Flori-Door, Inc. |
Handling & Finishing Information for Solid Hardwood Doors |
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To assist you
in protecting your investment in quality wood products from Flori-Door,
please read and follow all the instructions below. Failure to do
so could result in potential damage to your door and certain voiding
of our limited warranty.
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Before you order your door:
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| To adequately protect your door and extend its life, you will need to consider your climate, in addition to the direction your door will be facing and the amount of overhang covering it. Without a good overhang, hardwood doors with western or southern exposures will require more frequent maitenance. Remember
to always check your local building codes and regulations. Flori-Door, Inc. offers Design Pressure Rated as well as Impact Rated doors, sidlites, and transoms for all coastal areas which require wind load tested exterior doors. |
| Wood
doors with large panels are more adversely affected by direct sunlight
than those with smaller panels.Doors with wide panels require 100% protection from the sun. If your entryway receives
any direct sunlight, select a door with smaller panels. |
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If the opening
where the door is to be installed has less than the required overhang,
as detailed below in the installation information, any problems
with the door will not be covered by our warranty.
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| When your door arrives: |
| Immediately
upon receipt of your door(s), inspect it (them) for warp, broken glass,
damaged moldings or any other manufacturing defect or freight damage. In case of freight damage, it is your responsibility to refuse the shipment or to file a claim with the delivering freight company at once. Digital photographs of the damaged freight are always a good idea to ensure a proper claim. |
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Do not cut, hang, or finish a defective door, if you plan to return
it.
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| Storage and Handling of your door(s): |
| Doors
should be stored flat on a level surface. However, if this is not
possible, they may be stored for a short time on their side - supported
by at least two vertical supports. NEVER store them standing on one
end and leaning against a wall. |
| Doors
should not be exposed to excessive heat, dryness, humidity or direct
sunlight prior to finishing. As the mahogany ages its color darkens.
Direct sunlight speeds up this process. The lighter area caused when
a piece of casing is accidentally left lying across an exposed door
is very difficult - if not impossible - to remove. |
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Handle doors
with clean hands or gloves and do not drag them across one another.
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| Installation
of the door(s): |
| The
structural integrity of the door must not be compromised in the fitting
of the door, the application of hardware or cutting and altering the
door for lights, louvers, panels or any other special details. |
All
doors must have at least 3 hinges. All doors over 7'0" must have
at least 4 hinges. Be sure that all hinges are set in a straight line
to prevent stile distortion. Allow approximately 3/16" clearance
for swelling of the door and jamb during future damp weather.
If the door must be trimmed, do so before the hinge preparation. The MAXIMUM YOU CAN TRIM OFF ANY EDGE IS 3/4" without cutting into a mortise pocket. If you do accidentally open a mortise pocket, fill it with quality wood filler before you apply the finish. |
| Wide Panel Warning |
Doors,
sidelites, or transoms with any wood panels
wider then 13 1/2" measured across the grain will
not be covered by the Flori-Door Limited Warranty, if it receives ANY DIRECT SUNLIGHT.
Doors should not be installed where there is insufficient overhang or where there is excessive exposure to direct rain and/or southern/western exposure, which allows direct sunlight to hit door. |
| Overhang |
| To
determine if your door has the required overhang, measure up from
the bottom of the door to the point where the overhang meets the wall
and divide that distance by two. The resulting number will be the
minimum allowable overhang for doors not containing wide panels. Example: If you measure 10 feet from the bottom of the
door to the overhang, you will need a minimum of 5 feet of overhang. If you have a western or southern exposure, you may still receive direct sunlight on the doors. |
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| Finishing the
door(s): |
| Most
compressions/dents may be removed quite easily using a steam iron
and a damp cloth. Feel free to call and we can assist you with the process. |
| In
order to prevent warpage or excessive deterioration of your door,
avoid using dark stains or paints on exterior door surfaces. This
is most critical for doors with large panels and/or doors, which receive
excessive sunlight. |
| IMMEDIATELY
after fitting, cutting for closures, weather strip and/or threshold,
but before hanging, ALL EXPOSED SURFACES OF THE DOOR MUST BE SEALED,
including THE TOP, BOTTOM, SIDE EDGES AND HARDWARE CUTOUTS. IF THE
DOOR IS NOT TO BE HUNG IMMEDIATELY, ALL SURFACES MUST BE SEALED WITHIN
24 HOURS OF REACHING THE JOB SITE. |
| Use
only oil-based stains or primers. If water-based paint is used, it
must be applied over an oil-based primer. No lacquer or water-based
sealers are acceptable on exterior doors. Stained doors must have
at least 3 coats of 95% Polyurethane or 95% Varathane as a final finish. |
| The
end grain at the top and bottom of each stile (the long pieces on
the outside edges of the door) and the end grain of each raised panel
are areas which require special finishing attention. THE END GRAIN
IS THE MOST VULNERABLE POINT FOR WATER PENETRATION AND MUST BE COMPLETELY
SEALED TO PREVENT FUTURE PROBLEMS. |
| Before the sweep (Door bottom) at the bottom of the door is installed, verify that the bottom of the door has been properly sealed. |
| MOST
PROBLEMS WITH DOORS ARE DUE TO IMPROPER HANDLING, INSTALLATION AND/OR
FINISHING! |
MAKE
SURE THAT EVERYONE INVOLVED WITH YOUR DOOR HAS READ AND UNDERSTANDS
THIS WARRANTY INFORMATION.
At Flori-Door we take great pride in our manufacturing process, From concept to reality, because we know that our entries will stand the test of time for years to come.
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