BANGING THE DRUM FOR DOORSETS

s 2023 began, I took some time to ponder a big career milestone. Last year, I passed 25 years within the door industry, having started out at just 18. Thinking back, I recall how the industry was pushing the use of doorsets all those years ago, trying to persuade developers and builders away from the traditional style of hanging doors on site.

Incredibly, a quarter of a century on and I am still beating that same drum –and, unfortunately, it still feels as though we’ve made little progress. We are still pushing the use of doorsets, and despite all the inherent benefits with regards to ease of installation and fire safety credentials, we find many customers are still reluctant to use them. So, what’s going on? And why are otherwise-savvy construction industry professionals failing to recognise the benefits of doorsets for their developments?

Put simply, the traditional hanging door is just the door ‘slab’ – the doorset is the complete package.

With a traditionally-hung door, a developer will need to build a frame, architrave and door stops for every door and take care of recessing and machining of ironmongery, install the frame and add all the other elements separately on site.

A doorset comprises a lining or frame that is already routed out for hinges, locks and other elements, and the door itself, which comes ready for installation, including ironmongery such as latches, bathroom locks and hinges.

At Stairways, for example, we ask our clients to specify everything they want ahead of time. Developers, specifiers and architects may need drop-down seals, intumescent strips, locks, deadlocks and so on – all of which can be sorted for them in the factory, so the doors arrive ready to install.

Doorsets are the easiest solution to ensure compliance with statutory fire door requirements. What many developers and site managers fail to appreciate is that if you don’t purchase a doorset, it will be the responsibility of the installer and site team to ensure that the door finally installed on site is compliant. That means they need to check and ensure that the frame is suitable to comply with the fire certification of the door leaf, the correct intumescent is used, the correct ironmongery is used and so on. That is a lot of additional responsibility to fall on the shoulders of people not necessarily experienced in reading a fire certificate and who may lack the understanding of what is required for a door to be compliant.

Many people also make the mistake of thinking that just because something says it is fire rated that it will be suitable. In fact, fire door certification has stringent rules that must be followed to ensure the doorset, once created in its entirety, is compliant. Get it wrong and not only is there a compliance issue, but much more importantly there could be serious, even deadly, consequences down the line.

At Stairways, every fire doorset supplied is compliant, because all the components are tested together, so that the only thing needed on site is to ensure the doorset is fitted correctly.

When it comes to a larger development, residential flats, for example, there can easily be hundreds of doors representing a lot of work for the onsite team – so surely the easier you can make that process the better.

Installing frames and then hanging doors on site is a far more challenging approach, requiring a couple of hours of a skilled carpenter’s time. It leaves much more room for error, with gaps around the doors being too large, for example.

It’s worth considering that data released last year by the Fire Door Inspection Scheme (FDIS) shows that three in four of the 100,000+ fire doors they inspected last year failed to meet the required standards.

Incredibly, almost a third of the fire doors that failed did so due to incorrect installation. The FDIS figures also show the highest number of fire door inspection failures included healthcare buildings, local authorities/housing associations and private housing.

With a doorset, so many jobs are completed during the factory production process that fewer specialist skills are needed on site, reducing both onsite costs and room for error.

And, by sourcing every component from the same supplier, you ensure compatibility and performance and avoid those nightmare moments, for example, when the doors are the wrong size for the frames...it happens!

I’ve said it before – and no doubt I’ll say it again; remember, the next time you need doors, especially fire doors, opt for doorsets. They’re easier, safer and will save you time and effort. Hopefully, I won’t still be banging this drum in another 25 years.