Chapter B8 - North American Retail Hardware Association

Transcript

CONSTRUCTION AND CHAPTER B8 SPECIFICATIONS DOORS INTRODUCTION At first glance, doors may appear to be a complex and difficult product line to sell. But doors and the accessories that go with them are really simple products that have evolved over the years to meet customers’ changing needs. Doors are a puzzle to many salespeople, but they present a tremendous opportunity for you to provide the value-added service that sets you apart from your competitors. By taking the time to learn about doors, you’ll close more sales because you can give your customers the knowledgeable help they need. Along the way, you’ll also have fun working with a product line that constantly offers something new and interesting to learn. Many so-called “complex and confusing” aspects of doors are simply features that have been added to make doors more durable, more secure or more energy efficient without sacrificing the traditional styles customers want. As you study this chapter, you’ll learn the basic door components. You’ll find out how to organize your knowledge to understand the features and benefits of your product line. And you’ll learn how the accessories and related items you sell with doors, fit into house construction. A great advantage you have as a knowledgeable salesperson, is that many other salespeople are intimidated by product lines that seem complex. When customers shop for doors, they’re often shopping for technical expertise, not for price. If you can recommend the right products and show them how those products meet their needs, you’ll build relationships that lead to larger sales, satisfied customers, repeat business and career advancement possibilities. CONSTRUCTION AND SPECIFICATIONS When you sell a door, chances are your customers need the door and some “accessories” too. If your customers are simply replacing an existing door, they may only need a door blank. In new construction, customers may buy door blanks plus the materials and accessories they need to assemble the door-and-frame unit. Most customers buy prehung doors. A prehung door is already installed in its frame, with hinges applied and a hole bored for a lockset. But despite how the door is sold, the parts of the door assembly are much the same. OVERVIEW OF A DOOR-AND-FRAME ASSEMBLY A door-and-frame assembly is the door, the frame around it, hardware to hang and latch it and trim to hide the gaps between the frame and the surrounding wall. The parts may vary according to whether the door is an interior or an exterior unit, how it swings and other factors. A DOOR-AND-FRAME ASSEMBLY The door can be one of any number of styles. The style your customer chooses depends on whether the door is an interior or exterior door, its location (closet, bedroom or bathroom, for example) and the customer’s personal preference. As a rule, a door must be trimmed to size, mortised so the hinges can be fitted flush with the surface of the edge of the door, bored for a lockset and bevelled at a slight angle along the latch edge. When you buy a prehung door most of this work is done for you at the factory. HOW A DOOR IS MILLED For example, the standard height of a door is 80" or 6'-8", so it is written 6/8. Some common door widths are 32" (2'-8") and 36" (3'-0"). Those sizes would be written 2/8 and 3/0. The only exception to this rule is a door cut to special size. These are written in inches only, for example, 311/2". When you specify doors always write the width first, then the height and finally the thickness, like this: width x height - thickness. For example, a door 32" (2'-8") wide, 80" (6'-8") high and 13/8" thick, is written 2/8 x 6/8 - 13/8. This rule applies to a cut door, too, for example: 311/2" x 791/4" - 13/8". HOW TO SPECIFY DOOR SWINGS When you sell doors, your customers need to specify the size and the swing. It’s easy to figure out how a door should swing using a floor plan of the building. As a rule, exterior doors should always swing into the building. Most interior doors swing into the room, unless the room is small, such as a closet or furnace room. Doors that swing out into traffic areas are dangerous. The frame around the door is called the jamb. It has a leg on each side and a head piece across the top. Jambs for interior doors may be flat and sold with door stops, or rabbeted with a built-in stop. Exterior jambs are always rabbeted to provide extra security. An exterior door also requires a sill and a threshold to seal the bottom of the door and shed water away from the structure. Casing covers the gap between the door jamb and the wall framing. When you sell interior doors, the casing on both sides of the door probably will match. An exterior door, especially a factory-built prehung door, may already have brick mould applied as exterior casing. When you sell exterior casing separately, both brick moulding and 1x4 boards are popular. HOW TO SPECIFY DOOR SIZES Everyone who sells doors shows door sizes with standard industry conventions. Door sizes are written in feet and inches with a slash separating the two, like this: feet/inches. Whether a door swings right or left depends on the traffic flow. The door should swing away from traffic. If a wall is nearby, swing the door to the wall. Specifying door “handing” can be a little tricky. One convention (rule) is used for primary doors and another is for screen and storm doors. Terms and conventions vary between customers and even among suppliers. Sometimes customers simply don’t understand the door swing rules. So, when you specify door swings, it’s a good idea to draw a diagram, or walk over to a similar door in your store, to be sure you understand each other. Many manufacturers use an “ANSI rule” (American National Standards Institute) for primary door swings. (Make sure your supplier follows this rule and if not, identify the rule they follow.) When you specify door handing “view” the door from the “outside”. Then the “rule” is simple to remember. If the door swings in, it may be a right hand or a left hand door. If it swings out, it can be either a left hand reverse or a right hand reverse swing. To figure out the swing, imagine yourself standing in front of the door, outside the room or building. If the door swings in and opens to the left, it’s a left hand swing (it’s a left hand reverse if it opens out). If it swings to the right, it’s a right hand (or right hand reverse) swing. Pairs of doors work the same, except that you also need to distinguish between the active door (the one with the lockset) and the inactive door (the one fastened at the top and bottom with flush bolts). Some literature shows how to figure door swings while standing in the room, opening the door toward you. Both methods just discussed will give you the same answer. Understanding door swings is only half the battle. Make sure your customer understands the swing, or there’s a chance that the swing will be wrong. Always draw a diagram showing both sides of the room with the door half open. Prehung doors are expensive, especially when a customer won’t accept them because they swing wrong. It’s better to be too thorough than not thorough enough. DOOR HANDLING INSIDE THE ROOM A typical stile-and-rail door has a top rail, a bottom rail and a lock rail at standard lockset height. Some doors have one or more vertical members between the stiles, called mullions. Douglas fir, hemlock and pine are the most common species used to manufacture stile-andrail doors. Stiles and rails may be solid, or covered with veneer. There are two grades of stile and rail materials: premium grade doors are graded for a stain and varnish finish. Standard grade doors are graded for a paint finish and may have visible defects. A panel door is a stile-and-rail door with panels inserted in the frame. There are two types of panels: flat or raised. Exterior doors always have raised panels, interior doors may use either type. Flat panels are usually made of 1/4" plywood, hardboard, particleboard or medium density fibre board (MDF). Raised panels are often made of 3/4" or 11/8" solid or veneered wood, or a non-veneer panel such as particleboard or MDF. A sash door is a stile-and-rail door with panes of glass or other glazing material. Glass is the most common glazing material, but plexiglass and coloured or patterned plastic are also used. The glazing may be in a single pane, or divided into smaller individual lights. Building codes require that glass in a door must be safety glass: tempered, laminated or embedded with wire mesh. Insulating glass (two panes of glass in a frame with a sealed air space between them) is available in entrance doors. DOOR HANDLING OUTSIDE THE ROOM A STILE-AND-RAIL DOOR STILE-AND-RAIL WOOD DOORS There are two basic types of doors: flush and stile-and-rail. A stile-and-rail door has a frame made up of vertical members called stiles and horizontal members called rails. Panels or glazing (glass) fill the spaces between the members. FLUSH WOOD DOORS A flush door is also built around a frame of stiles and rails, but the frame is completely covered on both sides with a thin skin. The skin may be wood veneer, hardboard, plastic laminate or other material. Hardboard skins may be flat and primed for paint, or embossed with a pattern to look like traditional stile-and-rail doors. Flush doors may be hollow or solid. Hollow core doors (HC) have only lightweight wood or cardboard spacers inside to separate the two skins. Solid wood lock blocks, about 4" wide and 30" long, are inserted along each side to provide support for the lockset. Most solid core doors (SC) have particleboard cores. A solid core door provides better security, sound proofing and fire resistance than a hollow core door. Building codes sometimes require a door to resist fire for a specified time, a 20 minute rating may be required between the house and an attached garage, for example. Solid core flush doors may be rated for fire resistance up to 90 minutes. Glazing insert panels are available for flush doors, in various sizes and shapes. They can be installed in any flush door but aren’t usually installed in HC doors, since they are used mainly for interior applications. A HOLLOW CORE FLUSH DOOR ability to withstand weather exposure. No door will withstand the weather unless it is sealed and finished carefully, according to the manufacturer’s instructions. There are differences between an interior and exterior door, such as its durability or security value, whether it contains glass and is used as an entry door, or simply that the style is traditionally used in either interior or exterior applications. As a rule, encourage your customers to buy interior doors for interior applications and exterior doors for exterior applications. INTERIOR DOOR STYLES AND SIZES Both flush and stile-and-rail doors are used as interior doors. Flush doors are inexpensive and have a contemporary look that fits most modern homes. Most have wood veneer faces, usually lauan (Philippine mahogany), birch, ash or oak. Hardboard skins have become more popular in recent years, including embossed skins patterned to look like stile-and-rail doors. SIZES Interior wood flush doors may be 13/8" or 13/4" thick, but 13/8" is much more common. Standard widths are 1/6, 1/8, 2/0, 2/4, 2/6, 2/8 and 3/0 (Note: 1/10, 2/2 and 2/10 are not standard widths). Most sizes are available in both 6/8 and 7/0 heights. Interior stile-and-rail doors are generally divided into three categories: 13/8" interior panel doors, 11/8" or 13/8" louver doors and 11/8" or 13/8" bifold doors. Louver doors are also used as closet doors, both for style and where air circulation is important to prevent mould and mildew. Standard louver door widths range from 1/0 to 3/0, in both 6/6 and 6/8 heights. STYLES, SIZES AND PRIMARY USES Doors are manufactured for either interior or exterior use, but the classifications are based on the style of the door rather than any special Panel doors are used anywhere in the house. They are manufactured with two to eight panels, but the most popular styles are 4 and 6 panel doors. Standard widths are 1/6, 1/8, 2/0, 2/4, 2/6, 2/8 and 3/0. Standard heights are 6/8 and 7/0. Both louver and panel doors are manufactured in 6/6 heights for use in bifold units. SOME STILE-AND-RAIL DOOR STYLES POCKET DOORS A pocket door is similar to a bypassing door unit, except that a pocket door rolls back into the wall. You’ll probably sell a prebuilt kit that includes a frame to house the door inside the wall, track and hardware. Standard interior doors are used with pocket frames. The rough opening is approximately twice the door width. After