FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Yes, all Solwest Doors are supplied unfinished and need to be finished, painted, stained or otherwise sealed.

Timber is a natural product that is greatly affected by changes in moisture. The change in moisture will cause the timber to warp, crack or in some cases rot. Unprotected timber can physically deteriorate if exposed to extremes of atmospheric change over a period of time.

Therefore, all timber products should be painted, stained, or otherwise sealed before being installed to help protect them from changes in moisture-regardless of whether they are being used inside or outside.

All six surfaces – two faces and four edges – of the door should be painted immediately after fitting and before hanging – this includes behind the hinges, and lock and most importantly, you should always paint the top and bottom edges.

Always follow the paint manufacturer’s instructions on the number of coats required.

The top, bottom and sides of the door need to receive the same number of coats as the faces.

Generally paint manufacturers will specify that you should give timber a light sand before finishing.  Always refer to the paint manufacturer’s advice.

The surface should be prepared with appropriate sandpaper.  Under no circumstances should you use steel wool or other metal scourers.

Light sanding is recommended on veneer doors.  Do not sand veneers back more than 0.2mm as the substrate may be exposed.  Do not use sandpaper with a grit value lower than 240.  Always sand in the direction of the grain.

Always use good quality paint or coating systems and follow the paint manufacturer’s advice.

Be sure to pay particular attention to ‘internal’ vs ‘external’ paint systems and use one that is appropriate to where you are hanging the door.

Never use automotive or two pack paints on doors.

For best results on timber veneer doors used in external application, we recommend using Feast Watson© Weatherproof Satin.

Doors exposed to sunlight should be painted with light reflective colours as dark
colours absorb light and heat. Using dark colours will cause a drying effect on the
doors and cause the doors to warp. The use of a light coloured topcoat is recommended.

Your paint supplier or manufacturer can advise you on the light reflective value (LRV)
of the colour you have selected – the higher the light reflective value, the less heat the
substrate will absorb and the longer the life expectancy of the paint finish.

Black has a LRV of approximately 5. White has an LRV of approximately 95.

Choosing paint colours with an LRV of greater than 50 is a wise choice for doors
exposed to sunlight.

Your paint manufacturer should be able to advise you of the LRV of a selected colour.

No, using different colours on the exterior and interior will cause uneven heat / moisture absorption, particularly for doors in exposed locations. The finishing paint or stain should be the same colour on all six sides. Using different colours may cause the door to warp.

Hollow core doors with a 3.2mm skin should be painted with flat, semi gloss or satin finishes.

Hollow core doors with 4.75mm or thicker skins can be painted with gloss or high gloss paints.

We do not recommend painting laminated timber core doors with gloss finishes.

Yes, timber veneers can have significant variation in colour and grain patterns and textures. These variations in colour and grain are unavoidable and are part of the natural beauty of timber; they are not considered defects.

Always store your door in a dry covered building, not in wet, exposed or freshly plastered areas where moisture can get to the door. Your door should be stored off the ground/floor.

Yes, entrance doors must be installed in weather protected openings to reduce the effects of weather exposure. The Solwest Doors warranty will not cover doors that are fully exposed to the weather.

You should avoid getting doors wet, even after finishing.

Wipe your front door down with a damp cloth. Do not use harsh chemicals or
detergents on your door.

Never hose your front door down or get your door wet.

Hang stile and rail/joinery doors with the beads facing externally. Always hang doors as directed by the label on door.

Always use a good quality door furniture supplier. Make sure your door furniture is
appropriate for entry or internal applications. Always follow the door furniture
manufacturer’s advice for installation and fitting.

Always understand the construction of your door before attempting to fit it with
furniture or hardware. The utility or structural strength must not be impaired in the
fitting of the door, the application of hardware or cutting and altering the door for lites,
louvres, panels or any other special details. Always follow the door furniture
manufacturer’s advice for installation and fitting.

A lock block is a piece of timber/particleboard fixed inside the door.

Hollow core doors contain a lock block. As the construction is not 100% solid timber/
particleboard, a lock block is required to keep the handle and door furniture in place.

It is extremely important that the position of the lock block is located before checking
out of the hinges, hanging the door or fixing the door furniture.

To help indicate which side of the door the lock block is positioned, a lock block label is
located on that side. This label is always on the spine/stile.

The centre of the lock block is positioned 1020mm from the bottom of the door.

The lock block will cover door furniture back set up to 60mm. An internal door lock
block is 410mm in height; an external door lock block is 500mm in height.

Internal doors – 5mm off top and bottom rails; 5mm off each stile

Joinery doors – 5mm off top and bottom rails; 5mm off each stile

External flush panel doors – 5mm off top and bottom rails; 5mm off each stile

Yes, we recommend that you regularly inspect your door for any paint breakdown. Pay
special attention to possible paint breakdown around glass openings and joints. Once
the paint system has begun to break down, you should re-finish your door.

Show through is when the internal construction of the door has left a slight impression
on the skin of the door. When this happens it will generally be doors with a 3.2mm
MDF skin. Normally show through is only seen at certain angles or when high gloss
paints are used. Show through of frame a core components is not considered a defect.

Warp means the cupping or twisting of timber. When it comes to doors, it refers to the
distortion within the door itself and not its relationship to jambs or the frame in which
it is hung.

Warp exceeding 5mm on doors up to 2100 x 920mm, 6mm for doors over 2100 x
920mm and up to 2340 x 920mm and 8mm for doors up to 2340 x 1200mm shall be
considered a defect. Doors in excess of 2340mm high or 1200mm wide are not
guaranteed against warp.

You can determine cupping by applying a straight-edge to the concave face of the door,
or twist by placing the door face against a true plane surface.

Warp can be caused by a number of factors, but generally warp is caused by improper
storage or adverse moisture conditions. Using dark or varying paint colours can also
cause the door to warp.

It is the responsibility of the installer and homeowner/builder to ensure that the
finishing advice in this document has been adhered to. Failure to follow any of these
instructions will void the warranty. Solwest Doors does not accept responsibility for
warp when the moisture content of the timber falls below 12% or exceeds 18%.

If excessive warping occurs, seek advice promptly to help solve the problem.