Door Industry Journal - Spring 2020

Also online at: www.dijonline.co.uk 3. Bath testing You can learn a lot about the quality of an external door by lipping and siliconing the edge before submerging one under 20ml of water. Whilst tests should be carried out over one week, faults usually become apparent within just 48 hours, revealing any weaknesses in glazing and panel seals, as well as poor joint and veneer adhesion. 4. Cross-section testing Cutting various sections through the door can allow you to ascertain the quality of its internal construction. This test is particularly telling when conducted after the bath test. An option for everyone For smaller projects, offering customers the chance to choose from a wide range of high-quality products puts them in control of their project, which in turn, puts you at the heart of its success. By presenting a wide variety of choices to your clients, you are able to ensure that a customer’s personal preference is met. Giving options that cover different price points is also key unless the customer has already provided a budget for their doors. Often, ranges have different price tiers within them so, even if a specific look is desired, there may be multiple ways to achieve this. Quality over quantity Another key aspect for builders and joiners to consider is quality. Selecting the very best, premium quality doors not only helps with the fitting but also helps grow a trusted relationship with a client. Therefore, it is crucial for you to check the products you’re using before recommending them to your customers. Different door designs offer different performance characteristics at various price points. As the most traditional and beneficial of all door designs, boarded doors, offer a wealth of long-term benefits due to their solid construction, which their counterparts might not be able to match. For this reason, it is important for you to evaluate their chosen door design and construction before fitting. The three most popular constructions of a door are solid or laminated wood, solid core, and hollow core. Whilst they can all look similar on the outside, the performance of each can vary massively. When we look at invisible, but essential, factors such as heat retention, hollow core doors really can’t compete. Alongside lasting between 1-60 years, solid core and solid oak doors boast superior heat retention as well as enhanced sound insulation. However, hollow core doors offer significantly less, due to their less substantial construction. Therefore, when selecting a door that offers multiple benefits in the long term, we would recommend opting for either solid core or solid oak. While the price point may be slightly higher, your customer could save money later down the line in energy bills and the cost of replacing lower quality, hollow core doors. By taking all of these points into consideration, tradespeople will be able to successfully identify the right door for their project. Which in turn, will offer the customer enhanced quality, a wide range of choices, multiple aesthetics, and peace of mind that their new door will stand the test of time. THE door industry journal Timber & Metal Doorsets