Boat Frames
If you have supplied doors, frames, and hardware, you've probably had some projects that kept you awake at night. I know I have, but the end result can be so rewarding!
WWYD? Wood Door Damage
I need some help from any wood door experts out there...any theories on what might have caused the horizontal lines on these wood doors? They weren't visible until the doors were field stained.
FF: Classroom Storage
Today's Fixed-it Friday photos were sent in by Colin Watson of Allegion. I'm sure some of you must have theories on why this storage closet opening was detailed this way. I can't wait to hear them!
Vision Panel Alert
Here's a heads-up going out to all of the detailers, architects, and door manufacturers out there...double-check the vision light locations for classroom doors.
Flush-Mounted Doors
What do you think of doors and frames that are flush with the corridor wall on the push side? I like the clean look, but the door-operating part of my brain was not a fan.
WWYD? Indicating the Active Leaf
Calling all architects...we need your help with this one! Do you indicate on the drawings which leaf of a pair should be active and which is inactive?
WW: (Very) Temporary Door
I wonder how long this temporary door will last. Any wagers?
FF: Low Light
Any theories about what happened in today's Fixed-it Friday photo?
FF: Wheelie
I have a theory about what happened here...what's yours? This "fix" shows the importance of making sure the correct hardware is specified from the get-go.
Thermal Bow
When an exterior metal door binds on sunny days but works just fine at night, it's likely that the problem is caused by thermal bow.
FF: Corn Cob Core
Bill Cushman of Genesis Door and Hardware sent me this link to a door with an unusual core...I was Wordless even though it's Fixed-it Friday!
More on GWB Penetration – Fire-Rated Frames
Have you ever run into a situation where a piece of hardware or a mortar box in a fire-rated frame prevented the GWB from penetrating 1/2-inch into the frame, as required by NFPA 80?
WWYD? Frame Elevations
Someone just asked me about software for creating shop drawings, elevations, and details. It's been a really long time since I've done submittals, so I told him that I'd ask the experts - YOU!
FF: WWYD?
The director of maintenance for some nursing homes in NYC sent me this photo and asked how to avoid this problem in future installations. Any constructive suggestions?
FF: KittyKorner
Creative, but I have a few concerns. How about you?
Oversized Jamb Depth
If I found this application in the field, I would contact the frame manufacturer and see if the application is allowed by their listing. I'm pretty sure the answer would be "no."
FF: Louvers
One more photo from our time in Asheville...this is not how I would have handled the need for additional airflow at this church entrance.
QQ: Dwelling Unit Doors
On a multi-family building, are the dwelling unit doors required to have a 10-inch bottom rail?
Maximum Door Width
Ann Timme of Allegion sent me this photo the other day and it reminded me to tell you about a potential change to the International Building Code (IBC).
Amsterdam Free Library
What's the problem with this door? Any ideas?
WW: Electrical Room Pair
I'm not an expert on the electrical codes, but this just seems wrong to me.
WWYD? Handing for Communicating Doors
How do you "hand" a communicating door? Are the doors LH/RH? Or LHR/RHR?
Decoded: Update on Storm Shelter Doors (March 2018)
If you have seen more projects incorporating storm shelters lately, this is likely due to changes in the International Building Code (IBC).
QQ: Empty Tab Slots
The increased enforcement of the inspection requirements for fire door assemblies has brought some pretty intense scrutiny upon the various components. In some cases we're finding that NFPA 80 and the model codes don't currently address the fine details of how these assemblies are tested and constructed.
WW: Sudden Drop
8 Floors - YIKES!
FF: Ship Shape
This is one of the most amazing doors I've ever seen!
Decoded: Alterations to Fire Door Assemblies
You may remember that I'm working on a series of online code classes, which will be available early in 2018. To support those classes, I am updating some of my past Decoded articles to include revisions from new editions of the codes and standards. Here is the latest information regarding alterations of fire door assemblies.
FF: Hospital Door
What led to this "fix"? Any theories?
Decoded: Fire Door Assembly Classifications
NFPA 80 – Standard for Fire Doors and Other Opening Protectives, classifies openings protected by fire door assemblies in one of five categories...