the pocket frame is installed, the “pocket” part is covered with wall finish material and looks like part of the wall. BYPASSING DOORS Bypassing (sliding) doors are a popular style for closet doors. A bypassing unit has two (sometimes 3 or more) standard interior doors, hung on rollers from a track and opening from side to side. Floor guides hold the doors in place at the bottom. Hollow core flush doors are the most common door styles, although interior louver, panel and mirrored doors are also used. Bypassing track and hardware comes prepackaged in 4', 5' and 6' widths. Be sure that the doors you sell don’t exceed the weight limit for the track. The instructions in the hardware kit usually specify a finished opening rather than a rough opening. A finished opening is the distance between the jambs. The finished opening is generally about 11/2" taller than the door height and about 1" narrower than the combined door widths. When selling bypass doors it’s common to get the track and hardware from your hardware section and the doors from your millwork stock. Though pre-packaged bypass doors and hardware are available,. There is a special pocket door jamb set available because the pocket door requires a split jamb at the pocket side and a stop on both sides of the closed pocket door. Some builders make their jamb sets out of stock jambs and stops. BIFOLD DOORS Bifold doors are used primarily for closets, especially in small rooms where you don’t want an open door to interfere with traffic. Bifold units may include one pair of doors for openings through 36" and sometimes 48" wide and two pairs for openings from 48" up to 72". Bifold doors are manufactured in 6/6 heights to allow room for the track and hardware when installed in a 6/8 finished opening. Bifold doors have one or two pairs of doors that fold in half to open. A bifold unit consists of doors hinged in pairs, a track and a hardware kit. The doors may be hollow core flush, panel, mirrored, or louver. Bifold units are undersized so they can be used to replace swinging or bypassing doors. A 4/0 x 6/8 bifold unit, for example, is made to fit into a 48"x80" finished opening. The hardware kit contains instructions for the finished opening. It’s most common to sell the pre-packaged bifold unit consisting of the doors and hardware all in one package. Occasionally you may sell the hardware from your hardware section and the individual doors from your millwork stock. INTERIOR DOOR INSTALLATION DETAILS Interior doors may be installed so they swing on hinges and close against a stop, or so they hang from a track and slide from side to side. Bypassing doors and pocket doors hang from a track. Bifold doors pivot on “pins” and use a track to guide the leading edge. Most doors are enclosed in jambs which are pieces of finish lumber that run along both sides and across the top of a door opening. Bifold doors may be enclosed in a jamb, but for style and/or economy their openings may just be drywalled (no wood jamb or trim). It’s the owner’s choice. The rough framing may be nailed in quickly, but jambs are installed carefully and precisely, using shims to position them so they are plumb, square and fit the door exactly. The jamb width always matches the wall thickness from finished surface to finished surface. You may sell either solid jambs or split jambs. Solid jambs are usually 49/16" or 45/8" to match the most common wall thicknesses. Split jambs are made in two pieces so the jamb width can be adjusted to match the wall thickness. Your customer will need door stops with solid jambs, but split jambs are milled so the stop is built into the jamb. Casing covers the gap between the jamb and the rough framing. See the Millwork chapter for more information on jambs. Interior swinging door rough openings should be 1 /2" wider and taller than the door-and-frame unit. This gap allows room to insert wood shims to keep the unit plumb and square. Interior jambs are about 3/4" thick, so you should add 2" to the door width to find the rough opening width. There should be 1/2" to 1" clearance at the door bottom, depending on whether the floor will be carpeted. Add 2" to the door height, unless the carpet will be very thick. Many people hang interior doors on two hinges, but three hinges give better support and prevent the door from shifting or warping. Common hinge and lock positions are shown in the “How a door is milled” figure earlier in this chapter. Interior doors can be installed with basic carpentry tools: hammer, hand saw, drill, measuring tape, 24" level, 6' straight edge, plane, screwdriver, utility knife and blades. Your customers will need hinges (4"x4" for 13/4" doors, or 31/2"x31/2" for 13/8" doors), a 1" bit and a 21/8" hole saw. If available, sell round corner (RC) hinges for your customers with routers and square corner (sc) hinges for your customers using chisels. Many stores also rent or lend boring jigs and necessary drill bits to prepare a door for a lock or latch. Of course most doors sold are prehung and do not require hinges from stock as they are already installed. Most prehung doors also have the lock hole predrilled. The installation materials needed include shims to plumb the jamb and 21/2" finishing nails to fasten the jamb to the wall framing, interior casing (2' - 7’, 1' - 4') and 2" finishing nails to apply it. WOOD ENTRANCE DOOR STYLES AND SIZES There are many exterior wood door styles, as shown in several of the following figures and ranging from simple solid core flush doors to ornate stile-and-rail entry systems with handcarved designs and leaded glass. We’ll look at each style to see how it is commonly used. Front entrance doors are generally the most ornate. Stile-and-rail doors with decorative panels and glazing are popular for formal entryways. 3/0 is the most common width of a front entry door, but 2/8 is also standard. 2/6 is available in some designs. 