Skip to main content
Door care & maintenance
Home > Support Articles > Door care & maintenance

Door care & maintenance

General care & maintenance advice on how to care for doors and drawerfronts.
Door care & maintenance

With appropriate care and maintenance, our doors and accessories are designed to provide years of reliable service.
To keep it in the best possible condition, please follow the simple guidelines below.  Please note your guarantee may be adversely affected if used for non-general domestic environments. Please see the Terms & Conditions outlined in our Pricelist for details of the guarantee.

Ensure that all new-builds or newly plastered rooms have been left to environmentally stabilise prior to the installation of new doors. Doors must not be installed in a damp, or moisture-rich environment as it will cause undesirable movement in the joints and panels of the door. A hygrometer should be used to assess conditions.

 

To help minimise any potential damage to the kitchen whilst you are installing it, please read and adhere to the following instructions and recommendations:

 

  • We would advise that you make an initial check to confirm that you have the correct quantity and size of fascias; you can do this by referring to the labels attached to the outer packaging.
  • Ensure that you fully inspect each individual fascia prior to attaching the hinges. Claims for damage to the fascia will not be accepted after the hinges have been attached.
  • Do not stack the doors on their ends on any hard surface; this can cause chipping and scratching along the edge of the fascia, especially on the handle edge of ranges with an integral handle. Prior to fitting, the fascias should be stored flat, ensuring that they are not resting on any dirt or debris that may damage or mark the finish.
  • Take extreme care when stacking the fascias with hinges attached to ensure that the hinges do not mark other fascias. Do not lean the fascias against one another, or against any surface without proper protection in-between.
  • You should take extreme care not to put the door down with excessive force on any edge, especially the handle edge, as this will cause crushing/impact damage on these edges.
  • If the fascias are attached to the carcase, then you should carefully remove the fascias by unclipping the hinges and storing these flat in a clean safe environment away from your working area, utilising the packing materials from the units.
  • Take extreme care when unpacking the fascias and do not use sharp blades to cut away the packaging.
  • Where cutting/scribing décor panels and trim, you must use a sharp quality saw blade of the appropriate grade for fine-cutting, or a suitable router. Small chips can appear along the cut-edge, and so extra care must be taken to minimise the risk of chipping. Using a blunt or inappropriate saw blade will produce a poor finish, and this will not be covered by the guarantee.
  • All cut edges should be sealed against moisture ingress using a suitable water-resistant sealant/adhesive prior to installation.
  • When attaching the hinges, place the fascia face down on a soft, clean surface, ensuring that there is no grit, sawdust or other matter underneath that can damage the surface of the fascia whilst the hinges are attached. It is good practice to place a sheet of clean cardboard between the fascia and the flat surface prior to attaching the hinges.
  • If the hinges are ‘knock-in’ type. Use a rubber mallet to knock the hinges into the fascia without using excessive force.
  • Once the hinges have been attached to a door, hang the door on the unit straight away to avoid damage. Do not stack the doors with the hinges touching other doors, as this can cause scratches or marks to the other fascias.
  • On Painted Products – Any fine chips along the cut edge should be smoothed with a fine grade sandpaper prior to fitting.
  • All trims are supplied in long lengths and need to be cut down on site, using the appropriate tools.
  • When fitting the plinth, ensure that you check the dimensions of any adjacent appliances. On occasion, the plinth may need to be pulled forward to ensure that it clears the front of the appliance. This can be achieved by fitting blocks using off-cuts to the rear of the plinth prior to attaching the plinth clips, to step the plinth forward from its normal position.

As with all furniture, the most common problems found occur due to excessive or prolonged exposure to heat and / or moisture.

 

  • Door and drawer frontals are designed for domestic use, we recommend that each area / cabinet in the kitchen/bedroom/living space is maintained within domestic temperature and humidity levels. We recommend a temperature range of 16°C – 24°C and a relative humidity range of 40% to 60%.
  • Spills and condensation on fascia should be cleaned and dried immediately.  Particularly attention must be paid to any sink areas and wet appliances as damages caused as a result is not covered by warranty.
  • Dishwasher doors should not be opened mid cycle or immediately at the end of a cycle. Damage caused by the excess steam will not be covered by warranty.
  • Appliances that create steam (e.g., steamer, coffee maker, kettle, steam mop, etc) should not be placed underneath cabinets or near units where condensation may form.
  • Care must be taken when washing floors and worksurfaces to prevent liquid accumulating on or adjacent to plinth and panels.
  • These areas should be dried thoroughly after cleaning.
  • Appliances that generate excessive heat such as toasters, airfryers, microwave ovens, etc, should be correctly ventilated and not placed under or near kitchen units.

