Glass-Craft-FiberCraft-Finishing-Care-Installation | Page 3

Fiberglass Door Finishing & Maintenance Information

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Field Finishing of Fiberglass doors
All edge surfaces and front and back surfaces must be finished correctly in order to maintain our warranty on the door . Be sure to confirm that the top , bottom and side edges of the door are finished correctly after the door is trimmed for installation .
Upon Receipt of Door
Inspect your door thoroughly . Immediately check for “ squareness ” or warp . DO NOT cut , fit , or hang any door with any noticeable damage or defects . If any type of problem is found , notify the company from which you purchased the door for further instructions . If you purchased the door directly from GlassCraft , please call our Customer Service department .
Storage and Handling 1 ) Before installing , allow 24 – 48 hours for the door to adapt to the general humidity and temperature conditions of your area .
2 ) Doors should always be stored flat , in a clean , dry , well-ventilated room . Protect from dirt , water and abuse . If stored for long periods , doors should be sealed with a high quality sealer or primer .
3 ) If the doors are to be stored on the job site , the 2 wood edges must be sealed with a wood sealer in order to prevent moisture absorption .
6 ) Doors should always be handled with clean hands or while wearing clean gloves , to prevent dirt and oils from penetrating the wood grains .
7 ) Doors should be lifted and carried , not dragged in order to prevent damage to the wood surface .
Exterior Finishing
Caution : GlassCraft Door Company does not evaluate all of the available paints , stains or application requirements . Contact your paint dealer for systems best suited for your geographic region . Select only top quality finishes , and follow all of the finish manufacturer ' s complete instructions .
Recommended staining and finishing steps :
• Remove handling marks and final sanding
• Raw wood treated with penetrating wiping stain
• Repeat penetrating wiping stain if required for desired color
• Light sanding if desired
• First coat of sanding sealer or top coat
• Fine sand by hand
• Second coat of top coat
• Fine sand by hand
• Third coat of top coat
Paint Finish : 1 ) To paint finish your door , use a solvent based primer coat and a compatible solvent based finish coat . 2 ) Sand all surfaces between all coats of primer and finish . 3 ) A minimum of three top coats on all 6 edges is recommended for proper protection .
Installation Suggestions 1 ) The utility or structural strength of the door must not be impaired in fitting to the opening , in applying hardware or other detailing .
2 ) Use a minimum of one hinge for each 30˝ of door height on all exterior doors . When using three or more hinges , they are to be equally spaced . Standard height ( 6 ´ 8˝ ) doors require three ( 3 ) hinges . Extra height ( 8 ´ 0˝ ) doors require four ( 4 ) hinges . Quality ball-bearing hinges are recommended for superior service in these hardwood door applications .
3 ) Clearances between door edges and door frame should be a minimum of 1 ⁄ 16˝ on the hinge edge , and 1 ⁄ 8˝ on the latch edge and top rail . 4 ) All hardware locations , preparations for hardware , and methods of hardware attachment must be appropriate for the specific door construction .
5 ) Damage caused by failure to comply with this Fiberglass Finishing Information section , failure to perform normal homeowner maintenance , or by attempts other than by GlassCraft to repair the door will void the GlassCraft warranty .
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