RECOMMENDED HANDLING, JOB FINISHING 

  Inspect door unit/ slab(s) upon receipt and deliver to the job site only after plaster, texture and/or cement is dry.

  If doors are stored at job site for more than one week, all edges should be sealed.

Handle with clean gloves and do not drag doors across one another or across other surfaces.

  Store flat on a level surface in a dry, well ventilated building. Cover to keep clean, but allow air circulation 

 Door units/slabs stored in excess of 60 days prior to installation will void the warranty.

CARE AND FINISHING (Continued)

 Doors should not be subjected to abnormal heat, extreme dryness, humid conditions or sudden change therein. They should be conditioned to average prevailing relative humidity of the locality before hanging.

 The utility or structural strength of the door must not be impaired 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.

  For all doors use three hinges, except two hinges may be used for hollow core doors weighing less than 50 pounds  or 6’ 8”   less in height. All doors 7’ 6” or higher require four hinges. Allow a fitting clearance of 1/16” on the hinge side and 1/8” on the lock side.

  When light or louver cutouts are made in interior doors, they shall be properly protected to prevent moisture from leaking into the core. Where installed for outward swing with no protection from the elements, doors must be properly protected by flashing or other suitable means.

 Immediately after fitting, or cutting for closure, weather-strip and/or threshold, and before hanging any interior or exterior door on the job, the entire door, including the top and bottom edges, must receive an application of a primer and two coats of a good grade of paint, varnish or lacquer. Adequate drying time must be allowed between coats. For job-site finishing, do not use a water-thinned paint unless an oil base prime coat is first applied. Exterior finishes shall be used on the exterior face and all edges of exterior doors.   

  Interior doors will generally have approximately the same temperature and humidity on one side as on the other, in which case warp will seldom occur. In cases where the door separates a heated from an unheated space, or a humid space from a dry space, some bowing may be expected if the temperature or humidity differential is large.

   If stops and jambs are not set plumb and in a true plane, or if jambs are not properly squared, opening and closing the door will result in stress, and cause distortion. Similarly, if hinges are not set in a straight line, the door will be constantly under stress. As stated previously under the subject of door hardware, three hinges will restrain distortion better than two, but these must be set with greater care to have all three in perfect alignment.

 It has been frequently observed that doors have warped during the early stages of their use but have straightened out after they have become fully conditioned to the moisture and temperature of the environment. This is known as the seasoning process and should embrace one full heating season. After seasoning the warp difficulty usually disappears.

  Faulty installation methods are common causes of warp. In cases where the doors are fitted and hung before the building is completed, they may become subjected to conditions which cause moisture imbalance. If exposed to high temperatures or humidity on one side and low humidity on the other, warping may result. Care should therefore be taken to equalize moisture conditions between the interior and exterior of the building, to the extent possible, before the doors are hung.

  For wood doors finish must be applied immediately after fitting, making certain that all four edges are given two coats of paint, varnish or sealer before hanging. Steel and Fiberglass doors must be finished within 30 days from time of purchase

 In all too many instances the doors are hung before finishing which means that the bottom edge will probably receive no paint or sealer. The bottom edge is the most vulnerable point, particularly on an exterior door. Free water on the door faces will flow toward the bottom by force of gravity. Water on the sill will be drawn toward the bottom of the door and held there

  Cutting away of the stiles for the mortise lock weakens the lock stile and reduces the restraint it offers to bowing. The tubular type of lock requires a minimum of cutting and will have less weakening effect than the mortise type. Similarly, cutting for lights, louvers, panels or door closures may result in some distortion within the door if the frame or large areas of the face are thereby weakened.

  Lack of weather protection of exterior doors is a common cause of warp. Recessed openings, porches, vestibules, and overhangs materially reduce weather exposure and minimize the tendency of exterior doors to warp.         

  Failure to apply protective coatings to the edges and faces of the door, particularly the top and bottom edges, may permit moisture changes and resultant warp.