Always store your door flat on the floor. Ensure the surface is level and stored on bearers, not directly on the floor. Doors are best left to acclimatise in the room of fitting for 2-3 days prior to hanging. Always store your door in a cool, dry atmosphere.
Don't store your door in rooms where the door is exposed to direct heat or varying temperatures. Ensure any work has fully dried before fitting. Don't store your door on the edge or end of the door; always keep them flat.
Always fit three hinges on external doors, or four hinges for stable doors. When reducing the width, always take equal amounts from both sides up to a maximum of 6mm (external) or 6mm (internal) unless otherwise advised.
Avoid fitting mortice locks or latches along the rail joints as this can severely weaken the integrity of the door. Never fit a door in a damp room as this can cause the door to swell.
It's vital that your external door is treated with at least one primer coat, two undercoats and a top coat. We recommend that you do this prior to installation with a further top coat once fitted.
All cut outs and edges should be treated with 3 extra coats of finishing treatment as these are more susceptible to moisture.
Lightly sand the door between applying coats, always follow the manufacture guidelines for timings between applying new coats as drying times may vary.
Remember to treat all sides of the door, and not just the external facing side.
The same finishing product should be used on both sides of the door as different products can cause the timber to react differently and offer different levels of protection which may create an imbalance with the door.
We advise using a micro-porous wood stain or varnish, something with a hard finish. Treat with at least once base coat followed by four top coats (two of which must be applied prior to fitting).
We don't advise that you use anything listed as an oil only product (such as Danish oil), wax or water based treatments on your external door as they do not offer enough protection.
Without the correct protection, doors can become delaminated or cracked or start to swell, and therefore we will not offer any guarantee if they have been finished in this way.
Oak doors make a grand entrance to any home, however it is an unfortunate fact that exterior oak doors and frames, from whichever supplier, are not suitable for exposure to direct rain and hot sun.
They must be sheltered by a porch or canopy.
Internal doors can be treated with a stain or varnish. Be sure to follow the manufactures recommendations.
Like external doors, we do not recommend the use of any water based or danish oil finishes, as it can cause bubbling or delamination of veneered doors. Using these products will invalidate your guarantee.