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Warranties can be good sometimes and other times they can just be a pain. With doors, there are somethings that can cause the manufacture to void the warranty. Here a few tips to keep in mind.
The Direction the door faces
You might be wondering why it matters if your exterior door faces a certain direction. For example, if the door is going to be installed on the side of the house facing west it will get catch all the afternoon heat. This intern can cause the door to warp and fail.
What you can do?
If you need to install a door on the west side of your house, install an awning or something that will block the sun from directly heating your door. This will prevent warping and protect the stain or paint from fading.
If you don’t have the ability to protect the door with an awning a fiberglass door is your best bet for a west-facing door. That is because a fiberglass door is built to withstand warping, but keep in mind that even fiberglass doors can warp given the right set of circumstances.
Keep in mind that every manufacturer is different, and some companies will not guarantee warranties for doors facing west even with an awning.
Stain/Paint
Many manufacturers require that doors be painted within two days of installation or the warranty is void. Unpainted and unstained doors can warp from the moisture in the air, that’s of course not even considering that our normal everyday use of doors can wreak havoc on the wood veneer that can cause things like bubbling to occur.
What you can do?
Paint or stain your door as soon as it's installed. If it isn’t possible for you to paint them yourself have your painting contractor or arrange with your door installer bring in their painter within two days of installation.
Now you’re probably thinking, can’t I have the door painted in advance? It’s possible.
If you’re getting a pre-hung door with factory paint, it will come painted to the color options provided by the manufacture. Keep in mind though that factory painted doors are expensive and the installation process can cause chips in the paint or stain. While this can be easily remedied with a matching stain marker or touched up with paint, the nail and screw holes will still need to be filled.
If you’re not getting a factory painted door, it is better to have a painter paint the door after your door is installed. That way they will be able to fill in the nail and screw holes and paint/stain the door and trim.
Water damage
Water damage is not covered under a door warranty. If you had a door that is exposed to the elements (this includes interior bathroom doors), it is possible that the door could warp or worse rot.
What you can do?
As with west-facing doors, install an awning or gutter to keep the rain away from the door.
If water pools around your door, you may need to regrade the cement or bricks to flow the water away from your door. If that is something you can’t afford to do there are temporary cheaper alternatives flood barriers that you can place around your door.
Maintain the paint or stain on your doors. This will help the door from rotting.
Storm Doors
If you install a storm door on the outside of your exterior door, make sure it is ventilated. If the storm door is not ventilated it can cause heat to build up around your door and will potentially warp the door. If you have a storm door that does not have proper ventilation your warranty will be void.
Installation Warranty
While not all installers offer warranties for their work, Integrity Woodworking, Inc, unless otherwise stated, offers one-year warranties on all door installations. This only covers work performed by our installers and does not cover manufacturing defects. What does that mean?
If your door needs an adjustment within one year after installation, give us a call we will be happy to come out and adjust your door, so it closes properly. If, however, the door itself warps or breaks under normal use you will need to go to the manufacture of the door. If we purchase the door on your behalf, we will be happy to assist you with this process.
Final Tip
Every manufacturer's warranty is different, and we have only covered a few of the most common things that can void a warranty. If a door warranty is important to you then make sure you read the manufacturer’s warranty carefully and follow their protocols.
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