Are you looking for fire door installation?

Paul Phillips, director of Paul Phillips Carpentry, is a fully certified fire door fitter based in Birmingham, West Midlands.

Having vast amounts of experience in fire door fitting, Paul also has completed a nationally recognised accredited course, with UK Fire Door Training, meaning he is among those who are fully professional and qualified approved fire door installers.

You can click here to see Paul’s qualification in Fire door installation.

What are fire doors?

Many people think a door is a door, but this is a too simplistic way of looking at it. There are many types of doors, or more precisely, doors which suit different purposes and situations. Some people have heard of ‘external’ and ‘internal’ doors and would know that fitting an inside door to the outside of somewhere would not be viable.

Fire doors are a range of doors which are made and installed for a very specific purpose. They are designed to be able to withstand a fire for at least a specific amount of time. Fire doors usually come as rated with a specific time (FD30 or FD60) which means they can withstand fire for at least 30 or 60 minutes respectively. Fire doors are often more heavy, sturdy and stronger than an average door because they need to ensure they can meet very specific requirements. As a consequence of this, any door can not be a fire door, and only those tested and passed can received certified fire door status.

Who needs a fire door?

Anyone can have a fire door fitted. For some, the existence of a fire door gives peace of mind that should a fire occur, the door will allow the fire to be contained in one area without it spreading. For others, the need for a fire door is a legal requirement, and this places added importance on the need to ensure that the fire door fitting process is undertaken to professional and highly expert standards. Residential fire door installation is just as important and common as those in business venues. For example, if you are renting out a house, or have multiple flats in a single dwelling, fire doors will be needed in specific places.  

Can anyone undertake fire door installation?

Whilst in theory anyone can fit a fire door, in practice the fitting of fire doors is a very specialised task and needs to be carried out by an expert. This is why it is recommended to always use someone who is a certified fire door installer, because their level of knowledge and practical experience meets the requirements of fire door installation services.  

What is involved in fire door installation?

Fire door installation requires a preliminary visit to check aspects of the door area such as the frame, and to also assess the requirements of where and why a fire door may be needed. When inspecting the door frame, it may need to be upgraded to accept the fire door.

If a new door is required, after collection of materials, the old door will be removed, allowing for work to begin on fitting the new fire door. The door is firstly fitted into the opening and any adjustments made to ensure it fits correctly (the top of the fire door can not be cut to reduce the size.) Manufacturers guidance should always be adhered to when fitting the door.  

The fire door width is an extremely important part of the fire door installation process. The fire door width needs to be suitable for the frame it is fitted into, so the gaps of 2-4mm can be maintained around the door when closed.

This is why there is very specific requirements on what fire door width and gaps should be.

If smoke seals needed to be fitted into the door, then these need to be routered out on the door. The hinges also need to be added to the door, and need to be fire certified. Intumescent pads are also used for fire adherence. Consideration of ‘door furniture’ also needs to be thought about (letter box / plates, spy / vision hole and locks / handles) to ensure that these pass fire ratings and are compliant on the door.

What is the cost to fit a fire door?

Many people worry that the fire door fitting cost can be high. The truth is, there is no simple answer, as it depends on what type of door you have, how complicated the work is in terms of preparation or making good after etc. Fire door fitting often involves more specialist steps and experience as already mentioned, and therefore the cost is likely to be more than fitting a normal door. However, there is still no need charge customers or businesses extortionate prices, and a balance can be achieved between good quality service at a fair and reasonable price.

Why choose Paul Phillips?

If you are looking for certified fire door installations, Paul Phillips has over 40 years experience in the carpentry and building trade. Having expertly fitted many fire in previous years, Paul now has an official qualification and is part of a registered body with UK Fire Door Training, making him officially a certified fire door installer. This assures that any work will be undertaken to the best possible standards, having regard for all the legislative and legal building regulations, along with health and safety requirements. UK Fire Door Training are responsible for providing training courses which access knowledge and competency in all aspects of fire door fitting. Their aim is to ensure that anyone registered with them provides work to the highest standards, which gives the customers the greatest peace of mind that they are receiving services from only someone who is expertly trained in being approved fire door installers.    

Use our contact form, and Paul will get back in touch with you. We look forward to helping you with all your fire door installation needs.