Buyers Guide

We know that buying a timber door can be a daunting task, so at 'Doors & Glass Ltd' we have put together an easy guide to help you.

We recommend you read the advice and information below before you purchase your new timber door.

IS FOREST FRIENDLY TIMBER USED?

We make every effort to ensure that all our doors and raw lumber suppliers purchase from Managed Forest sources and we especially support those where replanting programs are employed.

We donate as much of our used paper, cardboard and glass for recycling as is practical.

WHAT ARE RAISED MOULDINGS?

Raised Mouldings are a separately carved or machined beading fixed to the face of a door.

This is normally applied around the Fielded Panels and Glass Openings.

WHAT IS DOWEL CONSTRUCTION?

Dowel construction doors are made of separate components i.e. Stiles, Head Rail, Mid Rails, Bottom Rails etc.

The main components are joined by Bore Holes and Fluted Dowels which are glued and inserted into the dowel holes. The door is then pressed by hydraulic or pneumatic press to complete its assembly.

This method is employed to assemble ‘economical’ exterior doors and almost always to assemble interior doors.

WHAT IS MORTICE & TENON CONSTRUCTION?

Mortice & Tenon refers to the main joints of two pieces of wood.

A Mortice & Tenon joint means that two pieces of wood are joined by carving a tenon peg on one piece of wood and boring a mortice hole in another. The tenon is then glued and passed through the mortice hole, it is glued and wedged in place to secure a firm joint.

A Mortice & Tenon construction is therefore superior to a dowel built exterior door in withstanding the climate.

ARE YOUR DOORS SOLID?

NO whilst 99% of our doors are solid this does not normally mean that they are solid of the material seen.

It is quite normal and standard practice for doors to be made from engineered components.

Making doors this way gives a much more stable construction being less susceptible to problems that solid timber components have such as twisting and bowing.

Other benefits of making doors this way are:
1.Kinder to forests
2.Much more cost effective

CAN MY DOOR BE PAINTED, STAINED, OILED OR WAXED?

This will depend on location.

Internal Doors
All types of internal doors can be treated with paint or varnish type finishes. Some types such as the oak engineered internal doors may be treated with Danish Oil or similar. Be sure to apply ample coats to a new door and fresh coats periodically.

Do not use waterbased products. This will cause adverse effects to your doors and void your warranty.

External Doors – Paint
External doors, frames and panels may be treated with exterior quality paint. A primer coat, 2 undercoats and 2 gloss coats are recommended. Be sure to seal both the top edge and bottom edge underneath to prevent moisture entering the timber.

External Doors – Stain
External Doors, frames and panels may be treated with a spirit based micro-porous treatment of quality exterior grade. Three to four top coats are recommended. Be sure to seal both the top edge and bottom edge underneath the door to prevent moisture entering the timber. Clear varnish alone is not sufficient to protect the timber.

Never use a water based product on your new external doors, frames, panels etc. We do not consider these to give adequate protection and no guarantee claim will be entertained for goods treated with such products.

Any guidance given here does not overrule guidance given by specific manufacturers. Where a manufacturer has specific guidelines these will be shown and must be adhered to. Failure to follow these guidelines will void your warranty.

HOW SHOULD I POLISH,STAIN,VARNISH MY DOORS?

We recommend that your doors should be treated with a micro-porous stain or something with a hard finish.

We recommend that you do not use waxes or oils. While these may be fine for internal doors we feel that they offer no where near enough protection from the elements and we will not guarantee external doors at all if they have been finished in this way.

The same applies to water based stains as our past experience has shown that these are not as durable as oil based.

Using a water based stain will void your warranty.

Any guidance given here does not overrule guidance given by specific manufacturers. Where a manufacturer has specific guidelines these will be shown and must be adhered to. Failure to follow these guidelines will void your warranty.

DOES THE GLASS MEET BRITISH STANDARDS?

Yes all our glass products are produced up to or exceeding Building Regulations as recommended by the BSI Institution or the Glass & Glazing Federation.

ARE MY DOORS A STANDARD SIZE?

The standard sizes available for each door are shown in the individual pictorials on the applicable pages.

CAN MY ORDER BE DELIVERED?

Yes we offer a nationwide delivery service.

Carriage charges depend on the area you need delivery to and the quantity of goods you require. Please include your Town, County and Post Code in any enquiry you submit.

HOW CAN I PAY FOR MY ORDER?

There are various payment options available.
Cash
BACS
Cheque
Credit card
Debit card

DO I MEASURE IN INCHES OR MILLIMETRES?

You may work in either, please refer to our Size Chart on our home page for assistance.

DO YOU HAVE AN INSTALLATION SERVICE?

Yes we offer an installation service within a 50 mile radius of our Cosham showroom.

DO YOU HAVE A SHOWROOM?

Yes browse around at your leisure with over 100 designs on display in our split level showroom.

Please note that not all are products are in stock or on display. Our range is very comprehensive and not all doors are stock items. If you wish to view a particular door, please do not hesitate to call first to ensure the item you require to look at is in stock or an example is available.