Fire door inspection in Marlow
Timber doors move with the seasons, so a door that passed in July can fail in January.
Get a priceA timber door is never quite finished.
It takes in moisture when the air is damp and gives it back when it is dry. The leaf swells a little in winter and shrinks in summer. A door that closed neatly in July can start to catch on the frame by January, and in a dry summer it can open up a gap nobody had before.
That is the thing to know about doors in Marlow, or anywhere else with older timber frames. One measurement on one day does not tell you very much.
What we measure
The gap round the edge of a fire door matters. Too wide and the intumescent strip cannot swell far enough to fill it. Too tight and the door binds and will not latch.
We use a stepped gauge on the top, both sides and the bottom. We write the numbers down. If a door is out, the report says by how much and where.
If you manage the building for the long term, ask us to come back at a different time of year. Two sets of numbers on the same door show you the movement.
Doors that have been eased
Sticking is the common complaint. Someone takes a plane to the edge of the leaf to stop it catching.
That solves the sticking and starts a different problem. Take off enough and the gap is wider than it should be. Take the edge off where the seal sits and the seal goes with it.
We find this on most older buildings. It is easy to spot once you look along the edge.
Kitchens and bathrooms
Wet rooms make timber move more. A kitchen door in a flat, with a kettle and a cooker beside it, takes steam all day.
If the building has doors off a kitchen or open-plan living area, we look at those closely. The edge near the bottom is where we often find swelling.
Who covers fire safety in Marlow
Marlow is in Buckinghamshire. Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service enforces fire safety, and Buckinghamshire Council deals with housing standards in rented homes.
Across the bridge you are in Berkshire. The checks on the door are identical either way.
Rules for flats
The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 apply to residential buildings over 11 metres with two or more homes. That means quarterly checks of communal fire doors and yearly checks of flat entrance doors.
Most flats in a town like Marlow are lower than that. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 still asks the responsible person to keep fire doors working.
Getting to you
We drive from Luton, round the M25 and onto the M40 towards High Wycombe, so Marlow is a short run on from there. We like to pair it with a job in High Wycombe on the same day.
For a small building, a postcode and a few photos of the doors get you a price. Tell us how many doors there are and what the building is used for.
Questions we get asked
Should doors be checked in winter or summer?
Either. The best time is when you can arrange it. If a door is borderline, a second check in the other season tells you whether it is moving.
Can a swollen door be eased with a plane?
Planing is how many doors lose their fire rating. Talk to a certified carpenter before touching one.
Send the postcode and a rough door count. We will come back with a price today.
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