Description
This external 4 panel door is a very popular design, especially as we make them for you in your bespoke size.
4 Panel Manufacture
We manufacture these 4 panel doors in our Sheffield factory. We use a prime grade of white oak, specially selected to suit external doors. Most of the timber will be clear however you will find the occasional knot in the door which helps to emphasize the door’s solid oak construction. These exterior doors are manufactured to a 44mm thickness for a solid heavy door. The stiles and rails are made by laminating together two 22mm sections of solid oak. Laminating the sections in this way makes the door much more structurally stable than using a single piece of oak. All laminations are done in house so that we can control the quality.
We use twin dowel joints, which are wedged and hydraulically pressed to make the mainframe of the door. This is a traditional method that results in a much stronger construction than the more common dowelled joints and means you can be sure your door is made to last. The panels are made using solid oak, edge glued and sanded flat. Where required we use closed-cell foam sealing strip built into the door to provide a great level of weather tightness.
All our exterior 44mm doors are handcrafted to each order. The typical lead time is around 3-4 weeks on these oak external doors.
Points to Note
- For highly exposed properties, we recommend fitting these doors under a porch or covering to protect from excessive wind driven rain
- We will only guarantee this door IF you choose to have the door factory finished by us. Selecting unfinished will mean we are unable to assist with doors that are warped, twisted, etc. due to moisture ingress unless a 3 stage end grain sealer system has been proven to be used. A care leaflet will be provided with every door detailing the best way for the doors to be finished.
- The doors are made from solid oak however the flat panels used are cross laminated with an oak veneer. The cross lamination is to ensure the door is more stable and has much more reduced risks of movement than a door made with 100% solid oak. Please contact our sales team for further details.
Need a frame as well? Why not consider our doorset version!
Timber Grades
We manufacture exterior 4 Panel doors using a specially selected grade of oak. The oak is bought directly from a number of partner sawmill in central and northern France where the best quality slower grown oak is found.
Most boards will be clear, some may have the occasional small knot emphasising the solid oak construction of these doors. There can be some colour variation within the boards as you find in any natural raw material.
All of our Oak is specially kiln dried to 8-10% for use as an exterior door and will exhibit minimum movement in use. As with all timber its extremely important to thoroughly finished external doors as soon as they are installed to prevent rapid moisture content changes that can lead to door swelling.
Standard and Custom Sizes
4 Panel exterior oak doors are hand made to order to your exact size. We will make your door in any size up to 950mm x 2100mm for the same price. We can make larger doors but please call with your requirements for us to quote a price.
All the doors are made to a standard 44mm thick using laminated oak stiles and rails. To manufacture these we laminate 2 x 22mm oak sections in house.
We strongly recommend you specify the door a few mm oversize, and plane the door on site to suit unless you are absolutely sure that the door frame is 100% square. They rarely are! Your new oak door is custom made, and cannot be returned/refunded once manufactured so please consider these measurements carefully. We will confirm them back to you once you have let us know in an order confirmation so we both have a clear understanding of the size required
Please note that your new door is hand made and will take around 2-3 weeks to manufacture.
Finishing
Oak is a very popular and attractive timber, but it needs very careful finishing to ensure satisfactory service. We strongly recommend you consider our factory finishing option.
If you choose this option your door will go through a multi stage finishing system. Your door will first be sanded and degreased. After any chosen colour stain is applied, a special sealer is used to protect porous end grain. Following this multiple top coats are applied to a specified thickness. We use a specially designed highly thixotropic finish, applied by a very high pressure spray system, that allows us to build up a highly protective layer on your door. V joint sealer is applied where required between top coats, and the door is infrared cured and sanded between each coat.
This system provides your door with the best protection possible from the weather as well as creating a finish that looks much better than a brush applied finish.
If you choose to have your door unfinished, when you receive the door it should be checked for fit. We cannot overstate how important it is to properly finish timber external doors to provide satisfactory service. All timber will expand and contract as it gains and loses moisture. That's why your door can take on moisture and expand in winter weather. Thoroughly finishing the door will slow this movement to a minimum. It is extremely common to find timber doors that have not been finished properly, almost always in difficult to reach places such as underneath the door. If you prefer to finish your door onsite, each door is shipped with detailed finishing instructions (see download tab to view a copy) that explain how to create a weathertight finish to your door. You must follow these carefully to ensure satisfactory performance.
Even with thorough and correctly specified finishing, timber doors can occasionally require minor planing in the first couple of seasons. You should always follow a good maintenance programme with solid oak exterior doors, refinishing them as necessary.
Oak can discolour over time unless UV protection is given to it within the finishing system. This protection is within the pigment, and therefore it is not possible to give proper UV protection with a clear finish. As standard we recommend a medium oak finish. We can apply a clear finish however you should note that this cannot provide UV protection and your oak door may weather and the timber fade over time if this option is chosen.
We specify and use Teknos water based industrial finishes in our factory finishing facility.
PLEASE NOTE - Prefinished doors are hung in our spray facility to ensure full coverage and a top quality finish. This does mean there will be 2 small screw holes in the side of your door. Please be aware of this before ordering.
Delivery
We use multiple couriers to ensure your door is delivered safely and efficiently, lead times are as below
Please note, anything to Scotland, Cornwall, or the South Coast can take up to 4 weeks in transit. Please call us for an approximate lead time as time will be dependent on the quantity of doors you purchase
Handling Time
10-15 Working Days
Please add 5 working days for prefinishing/glass
Transit Time
1-7 Doors: 5-10 Working Days (Epic Logistics)
8+ Doors: 3 Working Days (Hallam Express)
We do not currently deliver to Scottish Highlands, Islands, or Ireland
Please give us a call if you are needing your order urgently, express options may be available on a case by case basis
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.