The colour of doors and drawer fronts may appear mismatched in colour. This apparent mismatch is sometimes the effect of differing light conditions within your kitchen or bedroom, (known as metamerism). To check your doors and fascia you should place them side by side in natural daylight for comparison.

 

Please note that after a period of time, it is normal for the colouring of units to mellow in colour. In particular, timber & light lacquered surfaces change colour have a certain  tendency to “yellow with age.” This is not a manufacturing fault and is due to exposure to light. The product material, finish and the intensity of exposure will affect the rate of change.

 

Due to this, we advise that colour change is taken into consideration when replacing or fitting new doors sometime after the original kitchen or bedroom has been installed, as replacements may not be an exact colour match. This also should be taken into consideration when choosing colours from samples and swatches and it is therefore recommended that samples/swatches are changed regularly.

  • Periodically clean the interior and exterior surfaces of the door using a soft, damp cloth. Wipe dry all surfaces after cleaning.
  • Do not use wax-furniture polish, abrasive or aggressive cleaners, bleach, or other hypochlorite (chlorine) based cleaners, multipurpose cleaners, dilutes, acetone, alcohol, solvent, or similar products on the door, as this will damage the surface; additionally wax and polishes leave a residue build up that is difficult to remove. Only use a 5% soap, 95% water (liquid soap) solution, wiping with a damp (not wet) cloth, finally drying with a soft, clean cloth only.
  • Do not expose the doors or panels to temperature in excess of 60°C (140°F) (approximately the temperature of washing up water).
  • Dust with a soft cloth only.
  • Never use any abrasive pads or abrasive cleaners of the furniture.
  • If using glass cleaner to clean your glass doors be careful not to damage the finish of the door and cabinet parts while cleaning. Do not spray glass cleaner directly on to the glass or cabinet parts as this may discolour the finish of your kitchen cabinets. Instead, spray a small amount of cleaner on to a lint free cloth or paper towel then wipe the glass.
  • Ensure all cooking splashes, spills and condensation on the fascias/panels are wiped immediately with a damp cloth; and dried immediately.
  • If the surface of the product is exposed to any oil-based substance (for example olive oil, butter, margarine or cooking oil), the spillage must be wiped away immediately to prevent staining.

Foil/Lacquer coated products are manufactured from the highest quality materials. Your gloss doors will come with a protective film over the front. You should remove this only after they are installed as the curing process continues for around 72 hours after the film is removed. This means the doors will be liable to scratching and other marks. You should avoid cleaning the doors for at least a few days to prevent any marks appearing on the surface.

 

Moisture: Please be careful not to puncture the foil/melamine lacquered surface of your panels. These should be kept dry to prevent moisture ingress.

 

Light: If the doors are supplied with a protective film on the face they must not be directly exposed to sunlight. Once installation is complete, carefully remove the protective film from the front of the fascia.

 

There are a number of products available which are designed for cleaning high gloss doors, but plain water can be used for regular cleans. Always use a lint free soft cloth and use a circular motion to achieve a high buff. Micro-fibre cloths are perfect for achieving a high shine with little effort. High gloss doors may show fingerprints, which can be easily cleaned with a soft cloth.

Dawson - Indigo | Modern Kitchen | Uform

Apply for a trade account

Take the first step in standing out from the crowd and add real value to your business today:

  • Dedicated account manager
  • Same day order processing
  • Area sales manager support
  • Award winning supplier
  • Ex-Stock offerings
  • World class supply chain
Aldana - Heritage Green | Classic Kitchen | Uform

Find your nearest retailer

If you’re a homeowner wanting to refresh your kitchen, bedroom or any other area within the home, our independent retailers are ready to advise you.

Support for your needs | Uform

Need support?

Search our knowledge base and find all the help and support you need.