Simpson Full Line

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CARE &
FINISHING
Your Simpson door has been handcrafted to last for
years to come. And like any piece of fine furniture,
it needs proper finishing and periodic maintenance
to keep it performing at its best. For a long-lasting,
beautiful Simpson door, please follow the instructions
as outlined in the care & finishing section of the Simpson
website at Failure to
follow Simpson's care & finishing recommendations will
void the door's warranty.
FITTING AND HANGING
1. When hanging the door, allow adequate clearance
for swelling of door or frame in damp weather.
Allow approximately 3/16" clearance for swelling
when the door is installed in fully dry conditions.
Jambs must be plumb.
2. Do not cut doors down in height by more than 2"
(1-1/2" maximum from bottom or 1" on doors with
UltraBlock® technology, 1/2" maximum from top).
Care should be taken in cutting doors down in width
to avoid exposing engineered components. Use a
sharp fine-tooth saw for trimming ends of doors.
3. Caution must be used to avoid impairing the
strength of the door when fitting for locks. Allow at
least 1" of wood back of mortise.
4. Use three hinges on doors up to 7' in height and
four hinges on doors over 7'. Hinges must be set in
a straight line to prevent distortion.
5. Jambs and stops must be set square and plumb.
6. For best performance and to meet the standard
Simpson warranty, any exterior door should be
installed under an overhang or with sufficient
protection. Adequate overhang depends on typical
weather conditions of the area where the door is
installed, but at the minimum means an overhang
projecting a distance from the structure equal to
one half the distance between the bottom of the
door and the bottom of the overhang (see figure 1).
7. If an adequate overhang is not feasible, Simpson
offers a selection of products warranted for this
application, including a five-year limited warranty
on doors featuring WaterBarrier® technology and a
ten-year limited warranty on Nantucket® Collection
doors.
8. Do not use dark colored stains or paints.
9. Immediately after cutting and fitting (before
hanging), seal all cut surfaces and ends of door
with an effective quality sealer. See exterior and
interior finishing recommendation for complete
instructions.
10. Prior to exterior exposure, doors must be finished
with complete finish system.
11. To minimize heat loss and save energy, use
weather stripping.
MAINTENANCE
Your Simpson door's finish will require some simple,
periodic maintenance to keep it looking great and
provide proper protection against the elements.
Regular finish maintenance is also a requirement of
the warranty that's included with every Simpson door.
Here are some signs to watch for. They indicate
that it's time for some simple, easy-to-perform
maintenance:
• Hairline cracks in the top coat of finish.
• Changes in the color of the finish.
• Changes in the texture of the finish, such
as flaking or scaling.
• Dullness or chalkiness in the finish.
If you live in a severe climate or your entry receives
a lot of direct sunlight from a southern or western
exposure, you'll want to examine your door's finish
often. Depending on the conditions, you may also
need to maintain the door finish more frequently.
It is important to note that wood has inherent dynamic
qualities. Over time, small surface “imperfections” may
appear, and the door may shrink or swell slightly as it
“breathes” with climate changes. These characteristics
are perfectly normal, reflecting the natural aging
process of a wood door, and they should not be
considered defects. To minimize these occurrences,
protect your door with the right finish and an
adequate overhang.
For more information on the care and
finishing of a Simpson door, please visit:
X
Y
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Figure 1