Knowledge Center Information

Guide to Lasting Beauty for Your Door

Care and Handling Instructions for Your New Grand Door - It is very important to read over Grand Door Company's warranty to make sure you understand the care and handling instructions within. This page is meant to expand and further explain how to care for your grand door.

Prior to Sealing - Our products are sent out unfinished. It is important that you take special precautions until the finishing process is complete. Moisture can freely migrate into and out of unfinished wood. The result can be detrimental to the performance of your door. We cannot be responsible for the conditions of the jobsite. Please note that weather conditions like severe humidity or dryness can affect the unsealed doors within days. These conditions can be artificially created by jobsite factors like fresh plaster or portable heaters. The best solution is to completely seal the products within hours of delivery.

Sealing - There are many good exterior finishes available and a good painter or reputable paint store can give you specific product recommendations. Please follow their directions. All exposed wood needs to be sealed, including the top and bottom edge of the door (please consult warranty). Consider hiring a professional painter. We have encountered basically two types of painters; true tradesmen who are conscious of their reputation and do professional work and people who own a paintbrush. Your Grand Door is worthy of the tradesman. It may cost more but considering the value of the door and its future beauty and performance, it is a small cost. Be specific that the door needs to be completely sealed immediately. If the painter wants to put a final (extra) coat on prior to move in, that is great so long as the initial sealing is completed (often three brushed on coats). A good painter or general contractor can also evaluate the application and recommend the addition of caulk in areas that water may splash or be wind-blown on the door unit. Some applications may need to be caulked along the jamb, wood panels, glass, moldings, etc. to be properly sealed. Sealing is meant to prohibit water from coming in contact with the wood. Through properly sealing your door unit, you can expect a lifetime of service.

Periodic Inspection - Periodically wiping down your door unit with a damp cloth and mild cleaning solution can give you a great opportunity to inspect the appearance of the finish. Finishes will break down due to sun exposure and no longer seal the wood surface. We recommend recoating at the first sign of finish failure. Recoating at this time is a simple process and relatively quick. Waiting until severe finish failure occurs can result in at best, difficult and expensive refinishing and at worst, damage to the wood itself.

Expansion and Contraction - Even in properly sealed door units it is possible for water vapor to exchange in the wood. This could result in the door rubbing the door frame or an excessive gap between the door and frame. Both conditions are usually quick adjustments and are not cause for much concern. Wood panels have been designed to float and can shrink past the original line of stain. Should this occur, simply stain the unfinished surface and seal the area. This should take care of the problem for the future. Seasonal variations will normally occur within the first full year, and once the needed adjustments are made, it is unlikely that any further adjustments will be needed.

Non-Warrantied Applications - All wood door manufacturers have to draw lines as to what applications are suitable for wood doors. We have adopted similar restrictions for our products. We can use special materials and processes that will help in applications that are severe. The product will still have no warranty expressed or implied.

Grand Door Company Two-Year Limited Warranty

Warranty

Grand Door Company Inc., located at 4258 State Highway 6 South, College Station, TX, 77845, warrants, subject to the conditions and restrictions contained below, that each stile and rail door manufactured and sold by Grand Door Co. shall be free from defects in materials and workmanship which would make them unserviceable or unfit for ordinary and recommended use for the period of two years, from the time of manufacture, delivery and or installation.

Should any Grand Door Co. door fail to conform to this written warranty, Grand Door Co. will, at its option, 1) repair the door, 2) replace the door to the distributor, builder or person making the warranty claim in the same condition of fitting and or finishing as the door which Grand Door Co. originally sold to the distributor, builder or person making the warranty claim, or 3) refund the original purchase price paid to Grand Door Co. for such door at the time that Grand Door Co. receives the merchandise in question, in the same condition that it was delivered or installed initially. (If returned merchandise is found to be in compliance with warranty, customer is responsible for all shipping charges.)

EXCEPT AS OTHERWISE EXPRESSLY PROVIDED HEREIN, Grand Door Co. SHALL NOT PAY FOR THE COST OF LABOR, INSTALLATION OR FINISHING OF THE REPLACEMENT OR ORIGINAL DOOR OR FOR ANY OTHER COST RELATING TO THE REPLACEMENT OF THE DOOR, ALL OF WHICH SHALL BE THE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE PERSON MAKING THE WARRANTY CLAIM.