6/8 is the standard height but 7/0 is usually available. SIDELIGHTS Sidelights are often used as decorative panels next to a front entry door and are made to match or complement many front entry door styles. Standard widths range from 10" to 18". The standard height is 801/2". The extra 1/2" allows SOME ENTRANCE DOOR STYLES FRENCH DOORS French or casement doors are mostly glass. Since glass increases the weight of the door considerably and there is no lock rail to help support the extra weight, an 18" wide bottom rail is used. French doors are commonly available with 1, 5, 10 or 15 lites (panes of glass), but other combinations are also manufactured. Customers often install French doors in pairs, as access to a patio or deck, but they’re also used as interior doors. Individual doors are 13/8" or 1_" thick and 2/0, 2/6, 2/8 or 3/0 wide, to make pairs from 4/0, 5/0 or 6/0 and 6/8 and 7/0 are standard heights. Some entrance and French door styles are also available with insulating glass. All insulating doors are 13/4" thick, to carry the extra weight of a double layer of glass. Like other entry doors, insulating doors come in standard 2/6, 2/8 and 3/0 widths and 6/8 and 7/0 heights. SOME FRENCH DOOR STYLES the sidelight to run from the head jamb to sill while leaving space for a door bottom and threshold under the active door. Other entrance doors are intended for either less formal front entrances, or for back (or service) doors. They are sash doors, with panes of glass in the upper half and panels below, as shown in the “Service Doors” figure. These doors are usually 13/4" thick but may be 13/8". 2/8 is the most common back door width, but 2/6 and 3/0 are also standard. 6/8 is the standard height. SERVICE DOORS UTILITY DOORS Utility doors provide access to garages, sheds and other storage buildings. Flush doors are the most common type used for utility doors. They may be hollow or solid core, but are usually 13/4" thick. 2/6, 2/8 and 3/0 are standard widths; 6/8 and 7/0 heights are available. PATIO DOORS Decks and patios have become the rule rather than the exception and many new homes have some sort of patio door. There are two basic types of patio doors: sliding and swinging. Sliding patio doors are the oldest and a popular style. Like windows, sliding patio doors may be manufactured with either aluminum or wood frames. Most are two-panel doors, with an active (operating) and an inactive (fixed) panel. The active door is set on rollers that ride in a track and the frame is weather-stripped on the latch edge and along the top. ALUMINUM SIDING DOORS The disadvantage of wood is that it is prone to decay and insect damage and requires periodic maintenance. To protect the wood frames, some patio doors are clad with a thin layer of vinyl or aluminum. Cladding increases the cost, of course, but permanently protects the wood and eliminates painting. Sizes The most common patio door size is 6/0 x 6/8 (two 3/0 panels), but available sizes range from 5/0 to 12/0 wide. As a rule, the left hand door in a two-panel unit is the active door. Aluminum door suppliers’ catalogues show active panels with an “X” and inactive panels with an “O”. Doors may be written as “XO”, “OXO”, or “OXXO”, for example, to show the sequence of panels as viewed from the outside. Wood patio doors are generally written with an arrow to show the active door. SWINGING The glass may be single or insulating, but is always tempered safety glass. Structurally, sliding patio doors have two weaknesses, both similar to horizontal sliding windows. First, the rollers carry the full weight of the door and tend to wear out. Second, since the door slides along its weatherstripping rather than closing against it, the weatherstripping can’t be too tight or it will make the door difficult to open and close. As a result, the weatherstripping doesn’t seal as effectively as in a swinging door. Aluminum Aluminum patio doors may be sold with the frames bare (called mill finish), but more often the frames are anodized. Anodizing is a process that bonds the finish to the aluminum so it is much more durable than any painted surface. Anodized finishes are generally either clear or bronze. Wood Wood sliding patio door frames are sealed with preservative, ready for your customer to finish. Wood doors are better quality than aluminum, because wood is stronger and a much better natural insulator. Swinging patio doors offer two major advantages over sliding doors. First, a swinging door is more energy efficient. The weather stripping on a swinging door can be sealed much more tightly than on a sliding door. Second, a deadbolt can be installed on a swinging door, making it much more secure. Swinging doors also provide a “French door” look that many customers prefer. Swinging patio door units are always manufactured with wood frames. They are hinged to the centre, with the active panel latched to the jamb. Suppliers specify the active panel by drawing in the hinges and lockset holes, or with two dotted lines running from the centre of the hinge side to the corners of the latch side of the door, or by a drawing. Like sliding doors, common sizes range from 5/0 to 12/0, in two, three, or four-panel units. SWINGING PATIO DOORS STEEL ENTRY SYSTEMS SOME STEEL DOOR STYLES Like other advances in the door industry, steel entry systems have become popular because they improve energy efficiency and security without sacrificing style. The doors have a steel stile-and-rail framework filled with insulating foam and covered with a steel skin. The door is prehung in a frame with the weather stripping, sill and threshold already in place (see the “cutaway” below). The steel skins are often embossed to match traditional wood door styles. Once primed and painted, a steel entry door can look almost identical to a wood door, including decorative glass inserts and side lights. A CUTAWAY OF A STEEL ENTRANCE DOOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY Two factors decide a steel entry unit’s energy efficiency: R-value and the air infiltration between the door and frame. The system with the highest R-value isn’t necessarily the most efficient. In comparing manufacturers, the Insulated Steel Door Systems Institute combines R-value and air infiltration rate into an index of overall efficiency called a DISI rating. The lower the rating, the more energy efficient the door. Common ratings for popular doors range from 2.5 down to about 1.5. You frequently can find ratings in the manufacturer’s literature. The R-value of a door decreases as more glass is added, but that is a trade-off often accepted if a certain style door is wanted. There are a several features to look for in evaluating steel entry systems. Depending on the foam used in the core, the