STORAGE AND HANDLING
- Doors shall always be stored flat and in clean, dry surroundings. Protect from dirt, water, and abuse from the weather. If stored for long periods, doors must be sealed with a non-water-based sealer or primer.
- Doors shall not be exposed to excessive moisture, heat, dryness, or direct sunlight.
- Doors shall always be handled with clean hands or while wearing clean gloves.
- Doors shall be lifted and carried, not dragged across one another or on the ground.
FIELD FINISHING
- Prior to finishing, ensure that the building atmosphere is dried to a normal interior relative humidity. Also, ensure that the doors have been allowed to equalize to a stable moisture content. It is Imperative that the doors be sealed within 10 days of delivery.
- Prior to finishing, remove all handling marks, raised grain, and other undesirable blemishes by completely block sanding all surfaces with a fine abrasive of 100 to 150-grit.
- Certain species of wood, particularly oak, contain chemicals that react unfavorably with certain finishes, causing dark spots. Where possible, the species/finish combination should be tested prior to finishing the doors.
- In order not to induce warping, avoid dark stains or paints on door surfaces exposed to sunlight.
- In order to prevent blemish magnification, avoid extremely dark stains on light colored wood species.
- Water-based sealers or prime coats should not be used. Water-based topcoats should only be used over surfaces that have been completely sealed with a non-water-based sealer or primer. The seal should be at least 2-3 coats of 95% polyurethane or 95% varathene. No penetrating oil finishes should be used unless they are then coated with a urethane product.
- A first coat of a thinned sanding sealer, followed by light block sanding, will minimize subsequent handling marks and promote the uniformity of subsequent stain coats.
- All bare wood surfaces must be sealed, including top and bottom rails (these are end grains and tend to be much more porous. Furthermore, all lock and wheel cavities must be sealed as well. All glazed doors must have a finish lapped onto the glass for proper sealing (1/32 of an inch).
- To achieve the desired results of color uniformity, finish build, and gloss, and reduce the frequency of refinishing, obtain and follow the finish manufacturer’s recommendations.
- Be sure the door surface being finished is satisfactory in both smoothness and color after each coat.
INSTALLATION
- The utility or structural strength of the doors must not be impaired when fitting to the opening, applying hardware, preparing for lights, louvers, plant-ons, or other detailing.
- All exterior doors and solid-core doors must have a minimum of one hinge for each 30 inches of door height. When using three or more hinges, they must be equally spaced. Interior hollow-core doors weighing less than 50 pounds and not over 7/6 high may be hung on two hinges.
- Clearances between door edges and doorframe shall be a minimum of 1/16 of an inch on the hinge edge, 1/8 of an inch on the latch edge, and the top rail.
- All hardware locations, preparations for hardware, and methods of hardware attachment must be appropriate for the specific door construction. Templates for specific hardware preparation are available from the hardware supplier.
- Apply the sealer, primer, or first coats of the required finish on exterior doors immediately after fitting, cutting for hardware, weather-stripping, etc., and before installing any hardware.
- When light or louver cutouts are made for exterior doors, they must be protected in order to prevent water from entering the door core. Metal flashing at the bottom of the cutout is one satisfactory method.
MAINTENANCE
- Most finishes on exterior doors deteriorate relatively quickly. In order for exterior doors to continue receiving the protection required, inspect the condition of exterior finishes at least once a year and refinish as often as needed to maintain the protective integrity of the finish.
- Ensure that the doors continue to swing freely, do not bind in the frame, and that all hardware remains functional.