WWYD? Bottom Gap on Fire-Rated Frames
The application is in a building where the floors are out of level, and the fire door frames are installed with one jamb flush with the floor, leaving the other jamb with a gap...
Decoded: Temperature-Rise Doors
With the increased use of sprinkler systems in commercial and institutional buildings, the need for temperature-rise doors has declined, but there are still locations where they are required...
WW: Bent
I have no idea what happened here. Wordless...
FF: Wobbly Door (video)
Today's "shoulda" Fixed-it Friday video came from Luis Gabriel Gonzalez, one of Allegion's specwriter apprentice. What happened here???
FF: Quirky Entrance
I love this door (although I question its structural integrity) - and yes, I have been called quirky a few times. Why be normal?!
QQ: Fire Door Frames with Existing Wall Anchors
"When I'm installing a fire-rated frame into an existing opening using existing wall anchors, how much space can I have around the frame, and what is permissible to use to seal that gap?"
WWYD? Thermal-Break Frames
What drives the need for thermal-break frames and similar products in your jurisdiction? Is it an energy code, another code or standard, LEED...
Horizontal Sliding Door
Charles Anderson sent me this photo of a horizontal sliding door he found on a marked exit in an antique store. So...is it code-compliant?
What is CPTED?
CPTED (pronounced sep-ted) stands for Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design, and is defined as a multi-disciplinary approach to deterring criminal behavior through environmental design...
WW: US Bank Stadium
I might need to go on a field trip to the Vikings' new stadium...just to see these doors! WoW! Blake Nelson of Allegion sent me these photos from a recent site visit...
WWYD? Hardware for Glass/Aluminum Doors
If you're involved in specifying, supplying, coordinating, or maintaining hardware for aluminum or glass doors, WWYD? Where should the hardware be specified and how do you ensure that all of the details are addressed...
Repairing Holes and Dents in Fire Doors
A very common repair includes installing steel fasteners in unused holes, grinding off the fastener heads, and concealing the repair with Bondo, but this is not specifically mentioned in NFPA 80...
WWYD? Old Fire Doors
When an old fire door needs to be modified, what precautions are taken to ensure that the door does not contain hazardous material?
WW: Crooked
This photo was sent to me by Joanne Gretter of Herman Gibans Fodor, Inc., and I really have no words.
FF: Inactive Active Leaf
According to Ken Cook of Allegion, today's Fixed-it Friday photo is from a church in Indianapolis, where a small earthquake in 2004 broke some underground pipes. This is one way to solve the problem...
WWYD? Vision Lights in Wood Fire Doors
My question for you is this...if you supply, specify, or install wood fire doors, is the glazing typically installed in accordance with NFPA 80 - at the factory or in an authorized wood shop?
Basics of Steelcraft Hollow Metal Doors (video)
Rounding out our "intro" series of whiteboard animation videos...here's an introduction to hollow metal doors. The rest of our whiteboard animation videos can be found on the Allegion Training page, or on the Videos page of iDigHardware.com. What other topics would you like to see addressed in future videos?
Rotary Natural Birch
I was so happy to arrive at the hotel last night and find this photo from Austin Bammann, of Central Indiana Hardware. This is a great illustration of the variations and unintended patterns that can occur with rotary cut natural birch doors ("To infinity...and beyond!")...
SDI: Smoke Gasketing Requirements for Opening Protectives
Questions on smoke gasketing continue to come up, so the Steel Door Institute asked me to write about it for their quarterly newsletter. You can subscribe to their newsletter here...
Embarrassing 50% Failure Rate
Quite a few people sent this cartoon to me, so I obtained permission to post it here. It looks like the "normal" people are starting to figure out the secrets of the door and hardware industry. Enjoy!
FF: Unfixable
Yesterday's post was not ready in time for the afternoon notification, so in addition to today's Fixed-it Friday photo, there's a bonus set of photos from the Bronx Zoo. If you're reading this on the email notification, you should see the zoo link below. Happy Friday!