Door Crazy...What a Mess....
#1
02-15-09, 08:08 AM
Door Crazy...What a Mess....
Hello,
I am trying to select doors (interior and exterior) for a new addition on our home. Yea,,,,building it myself...
Definitly want fiberglass entry doors (one single and one double) and mostly single with one double interior door.
Starting with exterior fiberglass doors and looking at the Feather River, Therma Tru , Benchmark,,, Jeld-Wen sites, all have something with which I could be satisfied.....
My Problem::::I have found blurbs from forums saying, TERRIBLE things about each manufacturer's products and how there was something very wrong and the warning """Don't buy anything from this manufacturer"
One fellow said the best strategy was to fully unpack each item "at the store" before taking it home or before letting the delivery guy leave....and not take delivery of the item if there's a problem.
Anyone have experience to indicate which manufacturer I might find which could have the least problems?
Thanks,,,
BTW: Same thing for windows...fond of the Andersen's appearance
I am trying to select doors (interior and exterior) for a new addition on our home. Yea,,,,building it myself...
Definitly want fiberglass entry doors (one single and one double) and mostly single with one double interior door.
Starting with exterior fiberglass doors and looking at the Feather River, Therma Tru , Benchmark,,, Jeld-Wen sites, all have something with which I could be satisfied.....
My Problem::::I have found blurbs from forums saying, TERRIBLE things about each manufacturer's products and how there was something very wrong and the warning """Don't buy anything from this manufacturer"
One fellow said the best strategy was to fully unpack each item "at the store" before taking it home or before letting the delivery guy leave....and not take delivery of the item if there's a problem.
Anyone have experience to indicate which manufacturer I might find which could have the least problems?
Thanks,,,
BTW: Same thing for windows...fond of the Andersen's appearance
#2
02-15-09, 08:31 AM
Super Moderator
Well....heres what I know about a couple of the brands..FeatherRiver and Jeld-Wen.
Feather River (last time I worked with them) made a pretty good door. The first ones we got were well made and used composite in the bottom of the frames and under the sill, ball bearing hinges, etc...all good stuff. The problem was, they started selling doors labeled as FeatherRiver, but they were actually made under license by Masonite. There were issues with quality and peeling of the finish. They also switched to plastic spacers under the frame and wood under the sill. Of course these were doors in the low-end line. The higher end special order doors were still made by Feather River and seemed of good quality.
Jeld-wen makes several lines of doors as well. I only dealt with the "commodity" doors...no fancy glass or woodgrain. They were no better or worse than any other "plain" fiberglass door. They do have some nice options in the higher end stuff...but they can get pretty pricy as I remember.
One note...doors with ball bearing hinges are nice and quiet and swing smoothly...but do not pull the pins (on most of them)!! The bearings can get damaged or lost and are a bear to get back in. Just unscrew the hinges if you need to remove the door from the frame.
Its a pain, but I do agree about the unpacking thing. Easier to just put it back on the truck, than to take it back yourself or try to get a replacement delivered. The manufacturers want the stores to unpack and inspect before it leaves the store...which makes no sense, since it's more likely to get damaged in delivery if you do.
I'm a fan of Andersen 400, Woodwright and Narrowline (non-tilting) series windows. Not the 200 series...they are barely above builders grade...if that.
Feather River (last time I worked with them) made a pretty good door. The first ones we got were well made and used composite in the bottom of the frames and under the sill, ball bearing hinges, etc...all good stuff. The problem was, they started selling doors labeled as FeatherRiver, but they were actually made under license by Masonite. There were issues with quality and peeling of the finish. They also switched to plastic spacers under the frame and wood under the sill. Of course these were doors in the low-end line. The higher end special order doors were still made by Feather River and seemed of good quality.
Jeld-wen makes several lines of doors as well. I only dealt with the "commodity" doors...no fancy glass or woodgrain. They were no better or worse than any other "plain" fiberglass door. They do have some nice options in the higher end stuff...but they can get pretty pricy as I remember.
One note...doors with ball bearing hinges are nice and quiet and swing smoothly...but do not pull the pins (on most of them)!! The bearings can get damaged or lost and are a bear to get back in. Just unscrew the hinges if you need to remove the door from the frame.
Its a pain, but I do agree about the unpacking thing. Easier to just put it back on the truck, than to take it back yourself or try to get a replacement delivered. The manufacturers want the stores to unpack and inspect before it leaves the store...which makes no sense, since it's more likely to get damaged in delivery if you do.
I'm a fan of Andersen 400, Woodwright and Narrowline (non-tilting) series windows. Not the 200 series...they are barely above builders grade...if that.
#3
02-15-09, 03:40 PM
Some of what gunguy said. I like ThermaTru, JeldWen used to be a middle of the line door until they started mass marketing at HD, not sure now. I don't trust most products from big box stores, they tend to be builders grade stuff(IMHO-junk).
The suggestion about checking things before accepting them is excellent. It may not be the manufacturers problem, but they go thru a lot of hands before you see it, check it out. It is either impossible to do anything after the fact or very hard.
The suggestion about checking things before accepting them is excellent. It may not be the manufacturers problem, but they go thru a lot of hands before you see it, check it out. It is either impossible to do anything after the fact or very hard.
