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Finishing, Care and Maintenance

Please note that the following Finishing, Care and Maintenance instructions should be read in conjunction with our Conditions of Sale which can be found within our brochure, on our website and within the packaging of all our doors.

TODD DOORS ENGINEERED INTERNAL DOORS


If you have bought, or are considering buying one of our Engineered Interior Doors, please read on. We have tried to make the following text as clear as possible and in plain English.

Todd Doors takes pride in sourcing the very best products to cater for the widest range of tastes. The wood used in our doors all comes from sustainable forests and great care has been taken to only use factories who adhere to European Timber Regulations, and therefore the quality of raw materials used ensures that your door will give many years of good service.

An Engineered Interior door will be constructed typically using a combination of man-made and natural materials and relies upon being installed and finished correctly and subsequently maintained to maximise its longevity and to ensure that it looks good for many years. In some environments, our doors may not be suitable and as we would rather you be aware of this we have written the following guidance to enable you to make an informed decision about your purchase and to gently educate you as to what you can expect by way of additional finishing that may be required straight after installation and ongoing maintenance.

Reminder: If you have already purchased one of our doors, please check your goods and let us know about any issues within 3 working days. If you fit, finish or make any alterations to your door you will be deemed to have accepted the goods as supplied. If in doubt about this, please check our Terms & Conditions of Sale which can be found on the back of all forms of your paperwork, on our web site and within all of our brochures.

PRESERVING CRAFTSMANSHIP

Installing your door in an appropriate location and when conditions within the property are right. Any door is most at risk from failure when exposed to extremes of heat or humidity. In newly built properties or properties that are being renovated where walls have been freshly plastered, it is important to wait until the moisture levels have normalised and the environment where the door is to be installed is fully dry. If a door is installed in a damp or newly plastered room, it is possible for the components that make up the door to absorb moisture and swell at different rates and in turn crack or split. This would most commonly happen along the line where the lipping of the door joins the face but can also happen in a variety of places on a door.

In much the same way, if the door is positioned in areas of extreme heat such as close to a radiator, in a boiler room or cupboard containing a hot water cylinder, in a utility room or wet room for example, consideration for how the door may react should be taken.

Doors that are fitted in these and similar circumstances would not be covered by our guarantee should they fail. This applies for both manufacturing defects, poor workmanship and any factory applied finish.

MAKING ALTERATIONS

Nearly all of our doors contain “lippings” on the edges, which are made from solid wood. The lippings enable you to trim the door to make it fill most gaps and still fit hinges to the edge. The maximum that each door or “leaf” can be trimmed is dependent on type of door, size of lipping and how the door has been constructed.

Our doors are either Solid-core construction or Semi-solid construction; in Semi-solid doors there may be some hollow areas within the core of Particleboard or MDF to make it lighter and cheaper to produce.

Solid-core doors don’t have any hollow areas, but for clarity, they are not made of solid timber, they just don’t have any voids in their MDF or particleboard core.

We do not stock Hollow core doors as they are typically very lightweight and easily damaged.

Fitting into an existing frame and trimming (NON Fire Doors): If fitting a Non Fire Rated (typically 35mm or 40mm thick) Engineered Interior Door into an existing frame and the door leaf requires trimming, the maximum that the door can be trimmed from the top and 2 long edges is typically 6mm. Trimming over 6mm may be possible but the lipping will be substantially weakened and any work of this nature would be at the installer or end user’s risk. The maximum that the door can be trimmed from the bottom edges is typically 20mm or more, but to find the maximum allowance for your chosen door please visit the product page on our website. Trimmed edges must be finished / re-finished and brought up to the same standard of finish as the rest of the door. Failure to do this will invalidate your guarantee.

Fitting Fire Doors:

Installing a fire rated engineered interior door isn't the same as hanging a normal door.  It is a complex procedure requiring detailed understanding and should be fitted by a competent installer. Failure to fit a fire door correctly will compromise the doors performance and ultimately property and lives will be at risk. Your building control officer will check for compliance of the door itself and, also the way it is fitted, and the components used in fitting.

All of Todd Doors’ fire rated engineered interior doors fully comply with Part B of the building regulations when fitted in accordance with their test certification, which is available upon request.

To find the maximum trimming allowance for your chosen fire door please visit the product page on our website.

If a fire door is reduced in width or height in any way, trimmed edges must be finished / re-finished and brought up to the same standard of finish as the rest of the door. Failure to do this will invalidate your guarantee.

FINISHING AND MAINTAINING YOUR DOOR

Please be aware that we offer our doors in a variety of states of finish:

Untreated - left in a ‘bare’ state, ready for the end user to apply either a paint or stain finish.

