Archive for November, 2009

Why is it so hard to find durable exterior grade wood doors?  Manufacturers have not forgotten how to make them. The problem is a shortage of suitable high quality old growth timber.  In the past, old growth forests (forests that haven’t been logged for 200 years) covered large parts of the United States.  Those ancient trees provided the finest quality wood products.  Today the few old growth trees that remain are precious, protected by federal agencies, and largely unavailable.

So, now what?  My recommendation is not to use wood doors on the exterior of buildings.  There are lots of other great materials such as aluminum, fiberglass reinforced polyester (FRP), acrylic modified polyester (AMP), brass, bronze, etc.  Doors made of these materials won’t rot or rust.

However, if you have to use exterior wood doors, here are my recommendations:

• Limit door leaf sizes to about 3 ft. wide by 7 ft. tall.  Bigger doors cause more problems than smaller doors.
• Protect doors from the weather.  At a minimum, provide overhang equal to one-half the door height and extending three feet on either side of the opening.
• Seal and paint all six sides of each door leaf, including hardware cutouts.
• Be very skeptical regarding claims that wood composites are “as good as real wood”.
• Expect to do yearly inspection and refinishing.  Preventive maintenance is indispensable.

Planning to take the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) CDT exam? It’s a gnarly test that most people would have difficulty passing without serious preparation. You may be interested in the CDT Prep Course Series available from CSI On-Demand Webinars. The price of the 11-session series is $150 for CSI members, and $200 for non-members.

Energy efficiency is a top driver behind sustainable design across all industries. And improving the heating and cooling of buildings with thermally efficient components can save you money in the peak of winter and summer. So for your next project, consider using Special-Lite’s flush doors for their thermally efficient components.

Though your doors make up a small point of surface area on a structure, they play an important part in the energy efficiency of your building. When selecting exterior doors, pay attention to the components that limit the exchange of heat from one side of the door to the other. For example, the Special-Lite SL-17 FRP doors have a poured-in-place urethane core with a minimum five pounds per cubic foot density, which ensures thermal insulation.

Special-Lite has tested its FRP Flush Doors for thermal efficiency. The U-value shows how well a material allows heat to pass and is generally listed between zero and one for doors. The lower the number, the better. The R-value is the reciprocal of the U-value and shows how well a material resists the flow of heat through it. This higher this number, the better.

Other important aspects of thermal doors include:

• Properly sealed construction
• Proper insulation
• Thermally improved framing

Also note that adding lites to doors can significantly reduce the effectiveness of thermal doors because glass provides hot and cold air to pass through easier. Flush doors and insulated side panels are ideal for thermal efficiency.

Check out Special-Lite’s white paper about how to select a green door, which includes information about thermal doors by clicking here.

When creating sustainable buildings, many builders, architects and project managers look to the LEED green-building rating system. But because the credit-based system doesn’t have explicit specifications for entrances, decision makers must rely on general recommendations for sustainable doors and entrances.

One major requirement of a sustainable component is that the product be used in a way that prevents premature failure and unplanned maintenance and replacement. Other factors that work in tandem include:

Doors. The ideal door should efficiently distribute the stressful forces of motion by being rigid enough to keep the building secure. It should not be too heavy and rigid, but rather lightweight and flexible, so as not to quickly wear out the hardware. Doors will also need to be durable enough to withstand everyday abuses (kicks, shoves, bumps, etc.) as well as focused attempts to damage or breach the door.

Framing and Hardware. Keep in mind that the framing and hardware are just as important to sustainability as the door is. If the framing components and hardware wear out, the door may get out of alignment and fail to latch properly. This could create leaks that can affect weather resistance and thermal efficiency.

Thermal Efficiency. Exterior doors play an important role in the overall energy efficiency of a building, so be sure to select components that limit thermal exchange. Proper thermal doors will keep warm air in during winter and out during summer.

Glass. Though it is nice to incorporate into the facade, glass is not the most efficient thermal material. It does not limit thermal exchange (the transfer of heat from one side of the door to the other) very well. If you must use glass in doors, make sure it is insulated and at least one inch thick. You’ll be glad when the power bill comes!

VOCs. You may not think of exterior doors affecting indoor air quality, but part of every exterior door faces into the building. So choose products that have earned indoor air quality accreditations from a third-party verifier such as GREENGUARD or Scientific Certification Systems. By reducing formaldehydes, phthalates, VOCs and other pollutant emissions you’re helping to improve indoor air quality that can affect worker productivity and health.

Special-Lite’s doors are perfect for your next project because of their exclusive design. The FRP doors are manufactured from aluminum alloy, sized and configured for maximum strength without unnecessary, non-functional bulk. The result is a durable door able to withstand everyday abuses without excess weight on the hardware.

The doors also come with a poured-in-place urethane core that ensures impact resistance, flexural strength and thermal insulation. And if you want one with lites in it, Special-Lite offers 1/4″, 1/2″ or 1″ custom glazing.

As for improving indoor air quality, Special-Lite’s entire product line has earned the GREENGUARD Certification, including the stringent Children & Schools standard. This means any of the company’s doors, frames and panels can help buildings qualify for the low-emitting materials LEED credit for Indoor Environmental Quality under the Materials and Resources section. Click here for more information about Special-Lite’s certification.

I’m proud to announce that C.R. Mayer has been renamed and re-branded as Mayer Door. Our web site is now located at www.mayerdoor.com, and my e-mail address is now chris@mayerdoor.com. Don’t worry – the old web address will be forwarded to the new one, and email to the old address will still get to me (though you may get an automatic reminder than it has changed).

Why the change? There are several reasons:

• While we have, over the years, represented a variety of products over the years, doors have always been at the core of our business. And today, we have the best selection of quality doors and related products ever, Special-Lite, TruStile, SELECT Products and Ambico. We wanted to be able to more effectively communicate that.

• The venerable C.R. Mayer brand has been good to us, and it’s well known among our customers. However, it says nothing about the business itself. The new name carries the Mayer name forward but includes something about what we sell.

• From a visibility standpoint, www.mayerdoor.com will be much easier for prospective customers to find.

When you’ve been in the door business as long as I have, people begin to look to you for a perspective on current trends and products. And of course, I’m always glad to help. This newsletter is one way I’m able to help friends and customers stay on top of the business and make better choices.

And now, I’ve introduced The Door Blog (www.thedoorblog.com), which will enable me to offer suggestions on doors, hinges and related products in a format that people can easily reference. We’ll be including content from The Portal, including some from recent issues. (You can also access The Door Blog at blog.mayerdoor.com.).

For your convenience, I’m also sending out tweets with links when we post a new article. You can follow me at www.twitter.com/mayerdoor.