R-value may range from R-7 to R-16. Heat travels quickly through metal and most of the heat a steel door loses escapes around the foam core, through the framework and skin. To prevent this heat loss, many steel doors have a thermal break which is a strip of plastic separating the inner and outer skins. The frame also plays a part. Most steel entry systems use wood frames, to take advantage of the natural insulating value of wood and so they can be installed by nailing. Air infiltration is as important as R-value in the overall energy efficiency of the unit. Most doors are weatherstripped all around with a vinyl bulb compression weatherstripping. Some vinyl bulbs have magnetic strips built in, to make an even better seal. Most units have built-in vinyl sweeps under the door and a threshold that may be adjusted as the vinyl sweep becomes worn. Steel entry systems aren’t appropriate for all your door customers. Some customers won’t like the idea of using non-traditional materials for a front entry door and others can’t afford them. If your customer is willing to invest a little extra money for added energy efficiency, security and durability, a steel entry door is an effective solution. STORM DOORS A storm door is a door that goes over the primary entry door, to protect the primary door from the weather, increase the energy efficiency of the entryway and provide summer ventilation. It consists of a lightweight stile-and-rail frame with large glass panels that can be exchanged for screens. Storm doors are made in wood and aluminum, but aluminum doors are more popular because they are prefinished, cost less, are more durable and install more easily. Aluminum storm door stiles and rails may be hollow, or filled with wood or foam. The corners are reinforced and screwed or welded together. Most aluminum storm doors are surrounded by a lightweight frame that is fastened directly over the exterior door casing. Some brands use a continuous hinge running the full length of the door, for added strength. Storm doors are built for energy efficiency and security. Like a wood door, the spaces between the stiles and rails may be filled with panels or glazing. The panels in many aluminum storm SOME STORM DOOR STYLES doors have an insulating foam core and insulating glass also may be available. Some doors have a self-storing feature. The door is manufactured so the lower glass panel slides up to allow ventilation and doesn’t need to be removed. Many models are weather-stripped and some have adjustable vinyl sweeps at the bottom. Key locks and deadbolts are also available. Sizes Storm doors are 11/8" thick, in 2/6, 2/8 and 3/0 widths, with other special order sizes sometimes available. The height is usually 6/9. Many models are adjustable up to 2", to allow for variations in the size of the door frame. Handing Storm door “handing” is the opposite of primary door handing, because storm and screen doors always swing out. Storm and screen doors are specified as hinge left or hinge right, as viewed from the outside. EXTERIOR DOOR INSTALLATION DETAILS Usually it’s easier to prehang a door and then install the assembly, rather than trying to assemble the frame in the opening. Most factory built units are set up and installed like any prehung door. Your customer will need the same tools, accessories and installation materials. Always sell frames with rabbeted jambs for exterior doors, not flat jambs with applied stops. The total jamb width depends on the exterior finish and trim (see the “Exterior Jamb Width” figure below). If your customer plans to use panel siding with 1x4 or 1x6 exterior trim, the jamb width should equal the total thickness of the wall from the inside wall surface to the surface of the siding. If brick mould trim is used, the jamb should only extend to the outside sheathing, so the exterior finish material butts against the brick mould. EXTERIOR JAMB WIDTH Your store likely stocks frames in standard widths. The most common frame is 43/4", but the width of a jamb can be extended by adding a strip of wood to the edge, called an extension jamb. Split jambs are also available for exterior doors, so the jamb width can be adjusted. Your customer also will need a sill and threshold under an exterior door. The sill is a sloped member running along the bottom of the unit, that sheds water away from the structure. It also has to be durable, since it serves as the step into the house. Aluminum is a common material, but hardwoods such as oak and ash are also popular. Depending on the sill shape, it may be made to be set on the subfloor or directly over the floor joists. The top surface of the sill should be even with the finish floor so you can install a threshold to seal the underside of the door and cover the gap between the sill and the floor. Exterior doors are installed with basic carpentry tools: hammer, hand saw, drill, measuring tape, 24" level, 6' straightedge, screwdriver, utility knife and blades. Your customers also will need hinges (4"x4" for 13/4" doors, or 31/2"x31/2" for 13/8" doors) a 1" bit and a 21/8" hole saw. The installation materials they’ll need include shims to plumb the jamb and 31/4" galvanized finish nails to fasten the jamb to the wall framing. Also interior casing (2' - 7', 1' - 4') and 2" finishing nails to apply it, exterior trim and 2" galvanized finishing nails (unless brick mould is already applied to the prehung unit), expanding foam sealant to fill the gap between the jamb and the wall framing and caulking to seal between the exterior casing and the siding. If your customers will prehang the door themselves, they’ll need 21/2" finishing nails and wood glue to assemble the jamb. Door Hardware Use three butt hinges for doors up to 3/0 wide, or four hinges for wider doors. Locksets for exterior doors may require either a 23/8" or a 23/4" backset (the distance from the edge of the door to the centre of the hole), but the hole sizes are the same as interior doors. For special effects you can get a 5" backset that will allow a fancy large shield or plate behind the knob. You’ll usually sell a keyed entry lock with an exterior door. Some customers also may want a deadbolt on the door. There are two types of deadbolts: s i n g l e cylinder and double cylinder. Single cylinder deadbolts are opened with a key from the outside and a turn