Building advice needed with front entrance door

[giggirl]

I bought a new front door from a local firm at the end of last year. All the paperwork states that the door is hardwood. The wood has moved; it has bowed and surface cracks have appeared. I cannot double lock the door so my insurance is voided. I have not been able to lock the door for weeks.

To make matters worse, the owner of the shop has been giving my builder the run-around for ages. He said he would come and have a look and didn't turn up. He does not return phone calls. Total time-waster. I've just been into the shop with my builder and told them in no uncertain terms that I'm not putting up with any more shit. The owner (who wasn't there but was contacted by phone), says he will come round tomorrow at 10.30.

It is the opinion of the particular builder who installed the fixtures on this door that it is not hardwood. He says that there is pine in it. So the suspicion is that this is a softwood door with a hardwood veneer. I bought and paid for a hardwood door.

Is there anyone out there with any knowledge on this subject that can offer any assistance? I would be grateful. Thanks.

Px

[red devil]

It's common to get external doors made from softwood with a hardwood veneer, this one has a guarantee, does yours?... http://www.doorsdirect2u.co.uk/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=62

Do you have any paperwork/catalogues relating to the door you bought? If so this should give you some product description. The door above is quite clear it is hardwood veneer. You obviously wanted a solid hardwood door, so you need to check/confirm what description you were given at point of sale...

[giggirl]

I bought a hardwood door. The shop isn't disputing that. The paperwork says hardwood. I specifically went shopping for a hardwood door and would never have bought an external door with softwood in it.

My understanding is that hardwood has only minimal movement. Mine is bowed and split. Does anyone have any experience?

[red devil]

Does the paperwork say SOLID hardwood?

Bowing and splitting suggests a fault, is it guranteed?..

[KidKruger]

Semantics.

A front door would reasonably be expected to last many years, not less than a single year (making it an annual replacement).

[MrBen]

To be honest even a hard wood door can bow and split depending on quality of the wood, moisture content and whether its been treated.

Wooden doors are typically be made of:

- MDF with a veneer

- Softwood core with a hardwood veneer (which some firms pass off as "hardwood" misleadingly)

- Engineered hard wood - basically smaller blocks of hard wood glued together with or without a veneer

- Solid hard wood

A solid hardwood door will have one grain running through most of it's core and so can warp. An engineered wooden door can actually be stronger and more resistant to bowing.

I found it really hard to get a good local joiner (I can already guess which firm you used) and so ended up ordering some doors online which were cheaper but cut to size.....

Anyway - keep pestering the owner until he sorts it out.....he's a man that needs prodding.