Suburban

Installation Guidelines

HANDLING, FINISHING & INSTALLATION GUIDELINES

In order to ensure that you obtain maximum enjoyment and utility from your door product we strongly urge you to read and follow the guidelines detailed below. Failure to follow the guidelines below will invalidate door manufacturer’s and Suburban Door Company’s limited warranties. It will be the discretion of Suburban Door Company and our door manufacturers to approve or reject any claim due to poor handling, installation or finishing.

DOOR HANDLING GUIDE

1. Avoid dragging doors across one another or across other surfaces.
2. Store on a level surface in a dry, well-ventilated building. Avoid stacking on end.
3. Cover doors to keep clean but allow air circulation.
4. Doors should not be subject to abnormal heat, dryness or humidity for prolonged periods. Avoid sudden changes such as forced heat to dry out buildings.
5. Place doors in building site only after plaster, stucco and/or cement is dry.
6. If the doors are to be stored for long periods or on the job site, the entire door including the top and bottom edges must be sealed in order to prevent undue moisture absorption.
7. Door shall not be exposed to excess moisture, excessive heat, direct sunlight, and/or dryness.
8. A substantial overhang and protection from the elements will minimize component movement inherent to exterior wood doors.
9. Exterior wood doors must be finished with three coats of an exterior grade material on all six sides.

DOOR FITTING AND HANGING GUIDE

1. All wood doors should be conditioned to average prevailing relative humidity of the locality before hanging.
2. When hanging door, allow adequate clearance for swelling of door or frame in extremely damp weather.
3. Avoid cutting doors down in size, use designated sizes. If width trim is required, do not trim over ¼” per side. Top may be trimmed 1/8” and the bottom no more than 1-1/2”.
4. Be sure that jambs and stops are set perfectly square and plumb.
5. Where doors are installed for outward swing with no protection from the
Elements, doors must be properly protected with an exterior grade sealer.
6. Immediately after fitting, the entire door including top and bottom edges must be sealed to prevent undue absorption of moisture.

DOOR FINISHING GUIDE

1. Adjust or align components if necessary.
2. Suburban Door Company will not be responsible for the appearance of
field-finished doors.
3. Apply finish as soon as the door is fitted, but before final hanging. Cutouts for hardware must be sealed prior to installation . Suburban Door Company will not warrant product that has been Installed prior to finishing or that shows deterioration of wood or swelling due to finish breakdown.
4. Make sure all surfaces are sealed and finished, including top, bottom and side edges of the stiles and rails.
5. Use a good grade primer followed by at least one topcoat of a good grade oil or latex paint. Generally, oil based paints should be used as a primer coat. Use exterior grade paint for exterior installations.
6. For stain finishes, apply a first coat of quality oil base stain and sealer followed by at least two coats of clear finish.
7. Finish on doors will deteriorate over time. All products require yearly inspection and potential additional coats of finish.