THE FOLLOWING SHALL NOT BE CONSIDERED DEFECTS IN MATERIAL OR WORKMANSHIP AND ARE NOT COVERED BY THIS LIMITED WARRANTY:

1. Warp for any nominal 1-3/4" thick by 42" wide by 96" high or smaller door, not exceeding 1/4" in the plane of the door itself.
2. Warp for any nominal 1-3/8" thick by 36" wide by 96" high or smaller door, not exceeding 1/4" in the plane of the door itself
3. Warp for any nominal 2-1/4” thick by 42” wide by 120” high or smaller door, (dimensions listed in #1. above), not exceeding 3/8” in the plane of the door itself.
4. Warp for any door wider than 42" or taller than 120".
5. Bow or nonalignment in the frame or jamb in which the door is hung if such is purchased from Grand Door Co. and installed by some party other that Grand Door Co. or one of its agents, or if doors purchased from Grand Door Co. are placed into an existing jamb.
6. Variations or unsatisfactory results in gloss level, texture or appearance resulting from the field application of paint or any other finishing material.
7. Natural characteristics, including small knots and blemishes and variations in the color, including sap and mineral streak or texture of the wood.
8. Damage caused by others or by any cause beyond the control of Grand Door Co., including but not limited to damage caused by misuse, abuse, accident, mishandling or by fire, flood, earthquake, storm, tornado or other acts of nature. "Misuse" of a door includes, but is not limited to, using a door on part of a building without providing adequate overhang or an appropriate finish color. Adequate overhang depends on the typical weather conditions of the area where the door is to be used, but typically means an overhang projecting a distance from the structure one half the elevation differences between the bottom of the door and the base of the overhang structure at the point which is farthest from the door. In order to reduce the chance of warping or checking, dark colored finishes should be avoided on all surfaces, especially on light colored wood species, or if the door is exposed to direct sunlight.
9. The discoloration or rusting of decorative metal accent options, (Grilles, Clavos, Straps, etc.)
10. Doors built with rustic or knotty wood are not guaranteed to have 100% sound tight knots or natural defects. They may contain some gaps and some knots may work loose over time.
11. Damage caused by failure to comply with the Care, Handling or Finishing Instructions provided by Grand Door Co.; to include but not limited to damage caused by failing to seal all six (6) sides of the door.
12. Failure to perform normal homeowner's maintenance, including maintaining the finish (factory finish or non-factory finish).
13. Product failure due to improper or incorrect installation.
14. Attempts to repair Grand Door Co. products other than by Grand Door Co.
15. Please refer to the Supplemental Wood Descriptions for specie specific descriptions of wood character.
16. Temperature and humidity may cause the wood panels in your door to shrink, leaving an unstained line along the panel edge. The panels in your door have been designed to "float." If doors are installed and finished during the humid summer months, the interior panel may reduce in size during the winter, leaving an unstained area exposed on the panel. This unstained area should be touched up with stain and sealer during the first dry season to eliminate any further exposure of raw wood.
17. Damage caused by extreme temperature buildup where a storm door is utilized. Storm doors must be vented to eliminate this temperature buildup.
18. Slight expansion or contraction due to varying environmental conditions, such as temperature and humidity.
19. Doors shipped out of the continental Untied States, Hawaii or Canada are not warranted. If the claimed non-conformity is warp, Grand Door Co. may defer repairing or replacing the product for a period of up to twelve (12) months from the date of claim or the date when the product was installed, as it is not uncommon for a temporary warp condition to occur as the door adjust to local humidity and temperature conditions. This deferral will not be counted against the warranty period.
20. Unsatisfactory service or appearance caused by failure to follow the "CARE, HANDLING, JOB FINISHING AND INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS" set forth herein are excluded from this warranty.
21. The appearance of finished doors is excluded from this warranty.
22. Warp shall not be considered a defect unless it exceeds 1/4 inch in the plane of the door itself. Warp is any distortion in the door itself and does not refer to the relationship of the door to the frame or jamb in which it is hung. The term "warp" shall include bow, cup and twist. Measuring the amount of warp in a door, the following method shall be used: Bow, cup and twist shall be measured by placing a straightedge, taut wire or string on the suspected concave face of the door at any angle (i.e., horizontally, vertically, and diagonally), with the door in the installed position. The measurement of bow, cup and twist shall be made at the point of maximum distance between the bottom of the straightedge, taut wire or string and the face of the door.
23. Doors that have been altered in any way after delivery or installation.

