Door Hanging - Is This Bad?

[zom414]

I'm looking for a bit of help and advice. I have a carpenter hanging some doors for me and he started this afternoon. He has put one door up and it does look miles better than the bog standard white one we had before. However, when I looked a bit closer after he'd gone I noticed a couple of things wrong.

When the door is closed you can see light through a gap on the left hand side, not a massive gap but I know it's there. Also, where the door has been trimmed at the top it has been chipped on both sides. Is there anything that can be done about the chipping and is it something that will happen with the remaining doors (we have 9 in all)? He told me it would take 2 days to complete but he spent the whole afternoon doing this one door.

I did my research and got several quotes before I accepted this one and now I've seen the first door my confidence has taken a bit of a knock. I'll be speaking to him about it in the morning but where do I stand if he saysthere's nothing he can do? Here's a couple of photos to show what I mean:

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Thanks.

 

[denso13]

Not something I would be happy with, especially paying someone to do it "properly". One is bad enough but I wouldn't want to be left with nine chipped doors.

 

[KenGMac]

Zom, Hi.

What what I see and the time taken, you look like you may have a problem?

I would " confront" the "tradesman" and request "politely" that he rectifies" what you are not happy about [quite rightly in my opinion ] prior to being let loose on any other work in your home.

Make it clear to the "tradesman" that the rectification work, to your satisfaction will NOT be funded by you, the "tradesman" will be on his own time, and if he cannot rectify the damage to the door he has " butchered" To your satisfaction, He will be liable for the cost of replacing it.

From what I can see in the photos provided that door and its fitting is a cvomplete mess.

If you want me to stop sitting on the fence I will be happy to give an opinion? ?

 

[gregers]

the 1st pic looks like he has had to remove the stops and repostion?? this is something that from time to time has to be carried out.
it looks like he has used a saw to cut them down without scoring the ply/laminate with a knife so this has caused break out.
the 2nd pic to me is a bit confusing,does this actually shut against a door stop or does it fly past?if it fly past then 'HOUSTON YOU HAVE A PROBLEM'.
what is the finish you are having on the doors?

and what sort of price has he quoted you for the job.

 

[zom414]

the 1st pic looks like he has had to remove the stops and repostion?? this is something that from time to time has to be carried out.
it looks like he has used a saw to cut them down without scoring the ply/laminate with a knife so this has caused break out.
what is the finish you are having on the doors?

and what sort of price has he quoted you for the job.

He has removed the stops, he said he'd have to do this for every door though.

He's quoted £450 for the job of hanging 9 doors and all the fittings as well. I got several quotes and they were all roughly the same price. He had good feedback on his website and is local (only lives a couple of streets away).

As for the finish, we are just going to stain it although the Mrs has no idea what colour!

 

[zom414]

Zom, Hi.

What what I see and the time taken, you look like you may have a problem?

I would " confront" the "tradesman" and request "politely" that he rectifies" what you are not happy about [quite rightly in my opinion ] prior to being let loose on any other work in your home.

Make it clear to the "tradesman" that the rectification work, to your satisfaction will NOT be funded by you, the "tradesman" will be on his own time, and if he cannot rectify the damage to the door he has " butchered" To your satisfaction, He will be liable for the cost of replacing it.

From what I can see in the photos provided that door and its fitting is a cvomplete mess.

If you want me to stop sitting on the fence I will be happy to give an opinion? ?

The more I look at the door and think about it the less I want him to finish the job to be honest. What am I liable for if I tell him I don't want him to continue? Do I pay him for the work he's done but then I'll ask for a new door or do I say let's just call it quits? All I know is that I don't want chips on any more doors. Can that be guaranteed or is it something that commonly happens with oak veneer doors?

 

[gregers]

not a bad price then,sort of price i would charge but maybe i wouldve allowed 3 days???.
but if its taken him a day to do 1 door then YOU HAVNT GOT A HOPE in him getting the whole job done in 2 days.
not without even more damage being caused.
i would be looking at swinging all the doors 1 day then the ironmongery the next



mistakes HAPPEN but as they are a laminate type door A LOT MORE CARE IS NEEDED.
are the doors thicker then what you allready had fitted?,if so then i would agree the stops have to be moved.

 

[zom414]

not a bad price then,sort of price i would charge but maybe i wouldve allowed 3 days???.
but if its taken him a day to do 1 door then YOU HAVNT GOT A HOPE in him getting the whole job done in 2 days.
not without even more damage being caused.
i would be looking at swinging all the doors 1 day then the ironmongery the next



mistakes HAPPEN but as they are a laminate type door A LOT MORE CARE IS NEEDED.
are the doors thicker then what you allready had fitted?,if so then i would agree the stops have to be moved.

Thickness is the same as the other doors - 35mm. Does this mean the stops can stay on? If he can repair the door he's already put up or replaces it fine but I also need to know that he's not going to damage any more.

Don't get me wrong, it does look good in place and I doubt anyone would notice the chips but I know it's there. I had to point it out to the Mrs or she would have had no idea! I'll keep you updated on what he says tomorrow.

 

[Symptoms]

zom - not good enough ... he clearly doesn't know how to trim this type of veneered doors without splitting. Tell him you're not happy, pay him for the one, then look for another guy to do the work.

I'd usually take the stops off first, fit the door then plant the stops back on as often original doors/frames have moved/warped over the years so getting new stuff to fit properly can be a problem. He should have cut through the paint before removing the stops with a Stanley knife (to prevent the paint 'breaking away and chipping). Too big a gap at the top of door in pic 2.

 

[JohnD]

My website has lots and lots of good comments on it.










I wrote them all myself, obviously.

 

[zom414]

Just an update. I showed the guy the problems and told him I wasn't happy with the work. He said he was sorry and it wouldn't happen again but I told him I didn't want him to do any more of the doors. He used some filler and planed the top of the door so it was straighter and moved it up a bit so there's no gap now. I paid him £60 in the end, £40 for all the fittings and £20 for what he'd done. He was nice enough about it and knew he'd screwed up.

I got some more quotes and a guy came round on Friday and fitted the remaining 8 doors in one day without any problems and without removing any of the stops. My faith in tradesmen has been restored!

 

[gregers]

not a bad days work then?

glad its all sorted and your happy.

 

[masona]

He had good feedback on his website

Afraid that's no proof because they can get round this by using their friends writing good feedback

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As a guide the gap should be approximately the thickness of a 2p coin!

Hopefully you got it sorted out