Primed – supplied coated with a basic one or two coats of primer, but in need of further preparation (sanding, caulking and filling) and undercoating before any final or top coats are applied by the end user.

Deluxe Primed – Primed but to a much higher standard, with greater attention to detail and sometimes a finish so good that customers choose not to apply a final top coat (note that for doors sited near to moisture sources - bathrooms / kitchens etc. - we would always recommend that a final top coat be applied).

Pre-Finished - generally fully finished in either a spray lacquered or painted state, leaving the end user very little to do post installation.

Whatever level of finish you choose to buy your door in, it is always the case that immediately after the door has been installed, Untreated and Primed doors must have their final coats of finish applied and with ALL doors, irrespective of what level of finish they have been sold with, if the edges, top or bottom have been trimmed in any way, it is vital that these surfaces are not left in the bare state, but brought up to the same standard of finish as the rest of the door. Failure to do this will invalidate your guarantee.
Please note that we offer a full finishing service in paint and stain finishes for any of our doors – please speak to one of our Door Experts for more details.

Our doors can be treated with either Water or Solvent borne finishes but care should always be taken to not saturate the door when applying the first coat of any finish. This could cause a veneer to lift as the saturated timber swells and breaks the glue bond, forming a ‘bubble’ in the veneer. Should this happen, leave the door to dry out and there is every chance the bubble will disappear. If it doesn’t, a skilled decorator should be able to slice or puncture the bubble, squeeze a small amount of glue into the cavity and with the door lying flat, leave a weighted block on the bubble, with a layer of plastic sheet underneath so the block doesn’t stick to any glue residue, flattening it until the glue has set.

For a natural look, some customers prefer to ‘oil’ a door. For nearly all of our doors, this is not an issue and we would honour any guarantee claims. However, on our Oak FLB door, due to the high level of solid timber in this door, we cannot guarantee it unless it has been fully sealed with a water or solvent based paint or varnish. Oiling the Oak FLB door invalidates their guarantee.

Levels of ongoing maintenance will vary depending on the degree of usage and location in which a door has been installed. If you are unsure how to re-finish or maintain your door in years to come, we would suggest that you have the door inspected by a qualified decorator and seek their advice and guidance.

GUARANTEE

Due to the continued confidence that our Todd Doors engineered interior doors will be free from defects, we will guarantee our workmanship and materials for the lifetime* of the original owner – so long as the doors are treated and maintained as instructed. We guarantee against total failure of the factory pre-finish on our Todd Door Engineered Interior Doors for one year subject to installation in line with our instructions as detailed above (and compliance with our Terms & Conditions of Sale). Please see http://www.todd-doors.co.uk/lifetime-guarantee for further information.

*For purchases after 14 July 2020

HOW TO GET ASSISTANCE

If you have a problem with your Todd Doors Engineered Interior Door, immediately upon discovery contact our Customer Service Team:

Email: customerservices@todd-doors.co.uk

Telephone: 0808 164 0072

In writing: Customer Services, Todd Doors Ltd, 28 Soothouse Spring, St Albans AL3 6PF

We can respond quickly and efficiently if you provide us with the date of purchase, your order or invoice number, how to contact you and a description of the problem and the product, including photographs.

WHAT WE WILL DO

Upon receiving your notification, we will send out a form for you to complete within three business days of receipt to the contact identified. We will investigate your claim and take appropriate action within 30 days of receipt of notification (but normally much quicker). If it is suspected that our product does not have a defect covered by the warranty, we may charge an upfront inspection fee for an onsite inspection that is required or requested by you to cover our labour and travel costs. If it is determined that there is a defect, the inspection fee will be refunded and we will either arrange to repair the door on-site, offer an allowance in compensation or supply a replacement door (this would be charged for until such time as the faulty door is either returned to us or collected by us, at which point the charge for the replacement door would be refunded). If we are unable to provide a replacement and repair is not practical or cannot be made within a suitable timeframe, then we will refund the purchase price, having made allowance of a reasonable amount to cover the length of usage the product has already given (typically at 20% per year).

If the claimed non-conformity is a warp or bow, we may defer repairing or replacing the door panel for a period of up to twelve months from the date of claim. It is not uncommon for a temporary warp condition to occur as the door panel adjusts to local humidity and temperature conditions. This deferral will not be counted against the warranty period.

