHECK DOORS AT THE TIME OF DELIVERY

All components should be checked at the time of delivery to ensure that they are in accordance with the

order schedule, the delivery is complete and that the components, including any protective packaging, are not damaged.

Timber used in the manufacturer of doors will be graded in accordance with BS EN 942:1996 Timber in joinery - “General classification of timber quality” and the workmanship will meet the requirements of BS 1186 Part 2:1998 “Timber for and workmanship in joinery” - Specification for workmanship. The moisture content of timber in the doors should be in the range of 10% and 16% depending upon their type and location.

BWF Guide No 11

For long term performance of the door and finish, it is important that the appropriate moisture content is maintained during storage on site and during the construction process. Wherever possible the sequence of deliveries should be co-ordinated to site requirements in order that doors are not kept on site unfixed for longer than necessary.

HANDLE DOORS CAREFULLY

Doors and doorsets should be handled carefully to avoid physical damage (do not lift by glazing bars) and to keep them clean. When door leaves are protected by shrink- wrapping or other packaging this should be kept in place as long as possible. Doors delivered in the white should be sealed and primed on all faces and edges immediately after delivery.

Never hang a door before applying a protective coating.

STORE DOORS UNDER COVER IN A DRY VENTILATED BUILDING

Doors should be stored flat (never on edge or on end) on a level surface and kept clear of the floor on at least three level bearers. The bearers should be longer than the width of the doors and the gap beneath the doors should be at least 90mm.

Doors should be protected from dirt and damage but without restricting air circulation. Natural finish doors should be stacked so that they are not partly exposed to daylight and opaque wrappings must not be torn.

Exposure to ultra violet light can cause fading or discoloration of timber and veneers. Whenever possible store doors and doorsets in the sequence they will be needed with codes or identifying marks visible to avoid double handling. Avoid dragging them across each other in the stack.

Doorsets which have projecting sills or have the hardware fitted must have spacers between them in the stack to avoid damage.

BWF Guide No 11

PROTECT DOORS DURING SITE OPERATIONS

Ensure that the moisture content of the wood is kept close to the level at which it was when the door was manufactured.

Internal doors must be conditioned to the service conditions before fixing.

They must be protected from abnormal heat, extreme dryness, humid conditions or sudden changes of temperature or humidity.

Doors should not be stored or fitted in the building until the wet trades are finished and the building has dried out.

TREAT PREFINISHED DOORS LIKE A PIECE OF FITTED FURNITURE

Factory finished door frames or door linings should ideally be fitted into pre-formed openings and not built into masonry walls.

Pre-finished doors should retain their protective packaging until the latest possible time, ideally until

after internal decorations have been completed. If it is necessary to separate the doors from doorsets each door and frame should be given an identification mark so that the correct door is returned to the frame.

INSTALLATION

DOORS SHOULD BE FITTED SQUARE

Doors should be fitted square, true and plumb and fixed in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions or the project specification. Three hinges should be fitted to all external doors, doors weighing more than 20 kilogrammes and internal doors where large differences of temperature or humidity on opposing faces can be expected (e.g. bathrooms and airing cupboards).

BWF Guide No 11

Ideally, external door frames should be set well back from the outer face of the wall or else be protected by a canopy. If not, the head of the frame should be provided with a projecting head drip. External doors opening outwards should be particularly well protected.

MORTICES FOR LOCKS MUST NOT BE CUT THROUGH JOINTS IN THE DOOR FRAMING

Cutting through joints in the door framing will impair performance of the rail joint. If any part of a previously treated external door or door frame is cut or drilled, swab the newly exposed timber with a suitable organic solvent preservative treatment and re-coat with primer or stain.

USE GOOD GLAZING PRACTICE

Glazing rebates and backs of beads should be sealed with an appropriate sealant.

Glazing panels in doors must satisfy the requirements in respect of safety glass.

Bead glazing must be correctly fitted using compound or glazing tapes to both sides of the glass.

FIRE RESISTING DOORS SHOULD NOT BE ALTERED ON SITE

Fire resisting doors and doorsets need special consideration when fitting. Use BWF-CERTIFIRE doors and follow the manufacturers instructions.

FINISHING

Most of our external doors and frames are sold unfinished, meaning that they need to be stained, varnished or painted after purchase. It is vital that the door or frame is sealed properly in ADVANCE of installation. If you fit the door unfinished and it is subjected to rain or direct sunlight, the door will be ruined.You must use an OIL or SPIRIT BASED product when treating the door which will properly seal the timber from moisture ingress.Refer to the instruction leaflet enclosed with your door for confirmation. Try to use a branded well known finishing product. We recommend Sikkens or Sadolin. Use as many coats as the manufacturer recommends but to check that you have done finished the door correctly, spray a little water on the door and see that the water forms beads and runs off. If it doesn’t then apply another coat or two. Don’t forget to seal the areas that you can’t see such as the tops and bottoms and inside lock and letterbox cut-outs.

ENSURE SURFACES AND EDGES ARE IN GOOD ORDER BEFORE APPLYING FINISHING COATS

If the primer or base coat stain has deteriorated, or the surface has been exposed to light for longer than three months, it should be re-coated before further finishing coats are applied.

BWF Guide No 11

Finishing of external doors and frames should be carried out in dry weather using only good exterior quality materials in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.

On external doors, the finish should be an exterior quality paint or a 'high build' stain. ('Low build' types of stain should not be used on external doors.) It should be noted that the use of dark coloured paint or stain finishes on external doors, particularly if located on the south or south west elevations of buildings, will result in high surface temperatures on the door and can increase the risk of distortion and of resin exudation through the finish.

ENSURE ALL SURFACES AND EDGES ARE PAINTED

It is important that all surfaces of doors are painted. For external doors or other doors subject to wetting or take up of moisture it is especially important that the full finishing system is applied to the top and bottom edges of the door leaf. The bottom edge should be coated before fitting the door. Factory finished doors should be checked for damage to the finish and any small areas made good in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations. The door manufacturer may disclaim responsibility for any defect or failure that may subsequently occur which is attributable to non-compliance either wholly or in part with the advice given in this information sheet Further advice is available on Moulded Skin Doors in BWF Guide No 9 – Moulded Skin Wood Fibre Doors - December 1998.

© BWF 2001 (British Woodworking Federation) First issued October 1992 Revised July 2001

Q Are my doors solid ? What is Engineered Construction ?

The majority of our doors are engineered. It is quite regular practice for doors to be made from engineered components. This means that doors with a face of pine, ash, oak or walnut often use a veneer over a composite solid core. Applying doors with a real wood veneer provides greater uniformity in colour and enhances the appearance of the door. It also gives the door greater stability and less chance of twisting or splitting. One other benefit is that it is much better for the environment

Q What are raised mouldings?