Anyone know where...?

[Peterwhayward]

I’m having to replace a door for someone in a retirement home situation. A leak has totally ruined a internal door so I’m having to replace it .The problem I’m having is the size and that is 1981 x 838 x 44mm thick. It has to be a smooth ( not grained) 6 panel style. Any ideas ?.

 

[Doug71]

At 44 mm thick it is most likely a fire door, just a standard 78" x 33". Your local Howden Joinery should have one or try calling XL Joinery to find a local supplier of their doors.

Edit to add most builders merchants will be able to get them.

 

[bjm]

That's a standard size door, a quick search brought up this: 6 panel door

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Yes. Textured - he needs smooth.

 

[Peterwhayward]

Sorry all. No it’s 40mm thick which is the whole problem.

 

[bjm]

I just picked the first door I came to. For 4mm I would either move the door stops or increase the rebate - unless that affects the fire-rating of the door set (might need approval before modifying?)

 

[Peterwhayward]

Yep been there. It’s a non fire door situation. I have been asked to supply a like for like door without necessitating any redecoration on the outside of the door ( can’t move door stops therefore, which is something I would do normally in any other situation even if I could find a like for like door). The whole point is there must be a supplier somewhere that supplies this size of door. In just this development there is at least150 this size. It’s not me being pedantic it’s the building owners and they will not have different anything in their development ( as in if I fitted a fire door there is no way I would or could hang it on the 3” electro brass lift off hinges that are fitted on all the other non. Fire door situations there).

 

[Deadeye]

Yep been there. It’s a non fire door situation. I have been asked to supply a like for like door without necessitating any redecoration on the outside of the door ( can’t move door stops therefore, which is something I would do normally in any other situation even if I could find a like for like door). The whole point is there must be a supplier somewhere that supplies this size of door. In just this development there is at least150 this size. It’s not me being pedantic it’s the building owners and they will not have different anything in their development ( as in if I fitted a fire door there is no way I would or could hang it on the 3” electro brass lift off hinges that are fitted on all the other non. Fire door situations there).

Pinch one from upstairs

 

[bjm]

OK, just had a quick search. A number of the supliers list 40mm thick doors so they can't be that uncommon. Whether they have the style you need is another matter but I would suggest contacting them direct and seeing what they can do? I would also go into any of the big builders merchants and ask to speak to one of their buyers to see if they could help?

 

[Doug71]

Are you sure they are the correct sizes? 40 mm doors (I call them metric sized, don't know why) generally come in different sizes to standard (imperial) doors, from my experience the nearest 40 mm door to the size you want is 2040 x 826.

The only other time I see 40 mm thick doors are when they come as a pair.

 

[Peterwhayward]

Thanks For the reply but yes it is unfortunately the size I say .....
1981x 838 x40mm. Seems crazy to me as I’ve only been a carpenter for 50 years plus and I can’t locate what on the face of it is a fairly standard door. Normally as has been suggested I would have either supplied and fitted a lighter and thinner door or a fire door and moved the door stops and relocated the lock striking plate to suit whatever was chosen.

 

[Doug B]

I don’t know if this is a similar situation but quite a few years ago I was asked to price the replacement of some doors in a development, but the doors were of no size I’d come across before. It turned out that when the properties were built the finished internal doors & frames were a complete component bought in with the door already hinged to the frame & handles fitted, clearly not of U.K. origin.
My supplier couldn’t source the size of doors & as the owners didn’t want me to replace the frames they ended up keeping the doors.

 

[Cabinetman]

Doug B, you could easily be right, 150 doors in that development, it’s the way they do it with hotels.

 

[Peterwhayward]

I don’t know if this is a similar situation but quite a few years ago I was asked to price the replacement of some doors in a development, but the doors were of no size I’d come across before. It turned out that when the properties were built the finished internal doors & frames were a complete component bought in with the door already hinged to the frame & handles fitted, clearly not of U.K. origin.
My supplier couldn’t source the size of doors & as the owners didn’t want me to replace the frames they ended up keeping the doors.

That is a possibility that I’ve thought of already but was hoping I was wrong. There are many developments the same as this one and I only do work for two of them, both of which have approximately 150+- of this size door. ( it’s a retirement development so the width is probably relevant to wheelchair access).Countrywide there’s probably several thousand doors the same. Frustrating though that I can locate other doors that are the right size in all dimensions but not standard 6 panel style.
Thanks anyway for the reply.

 

[Lons]

I'd be tempted to look at the textured fire door as in Brian's post and take an RAS to both sides to sand off the texture, you'd probably get 2 mm off each face to get it down to 40 mm without too much effort I assume whatever you get will require painting anyway.

The edge to the mouldings would be smaller but would that be noticed in situ?

 

[okeydokey]

A long shot and depends on the goodwill of others
If your able to find who were the architects or builders (or Facilities Management team) I'm sure after a bit of time and convoluted emails/phone calls you should be able to find the door specification and who were the suppliers.

 

[Peterwhayward]

A long shot and depends on the goodwill of others
If your able to find who were the architects or builders (or Facilities Management team) I'm sure after a bit of time and convoluted emails/phone calls you should be able to find the door specification and who were the suppliers.

Yes thanks for that. In the past for other reasons I’ve tried that and got the “computer says no” response. But I’ll possibly have to try it. As the damaged to the door was done by water it’s blown about 600mm of the hinge side on both faces ( it’s mdf faced) and about 50mm on both sides along the bottom of the door where it’s wicked up from the damp carpet, I’m contemplating a repair of sorts which will undoubtedly be much more time consuming than fitting a new door but hayho they are a important customer to me.

 

[Robbo60]

Good Morning, I am a novice at woodworking, but I would have thought a Carpenter for 50 years would just make one? I need a panel door for an airing cupboard that's only about 600 wide so after watching a few videos I'm going to give it a go.

 

[Peterwhayward]

Mainly It’s all about the money. Anything’s possible but as it’s my living and not just a hobby I don’t have the inclination to do it. A repair to the damaged one would take a fraction of the time it would take me to make a matching one ( there’s 5 doors within a couple of feet of each other So it would have to be a good match).Once repaired I’ll refit it if I’m happy with it then the customer can decide whether he wants to go down the route of one being made or maybe a off the shelf near matching one.