HANDLING, JOB FINISHING, AND INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS

Handling of New Doors

New doors must be handled in such a fashion that they are protected from the weather. Prior to their installation they are most susceptible to absorbing moisture, warping and or twisting. Doors in their unfinished state must be stored out of the weather in a dry location, and vertical or flat (if flat, ensure ventilation to the bottom surface by placing uniform spacers no more than 12 inches apart under the door). Conditions to avoid include direct contact with concrete floors, storage in outside buildings without heat, freshly plastered buildings, or any other place that may have abnormal or varying temperatures or humidity levels. Relative humidity should not be less than 25% or more than 55%. Avoid placing heating registers too near a door (at least 8 feet away). Excessive heat on one area of the door creates drying out, which results in warp, twist, and checking on the faces.

Proper Finishing of Wood Doors

When a door is installed it must be properly finished immediately.

If it is left hanging, exposed, it will start to absorb moisture immediately. This unprotected absorption of moisture will affect the door and void its warranty. The finish retards moisture movement into and out of the wood which helps the doors get through extremely humid or dry conditions with limited swelling or shrinking. Wood is a natural material which expands and contracts with changes in the surrounding climate, this natural movement of wood cannot be stopped, we can only try to keep it to a minimum.

Doors should be finished uniformly on all surfaces.

All surfaces include both faces, and all four edges, top, bottom, and sides. If hardware is installed, the area cutout should also be finished.

If one side is treated differently than the other side, it will absorb moisture at a different rate and cause a warp. Many exterior finishes are designed to penetrate into the grain and protect the interior of the wood. These products are good but must be used in combination with other products that protect the surface of the wood such as varnish or urethanes. Products used must be appropriate for the exposure. Follow the manufacturer’s minimum recommendation for number of coats. If the application is severe, more coats are required. It should also be noted that most stains give no protection to the wood. They only give the wood color. The average finish has a limited life expectancy. Most quality exterior finishes will only last for two or three years before they lose some of their effective moisture protecting characteristics. They must be refinished properly on a regular basis.

Exterior finishes shall be used on both faces and all edges of exterior doors.

Before finishing, door surfaces must be clean and dry, and moisture content no higher than average. Doors should not be considered ready for finishing when received. Before finishing, remove handling marks, raised grain or cross grain scratches, burnishing or machining marks, and any other undesirable blemish by sanding all surfaces in a horizontal position in the direction of the grain.

Some species of wood contain a chemical (oak particularly) which reacts unfavorably with certain finishes. Where possible, the surface should be tested for such unfavorable reaction. Application of a sealer before finishing will usually prevent this difficulty

Installation of Hardware

Hardware such as mortise locks should be installed such that they do not destroy the integrity of the door construction. If mortise locks are to be used, they should be specified at the time of supply or quotation. The door will be designed to accommodate the lock by increasing the width of the stile, and/or positioning the lock rail appropriately and/or increasing its width.

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.

Use three hinges per door on doors 7’0” in height or less, and four hinges per door on doors over 7’0” in height. Hinges should be set flush with edge surface. Be sure that hinges are set in a straight line to prevent distortion. Allow approximately 3/16" clearance for swelling of door or frame during future damp weather periods.

IF ABOVE INSTRUCTIONS CONCERNING HANDLING, FINISHING AND INSTALLATION ARE NOT ADHERED TO, THE WARRANTY WILL BE VOIDED.



LIMITATIONS AND EXCLUSIONS

THIS WARRANTY SETS FORTH GRAND DOOR CO.’S MAXIMUM LIABILITY FOR ITS PRODUCTS. GRAND DOOR CO. MAKES NO OTHER WARRANTY, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, WITH THE RESPECT TO ITS PRODUCTS EXCEPT AS IT IS SET FORTH ABOVE. NO DISTRIBUTOR, DEALER OR REPRESENTATIVE HAS THE AUTHORITY TO CHANGE OR MODIFY THIS LIMITED WARRANTY. IN NO INSTANCE SHALL GRAND DOOR CO.BE RESPONSIBLE FOR INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES.

THIS LIMITED WARRANTY EXTENDS ONLY TO THE ORIGINAL PURCHASER OF PRODUCTS OR TO THE ORIGINAL PURCHASER OF THE STRUCTURE INTO WHICH SUCH PRODUCTS ARE INSTALLED.

Frequently Asked Questions