Showroom
134 Great North Road
Hatfield, AL9 5JN
134 Great North Road
Hatfield, AL9 5JN
We only stock good quality timber doors, manufactured to the highest standards using the finest raw materials available. Wood is a natural product, and it needs to be treated and protected against external elements. We guarantee all our doors for 12 months from date of purchase, against faulty material or manufacture provided each door has been stored and treated in accordance with the latest recommendations.
Every effort is made to supply the correct doors in perfect condition. On the rare occasions that errors are made or doors are not up to standard, it is important to thoroughly check your doors on receipt – either before leaving our shop or on receipt of delivery. Please check for the following:
Any claim for damaged doors must be reported within 3 days of receipt of those doors. No claim will be considered after that time.
Please remember that wood is a natural material that has many variations in grain and colour. These variants can not be accepted as a reason for exchange or rejection. In cases of pairs of doors, or orders for numerous matching doors, we will do our very best to supply for the same bulk delivery – but the matching colour cannot be guaranteed.
By fitting, finishing or altering a door in any way, we shall deem you to have accepted the goods as supplied – we cannot replace a faulty door if any alterations have taken place or any work has been carried out on that door.
Doors should be stored flat in a cool, dry atmosphere, well away from any heated radiators or other forms of direct heat. They should not be hung in newly plastered areas, which should be allowed to dry completely before doors are introduced.
If the width of the door is to be reduced, this should be done equally from both sides.
If the height of the door is to be reduced, normally two thirds is taken off the base of the door, and the remaining third off the top. Care must be taken to ensure that the joints are not cut into.
If you are unsure, please check on the maximum reductions that can be made to specific doors.
Fully seal glass rebates and the backs of glazing beads prior to glazing on models that require but are supplied without glass.
Please also take care when fitting mortice locks – do not position these where the middle rail meets the stile as this may weaken the joint and damage the door. Make sure that the lock cavity is kept to a minimum.
Ensure that a weather bar is fitted to the external doors to ensure moisture droplets to not hang from the bottom of the door.
On all doors, internal and external, the correct finishing is vital for protection and the long and trouble free life of your doors. For varnishing, we recommend Sikkens – 1 coat of the Cetol HLS basecoat and 3 coats of Cetol 7 top coat and for painting, any good quality oil based paint – one of primer, two of undercoat and three of top coat.
The manufacturers of pine doors stipulate that the doors should not be finished with water based finishes. Designer Wooden Doors believe that water based paints and varnishes should not be used on ANY wooden door, and we only recommend oil or spirit based finishes.
Stain, varnish or paint needs to be applied to the front and back of the door as well as to all four edges, and this needs to be applied as soon as possible, prior to hanging the door or immediately after fitting – not a few days later. This is applicable to all internal and external doors. Furthermore, on external doors, please ensure that the cut outs made for locks, hinges, letterboxes etc are also sealed well with the finishing treatment. This sealing process is to ensure that there is no water penetration which in turn will ensure that the doors are protected from deterioration. Failure in protecting the doors adequately as recommended will invalidate any claims for warping, swelling or splitting.
Please note that it is advisable to protect all external doors with at least an open porch and the four coats of Sikkens, however, should a door be in an exposed location, we recommend a further one or two coats of Sikkens.
As set out in the relevant British Standards, warp/bow/cup/twist shall not be considered a defect unless it exceeds 1/4 inch (6.35mm) in the plane of the door itself. Warp is any distortion in the door itself and does not refer to the relationship of the door to the frame or jamb in which it is hung.
Doors require regular maintenance to prolong the high quality finish, and a little input will protect the look for years to come. Once a year, doors should be lightly sanded and a further coat of finishing product added. This will help prevent any moisture from penetrating the door, which would lead to deterioration and discolouration of the timber. Should any areas require attention, they need to be treated immediately to halt any further decline.
