Warranty

STEVES & SONS PRODUCT 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.
stevesdoors.com
Jan 2020