WHAT THIS GUARANTEE DOES NOT COVER

Todd Doors will not be held liable for:

  • Warp / bowing for any 915mm wide by 2134mm high by 35mm , 40mm or 44mm or smaller door panel, which does not exceed 6mm in the plane of the door panel itself.
  • Problems due to misuse, abuse, failure to follow the Finishing, Care & Maintenance Instructions or as a result of any cause beyond our control (e.g. fire, flood, extremes of temperature, other acts of nature, and acts of third parties outside of our control).
  • Problems related to improper finishing and /or the use of an inappropriate product on any/all surfaces (front and back) and edges (top, bottom, and sides) of the door.
  • Bow or misalignment in the frame or jamb in which the door panel is hung.
  • Incidental or consequential damages to include but not limited to: cost of labour for installation, removal or refinishing of the replacement door or component.
  • Slight expansion or contraction due to varying environmental conditions, panel movement (shrinkage) of 6mm or less due to temperature and humidity.
  • Black or dark staining of the timber due to moisture ingress which commonly occurs in Oak Timber products.
  • General wear and tear.




TODD DOORS ENGINEERED EXTERIOR DOORS



If you have bought, or are considering buying one of our Pre-Finished Engineered Timber Exterior Doors or Entrance sets, please read on. We have tried to make the following text as clear as possible and in plain English.

A timber door or frame is a natural product and relies upon being well maintained to maximise its longevity and to ensure that it looks good for many years. In some environments, a timber door may not be suitable and as we would rather you be aware of this we have written the following guidance to enable you to make an informed decision about your purchase and to gently educate you as to what you can expect by way of ongoing maintenance.

PRESERVING CRAFTSMANSHIP

Installing your door in an appropriate location and protecting it with a porch

The placement of your Todd Door Engineered Timber Exterior Door is a major factor in its longevity and maintenance requirements. To adequately protect your door and extend its life, it is imperative to take into account the climate in your location, as well as the direction your door will be facing. We insist that your door is protected by at least an open porch that is commensurate in size to the height and width of the installed entrance set.

You can calculate how large your porch needs to be by taking the overall width of the frame and adding 300mm either side. The projection of the porch should typically be 50% of the height from the bottom of the door to the underside of the porch. For example, if the measurement from the base of your door to the underside of your porch is 2m, then the overhang should be a minimum of 1m deep.

In locations where a porch is not possible to install or would look out of place e.g. above a pair of garage doors or a set of patio doors, our doors can be used but would need careful monitoring and ongoing maintenance and would not be covered by any warranty on life of the applied finish or ingress of moisture.

In some situations such as coastal areas, South, South East and South West facing locations where exposure to long periods of direct sunlight or driving rain are common, the exposure can be too extreme for a timber door (regardless of whether a porch is fitted). They would be susceptible to performance problems, such as rapid finish deterioration, colour fading, wood splitting, warping, moulding shrinkage, wood joint separation and water penetration between the mouldings, panels and glass. Therefore, doors used in applications with these exposures cannot be covered under our warranty. In these instances we would recommend that you purchase a composite GRP or PVC door from a reputable merchant.

MAINTAINING YOUR DOOR

With the proper protection from the elements, (including a porch), timber doors may face any direction. That being said, timber doors installed in ANY location will require ongoing maintenance and may need to be refinished every one to five years. You may also need to perform periodic maintenance at any time which may include (but is not limited to) either touching up affected areas or fully re-coating a door, trimming swollen wood products, and periodic hardware oiling or polishing. Required maintenance will vary depending on environmental conditions in your area and the level of protection that your porch offers. For our Todd Doors Pre-Finished Oak Engineered Exterior Doors we offer a Maintenance & Re-finishing Kit to help preserve and protect your door for many years to come. This is available to purchase in-store or online.

Finish life varies, and the amount of moisture, direct sunlight and accumulation of dust or dirt all affect the finish. In areas exposed to severe weather, finish life may be about a year. For homes with entries protected from sun and moisture, finishes may last many years. Fortunately, you can ascertain if the finish should be restored just by looking at it. Evidence of dulling, a “dry” feeling, raised grain and minor surface splits are all signs that a finish restoration is needed. A whitish cast to the final finish, particularly on doors subject to sun and moisture, is also a signal for finish restoration. Additionally, dark streaks or blackish staining are a sign that moisture is being drawn into the wood. Occasionally inspect your doors for any of these conditions. If any of them appear, it is important to restore the finish immediately, paying particular attention to all six sides of the doors and any cut-outs such as behind the hinges or letterbox aperture.

Please note that failing to maintain the finish of your door will void the warranty.