button on the inside. Double cylinder deadbolts must be opened with a key from either side. Double cylinder deadbolts are more secure, naturally, since an intruder can’t break a pane of glass and reach in to unlock the bolt. But they also present some danger. To get out of the house, a key has to be used. See the Hardware & Fasteners chapter of this course for more door hardware information. FINISHING WOOD DOORS Finishing is an important step in installing doors, since improper finishing is a leading cause of door failures. Door manufacturers provide specific finishing instructions for their wood doors. Always recommend that your customers follow those instructions carefully. The instructions given here are general instructions, to give you an idea of the steps. The finishing steps are similar for all doors, but preparation steps differ. Naturally, any door should be trimmed and fitted in the frame before finishing. On a stile-and-rail door, the joints between the frame members at the top and bottom are often open. Caulk them with a quality, paintable caulk. On glazed doors fill any gaps around the glass with glazing compound. Sand the door thoroughly with 120 grit sand paper. Clean and wipe the door with a tack cloth before applying a finish. If you plan to stain and varnish the door, first apply a clear wood sanding sealer. A sanding sealer fills the grain and helps the stain penetrate evenly. Follow the instructions on the can. Be sure to get the top, bottom, edges, hinge mortises and lock bore thoroughly. Let it dry several hours, then sand it smooth with 220 grit sandpaper. There are two types of wood stains: pigment and dye. Use a pigment stain, especially for exterior doors since dye stains fade in the sunlight. The stain will go on slightly lighter over a sanding sealer than it would over bare wood. Apply a second coat if you want a deeper colour. SOME GARAGE DOOR STYLES After staining, apply at least two coats of varnish according to the instructions. You can use gloss, semi-gloss or satin varnish for interior doors. Always use an exterior varnish for exterior doors. Apply the varnish heavily on the ends of the door. Sand between coats with 220 grit sandpaper. If you plan to paint, prepare the door the same as you would for stain and varnish. Then apply a good quality oil or oil/alkyd-based primer. Be sure to cover the top, bottom, edges, hinge mortises and lock bore thoroughly. Then apply two coats of paint, sanding lightly between coats with 220 grit sandpaper. An oil-based or latex satin enamel can be used on interior doors. For exterior doors, use an exterior trim paint, either oil-based or latex. Avoid dark colours on doors that will be exposed to sunlight. The colour absorbs more heat and may cause the door to warp. If the door contains glazing, run the last coat of paint or varnish slightly onto the glass, to prevent leaks. GARAGE DOORS A roll-up garage door has a series of narrow panels hinged together and fastened with rollers that follow curved tracks on either side of the door (as shown in the figure below). The weight of the panels is counterbalanced with a spring. Most customers also buy remote controlled garage door openers. In addition, manual latches have become an option on many garage doors. Garage door panels may be made of wood, fibreboard or hardboard, steel, aluminum or translucent fibreglass. Lighter doors are counterbalanced with tension springs. Heavier doors require torsion springs, installed on the wall directly above the door. Tension springs can be installed by most homeowners, but torsion springs can be very dangerous. Caution your customers to read and follow the instructions carefully. If in doubt, they should install the rest of the assembly and call a professional installer to mount the torsion springs. Sizes The most common width of a single door is 9', but 8', 10' and other sizes are available. Double doors are usually 16' wide, but are also sold in 18' and 19' widths. Standard heights are from 6/6 to 7/0, depending on the manufacturer. Special 8' doors are available for vans, but most garages don’t have enough headroom to install them. Rough openings vary, but are generally about 3" wider and 11/2" higher than the door size. Your customer will need up to 18" headroom above the door, to install the track and opener, though special low headroom hardware is available for tight situations. A TYPICAL GARAGE DOOR TRACK AND OPENING Stanley Door Systems GLOSSARY FOR DOORS Bevel - Cut at an angle. The latch side of a door is bevelled at a 5° angle so the door won’t bind against the jamb when you close it. Bifold doors - A door unit that consists of either one or two pairs of doors that fold in half to open. Brick mould - Exterior casing specially milled for use when the exterior finish is brick. Brick mould is commonly used on factory-built prehung doors. Patio door - A two or more panel sliding door unit with doors that are fully glazed. Pocket door - A door that rolls on a track installed inside the wall. Prehung - A door that is sold already installed in a jamb. Rail - The horizontal frame member in a door. All doors have a top rail and a bottom rail. Doors may also have a lock rail to increase strength and allow lockset installation. Bypassing doors - A door assembly that consist of two or more doors that slide on a track. Sash door - A stile-and-rail door with glazing between the frame members. Casing - The trim around a door that covers the gap between the jamb and the surrounding wall. Sill - A sloped member that forms the bottom member of the door-and-frame unit and sheds water away from the structure. Finish opening - The dimensions from finished jamb to finished jamb in width and from finished jamb to finish floor in height. Solid-core door - A flush door with a core of particleboard or solid wood. Flush door - A door with the frame completely covered on both sides with a thin skin. The skin may be wood veneer, hardboard, plastic laminate or other materials. French door - A sash door that is mostly glass with a narrow bottom rail, divided into 5 or more lites. Handing - Refers to the direction that the door swings. The most common handing conventions are specified by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). Hollow-core door - A flush door with nothing but lightweight wood or cardboard