Care For Doors
General Maintenance
Wood door maintenance really depends on direct sun/water exposure. The frequency of door maintenance varies with individual applications. The bottom line is every few months, look for dulling in your finish which is usually the result of sun burning your door. The sun’s ultra violet rays are bad things, but no worse on doors than anything else. You should always check for cracks in the caulk around your door unit, but this is no different for a wood or metal door. As a rule of thumb, every 12 to 18 months the exterior of a door should receive a light sanding with fine sand paper, about 220 grit. After this, one should take a clean cloth, apply a little paint thinner to it and thoroughly wipe the door off. After the door dries for a few minutes, apply a light top coat of Watco Danish Oil Finish. When applying Watco, Wipe it on with a rag and remove any excess. Allow the door to stand and absorb the Watco. It is important to get a complete coating on the door and do not be afraid to let the Watco drip into crevices and cracks to keep the door sealed for best protection against water damage. Instantly the door is good for another 12 to 18 months. It really is that simple.
Always remember, wood came from a living breathing tree and it is more sensitive to the elements than metal, but it is far more beautiful. It will change and grow in character over its life. With just modest attention and care, a wood door can last for many, many years. For help in selecting a door or for further advice, please contact us at 480-991-1252.
Finely crafted wood doors are a source of individual expression and beauty in domestic and commercial architecture. Wood has the ability to adapt to many designs, allowing for thousands of creative possibilities. Wood sets the standard for all other door types to achieve. But no other material delivers the architectural detail, precise shadow lines and mesmerizing grain patterns of wood.
The inherent warmth of wood doors is due to millions of naturally occurring, tiny honeycomb cells between the fibers, which provide a relatively high percentage of air volume, an excellent insulator. According to WDMA sources, wood's insulating properties are 600 times more effective than those of steel. And because wood doesn't conduct hot or cold like most man-made materials, the possibility of "thermal bowing" is diminished. Thermal bowing is caused by extreme temperatures, when one surface of the door is very cold at the same time the other side is very warm. When the cold side of the door contracts and the warm side expands, the uneven pressure that results may cause the structure to bow. Wood is much less susceptible to this problem.
Protect Your Door During Construction and Remodeling
Doors installed during a home remodel or construction should be protected from construction traffic. However, never seal door behind an air tight vapor barrier as severe damage can occur to your door from excessive heat build up from the solar heat gain of sun exposure. No warranty applies to doors experiencing such conditions. The same applies to the installation of air tight storm doors over a wood door, steel door or fiberglass door.
Easy Installation
Wood is easily planed at the home site to fit odd-sized openings. Imperfections in framing and jamb systems are not the roadblocks that they might be for non-wood, less-adaptable door materials. In addition, shavings from planing a wood door are much less irritating than fibers and other debris from man-made materials. Wood doors, when prepared properly at the home site, take stain evenly and beautifully. In this way, wood is more forgiving than non-wood surfaces.
“Do not use wood conditioners prior to staining. Conditioner is good on woods with wild grain variations and most softwood products. On hardwoods, it most often seals the wood and prevents your stain from doing its job and penetrating the wood grain. Your finishes will tend to be light and off color.”
Like anything worthwhile, wood doors require care. We recommend you install wood entrance doors under an overhang that blocks the sun. When finishing the door, all six sides, (four edges and two faces), must be properly sealed, per manufacturers instructions. Avoid applying dark-colored paint, as it is more prone to noticeable fading in the sun. Inspect your wood door every one to two years.
How will your door be packaged for shipping?
When your merchandise arrives, particularly, doors, gates and sidelites, you can expect the product to arrive on a motor freight carrier. Dealing with a motor freight carrier is definitively different than using UPS or the Postal Service. When your product arrives, expect it to be heavy and bulky. Doors, Gates, & Sidelites will be crated in protective material and wooden boxing material. Crated Sidelites can generally be handled by a single individual although, some models can be quite heavy weighing 50 to 200 pounds each. Crated Door units can weigh between 250 and 550 pounds. (Note* a single 4X9 Door with Wood and Iron weighs around 250 pounds and a Wood only Door weighs around 225 pounds without the crate, handles, glass, or other hardware.) ***Please do not expect a motor freight driver to help you unload. They will move your product to the tail of their truck and from that point on, the load is yours to manage. Have some able body friends on hand to help out or whom ever else you can recruit. Often, door units are easier to manage once removed from their crate and you might want to uncrate immediately after removing your shipment from the truck.
A driver has been known to be of more assistance if you are to offer them some financial consideration, but this is not always a guarantee. Good luck and be safe in unloading your merchandise.
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