Fitting into an existing frame

If you are fitting a Todd Door Engineered Timber Exterior Door into an existing frame and the door leaf requires trimming, the maximum that the door can be trimmed from each of the four sides is 15mm. Trimming over 15mm may be possible but the lipping will be substantially weakened and any work of this nature would be at the installer or end user’s risk. Trimmed edges must be re-finished and treated appropriately. Failure to do so will void the warranty.

GUARANTEE

Todd Doors Pre-Finished Oak Engineered Exterior Doors

We guarantee that our Todd Doors Engineered Timber Exterior Doors will be free from defects in materials or workmanship from the date of purchase for a period of five years, so long as it is maintained and protected as instructed.

We guarantee against total failure of the factory pre-finish on our Todd Doors Pre-Finished Oak Engineered Exterior Doors for one year subject to installation in line with our instructions as detailed above (and compliance with our Terms & Conditions of Sale).

Todd Doors Hardwood Primed Engineered Exterior Doors

We guarantee that our Todd Doors Hardwood Primed Engineered Exterior Doors will be free from defects in materials or workmanship from the date of purchase for a period of five years, so long as it is maintained and protected as instructed (and compliance with our Terms & Conditions of Sale).

Essentials Primed Engineered Exterior Doors

We guarantee that our Essentials Primed Engineered Exterior Doors will be free from defects in materials or workmanship from the date of purchase for a period of one year, so long as it is maintained and protected as instructed (and compliance with our Terms & Conditions of Sale).

HOW TO GET ASSISTANCE

If you have a problem with your Todd Door Engineered Timber Exterior Door, immediately upon discovery contact our customer service team:

Email: customerservices@todd-doors.co.uk

Telephone: 0808 164 0072

In writing: Customer Services, Todd Doors Ltd, 28 Soothouse Spring, St Albans AL3 6PF

We can respond quickly and efficiently if you provide us with the date of purchase, your order or invoice number, how to contact you and a description of the problem and the product, including photographs.

WHAT WE WILL DO

Upon receiving your notification, we will send out a form for you to complete within three business days of receipt to the contact identified. We will investigate your claim and take appropriate action within 30 days of receipt of notification (but normally much quicker). If it is suspected that our product does not have a defect covered by the warranty, we may charge an upfront inspection fee for an onsite inspection that is required or requested by you to cover our labour and travel costs . If it is determined that there is a defect, the inspection fee will be refunded and we will either arrange to repair the door on-site, offer an allowance in compensation or supply a replacement door (this would be charged for until such time as the faulty door is either returned or collected, at which point the charge for the replacement door would be refunded). If we are unable to provide replacement and repair is not practical or cannot be made within a suitable timeframe, then we will refund the purchase price, having made allowance of a reasonable amount to cover the length of usage the product has already given (typically at 20% per year).

If the claimed non-conformity is warp or bow, we may defer repairing or replacing the door panel for a period up to twelve months from the date of claim. It is not uncommon for a temporary warp condition to occur as the door panel adjusts to local humidity and temperature conditions. This deferral will not be counted against the warranty period.

WHAT THIS GUARANTEE DOES NOT COVER

Todd Doors will not be held liable for:

  • Warp / Bowing for any 1067mm wide by 2134mm high by 44mm, or smaller door panel, which does not exceed 6mm in the plane of the door panel itself.
  • Normal wear and tear, including normal wear and tear of weather strip and threshold plates, any natural weathering of surfaces or variations in the colour or texture of the wood or finish or surface cracks that are less than 1mm in width and/or 50mm in length.
  • Problems due to misuse, abuse, failure to follow the Finishing, Care & Maintenance Instructions, failure to provide an adequate porch or as a result of any cause beyond our control (e.g. fire, flood, extremes of temperature, other acts of nature, and acts of third parties outside of our control).
  • Problems related to improper finishing and /or the use of an inappropriate product on any/all surfaces (front and back) and edges (top, bottom, and sides including letterbox cut-outs) of the door or frame system or damage caused by extreme temperature build up where storm / porch doors are present.
  • Bow or misalignment in the frame or jamb in which the door panel is hung or problems related to water and /or air infiltration due to improper assembly or installation, or structural integrity issues.
  • Incidental or consequential damages to include but not limited to: cost of labour for installation, removal or refinishing of the replacement door or component.
  • Slight expansion or contraction due to varying environmental conditions, panel movement (shrinkage) of 6mm or less due to temperature and humidity.
  • Black or dark staining of the timber due to moisture ingress which commonly occurs in Oak Timber products.
  • General wear and tear.

Our Door Experts are always on hand to help with any questions or queries you may have about any of our products. You can contact us using the methods below.

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