spacers to separate the two face skins. Jamb - The frame around a door. May be flat, for use with a door stop, rabbeted with a built-in stop, or manufactured in two pieces (split) so the width is adjustable. A jamb consist of two parts: a leg on each side and a head along the top. Mortise - The process of removing wood from the edge of the door or jamb so the hinges can be set flush with the surface. Panel door - A stile-and-rail door with solid panels between the frame members. Door panels may be flat or raised and are typically made of wood, hardboard or metal. Steel entry system - A complete door-andframe unit in which the door is manufactured with a steel frame and skin and a foam core. The frame may be steel or wood. Steel entry systems are typically fully weatherstripped and weatherproofed. Stile - The vertical frame member in a door. Stile-and-rail door - A door with an exposed frame and glazing, panels or screen to fill the spaces between the frame members. Stop - A moulding used to stop a swinging door. Storm door - A lightweight door-and-frame assembly, usually aluminum, installed over the primary door to provide extra thermal and weather protection. Thermal break - A strip of rigid plastic that separates the inner and outer parts of a metal door or jamb, to prevent heat loss. Threshold - A strip, usually of oak or aluminum, installed under a door to fill the gap between the bottom of the door and the floor. Utility door - A door intended primarily for garages, sheds or other storage buildings. CANADIAN IMPERIAL AND METRIC MEASUREMENTS Canadians generally measurement units. use a mixture of Liquid volumes are typically based on the metric (SI) system. Temperatures and distances are commonly specified using metric terminology. Weights, depending on the type of product, use either the metric or Canadian Imperial system. Lengths and dimensions of construction products, particularly for residential use, are generally in Canadian Imperial measurements. Canadian building codes are written using metric units. But the construction trades, particularly those in residential construction, typically use the Canadian Imperial system. This mixture of measurement systems frequently results in many product manufacturers providing information using both systems. Unfortunately, the approaches used in presenting the “converted” measurements are not consistent. Some information is based on “exact” conversion measurements whereas other information is based on “rounded” measurements. From your perspective and in communicating with your customer it is important to recognize that in some instances the exact conversion is necessary and in other instances a more “rounded” conversion is appropriate. CONVERSION FACTORS 1 inch (in.) 1 foot (ft.) 1 yard (yd.) = = = 25.4 mm 0.3048 m 0.9144 m 1 fluid ounce - US (oz.) 1 fluid ounce - Canadian (oz.) 1 gallon - US (gal.) 1 gallon - Canadian (gal.) = = = = 0.0296 L 0.0284 L 3.785 L 4.546 L 1 ounce - avoirdupois (oz.) 1 pound - avoirdupois (lb.) = = 28.35 g 0.454 kg 1 pound per square inch (psi) 1 pound per square foot (psf) = = 6.895 kN/m 0.04788 kPa Celsius temperature = (Fahrenheit temperature - 32) / 1.8 SOME TYPICAL MEASUREMENTS FOR DOOR PRODUCTS (“rounded” conversions) in. 1 /8 1 /4 3 /8 1 /2 5 /8 3 /4 7 /8 1 Length mm 3.2 6.4 9.5 12.7 15.9 19.1 22.2 25.4 in. 2 4 6 8 9 10 12 16 18 24 30 32 36 72 80 Length mm 50.8 101.6 152.4 203.2 228.6 254.0 304.8 406.4 457.2 609.6 762.0 812.8 914.4 1828.8 2032.0 Length ft. 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 16 18 19 m 0.610 0.914 1.219 1.524 1.829 2.134 2.438 2.743 3.048 4.877 5.486 5.791 2 HOW TO SELL DOORS Doors seem much more complex than they really are. Once you learn about them, it takes a lot of the mystery away, but the mystery is still there for your customers. Half of your job is to learn about doors. The other half is to learn to explain what you know so your customers understand how your recommendations fit their wants and needs. Style, Durability and Price To sell effectively, first investigate thoroughly. Take your time and be curious. Ask open-ended questions that encourage your customers to tell you about their projects, their needs and expectations. Don’t hurry your investigation or jump to conclusions about what you think they want. The overall durability of a door depends partly on how it is installed and used, of course, but the most important factor is how the door is finished. A door is relatively delicate. It has to be installed so it fits snugly in its frame, yet with enough space to operate smoothly. With tolerances of 1/8" or less, it’s critical that a wood door be completely sealed to protect it from moisture and sunlight. Be sure to recommend that your customers follow the manufacturer’s instructions closely. The best way to look at doors or any group of products is from your customer’s point of view. Thinking about your customer’s needs leads you to the probing questions you need to ask to get a clear picture of what features and benefits are important to your customer. You then gear your sales presentation to those features and benefits of interest to that customer, making the best product recommendation for his or her individual needs. Keep in mind that different customers may have very different ideas of what features provide those benefits. For example, a key lock and a chain bolt may be all the security one customer needs while another may not feel secure with anything less than a double cylinder deadbolt and a locking storm door. Different customers also have different priorities, one customer may be primarily interested in style, while another is primarily interested in price. A contractor developing a housing tract has different needs than the couple replacing a worn out front door. But in general, we can divide customer interests into three broad categories: style, durability and price. Two other categories: security and energy efficiency are important to customers buying exterior doors. The style your customers choose is mostly a matter of personal preference. You can make suggestions, but they should buy something they like. If a customer asks you for guidelines, find out about the style of the building where the doors will be installed and then give a tactful opinion. Price is an important issue to any customer in any sale, but that doesn’t mean that price is the only issue. For many customers, price becomes important only after they’ve determined that a product meets their needs. As a rule, value is much more important. They want to be sure they’re buying the right product, first of all and that they’re paying a competitive price. Security Most customers are interested in security and style and that will influence their choice of doors. If security is an issue, recommend doors that have little or no glass, or small panes of glass. Steer them to solid core flush doors or stile-andrail doors with raised rather than flat panels. Avoid outswinging doors because the accessible gap between the door and jamb is an invitation to a burglar with a crowbar. If the door has a lot of glass, a double cylinder deadbolt will help, but be sure to warn your customer to keep a key near the door in case of fire. HOW TO SELL DOORS Concentrate on making the best recommendation for your customer and then offering a fair price. You’ll find that your customers will usually pay a little more for the right product rather than spend less for a product that doesn’t meet their needs. Selling Effectively Once you learn the products at your store and understand how they fit into the range of products available on the market, you can come up with questions to ask your customers. Often, the answers to those questions will lead to other questions. Don’t forget to ask those questions. Make notes as you listen, to remind yourself, if necessary. When you present your recommendation, don’t just tell your customers about the product, show them. If you’re at a display in your store, let them look and touch. Point out the important features and the benefits of those features. If you’re using literature, circle important details, make notes in the margins and be sure your name is on that piece of literature. Remember to ask for the sale. Don’t be subtle, it’s no secret that you’re in the store to sell something and they’re in the store to buy (cont.) something. If you feel that they have a pretty good understanding of your recommendation, ask them to make a decision. If you’re not sure, take a minute and summarize the features, explaining how each gives the benefits they identified as important. Then be clear and direct: “Can I write this up for you?” “Are you ready to make a decision today?” If they hesitate or object, don’t argue. But don’t give up, either. Instead, clarify. Ask them to give you a little feedback and explain why they’re not ready to buy. Listen to the explanation carefully, then restate the objection to be sure you understand. Confirm your understanding in a way that forces them to answer yes or no: “Yes, that’s my objection,” or “No, that’s not my objection.” Then, if you have information that answers their objection, provide it. Then ask for the sale again. But remember, the most important thing you do as a salesperson is listen. Whenever you’re not sure how to handle a situation, get your customer talking and then listen. The more information you get, the better chance you have of finding just the right product for your customer and making him or her a satisfied customer. DOOR PRODUCTS IN YOUR STORE “In Your Store” is a worksheet where you apply the knowledge you have learned in this chapter to the products you stock in your store. You may be able to find the answers on your own, or you may want to ask some of the people you work with for help. There are no test questions on this information, as the answers vary with location and local custom. Do not send these answers in for correcting. This is a worksheet to help you get more familiar with your store. It becomes a reference tool for you to review when you need a refresher about what your store stocks. DIRECTIONS: Take your copy of this page from your test package. Fill out the blanks as appropriate for your situation. Sometimes more or less information could be entered. The object of the exercise is not to fill in blanks, but to learn more about the products covered in this chapter, as applied to the store you work in. So just use this exercise as a guide. List the sizes, thicknesses and face styles or species of all the flush doors stocked at your store. List the sizes, thicknesses and face styles or species of all the stile-and-rail doors stocked at your store. List the sizes, thicknesses, jamb type and width of all exterior prehung doors stocked at your store. List the sizes, thicknesses, jamb type and width of all interior prehung doors stocked at your store. Write the names of your primary special order door supplier, the name of the salesperson who handles your store and how much lead time they normally need on special orders. Write the name of your primary prehung door supplier, the name of the salesperson who handles your store and how much lead time they normally need on a prehung door order. Notes: ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ■ The course was first developed by the North American Retail Hardware Association (NRHA) and the Home Center Institute (HCI) under the direction of a project coordinator and a number of authors. Several U.S. based companies provided industry specific information. This second Canadian Edition of the ACHR is based on NRHA/HCI’s 14th Edition. It has been extensively modified and rewritten with the help of Carl R. Wilson & Associates Ltd. (CRWAL) so as to reflect Canadian products and construction practices. We also acknowledge the many Canadian organizations and companies that provided information for this Canadian edition of the Advanced Course in Hardware Retailing (ACHR) and the Building Material Product Knowledge Course (BMPK). Because local codes and regulations vary greatly, you are reminded to check with local experts and authorities on which codes, regulations and practices apply in your area. Copyright© 2004 by NRHA. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or any system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of the publisher. Though the information in this course is intended to be accurate and useful, the authors, editors, publishers, NRHA and CRWAL and their directors, officers, agents and employees will not be liable for any damage whatsoever that might occur from any use of this material. NOTE: ALWAYS CONSULT YOUR PROVINCIAL AND LOCAL CODES