Quality of New Custom Door

last year

last modified: last year

We have a new (custom door) that was installed in late October 2022.

During the painting prep, we discovered a dozen or more "nicks and gouges" in the fiberglass door and sidelights. Checking the interior, there were 10 - 12 more!

We immediately contacted our retailer with pictures. They scheduled a visit from the regional rep, but he was more than a week out. The warranty required that the door be finished within 45 days, so in order to beat the rapidly dropping temps we went ahead with the exterior paint & primer.

The rep basically blew us off, telling us to get a tube of Bondo, and fill the patches. He also said "must have come from the factory like this", "nothing's perfect", "this is no big deal".

So, we contacted the factory (Masonite), who basically said, "we would never ship out anything in this condition".

We have a meeting set up with both reps for next week.

We want to be fair and realistic, but honestly what would cause this kind of damage?

I'm attaching a few pics of the type of damages.

!st pic is large chip out of the bottom edge of the main door.

2nd pic is top exterior corner of the main door.

3rd pic is a cut into the fiberglass sidelight frame (more than 10 like this).

Featured Answer

PRO

Charles Ross Homes

last year

Entry door systems such as the OP's are often assembled by local millwork distribution companies using components sourced from major manufacturers. So the OP's door could very well be one produced by Masonite, and assembled by Bayer Built. That would let Masonite off the hook since their product would have been either accepted or rejected by Bayer Built. Bayer also has a trucking company so this might be their company's problem whether it occurred during assembly or shipping.

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Comments (14)

PRO
JAN MOYER
last year
No advice. The door should have been returned upon RECEIVING the clearly damaged door. What was the timeline from receipt of the door, to install and "paint prep" . This is new build, remodel, what? There was a door in place? Not possible to wait?

I'd have driven it to the "local retailer" if he was in fact.......local.

What to do now? No idea.....you paid, I am certain. Timeline first, please.
Mary Elizabeth thanked JAN MOYER
PRO
Charles Ross Homes
last year
Hi, Mary Elizabeth,

If the door was defective upon delivery--whether due to factory defects or shipping damage--it should not have been installed. The fact that it has tees up a finger-pointing standoff between the retailer and the shipper. I'm assuming that you paid a contractor to install the door. What do they have to say?
Mary Elizabeth thanked Charles Ross Homes
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Patricia Colwell Consulting
last year
Masonite is the maker. I do agree that door should have been returned and for sure you should not have painted it. Now what you have is who did what to the door and as sad as it is you probably are not getting your moaney back or a free replacement. I have no idea what might have caused the damage but now it is a case of maybe good faith from the maker since it should never have been installed
Mary Elizabeth thanked Patricia Colwell Consulting
Mary Elizabeth
Original Author
last year
The retailer is a local lumberyard (15 minutes from us). The brand is Bayer Built (door/millwork company in Minnesota). The door and sidelight slabs are Masonite products. (Masonite is not the door mfr. in this case.)

We have another door (w/o sidelights) in the exact same style, installed a year ago that had NONE of these issues. Because of that, we were not expecting any problems, let alone to this degree.

Also, these areas were "protected" for shipping with glass film, etc., which was purposely not uncovered until after installation.

The Bayer Built rep and the lumberyard manager were both here to inspect the damage.

Which, IMO, is why he threw shade on Masonite.

This is a remodel. Old door was demolished in order to remove the frame from the brick opening. You can't just stop and leave a 5' x 7' hole in your house, especially when nighttime temps are near freezing.

We took all the pictures and emailed them before any finishing was done. The "45 days" to finish in order to maintain the warranty created a Catch 22.

Payment was required upfront - due to the custom size. We used a credit card, but not sure if that would provide any recourse at this point.
PRO
JAN MOYER
last year
I understand the demo steel frame issue. But EVERY thing you buy needs inspection on receipt. Preferable before the demo that leaves you with a gaping hole- needing a ply wood insufficient cover!!

The shipper has little control once it leaves his domain. After that? Its limited untrained help, it's no help, it's new drivers, it's a lot of things. It's a brand new and harder harsher remodel world, post Pandemic.
chispa
last year
last modified: last year
We had a much bigger 10' x 10' hole in our house while we waited for the custom door and sidelites to be delivered. Yes, the temperatures were mild, but the opening was boarded up with plywood. In a cold climate you could have taped up some rigid insulation panels to the plywood and been just fine for a few weeks while waiting for a replacement.

Quality control these days does not compare to that of products bought before covid. Manufacturers have a shortage of materials and, even worse, a shortage of skilled workers.

Do not accept delivery of, or install, a product that arrives damaged.
Mary Elizabeth thanked chispa
Mary Elizabeth
Original Author
last year
@chispa, probably not in this case. Original order was supposed to be about 6-8 weeks, but it took 4 months. So, four more months would have been 1st of November to end of February (minimum). Current temps for the past 2 weeks have been sub -zero even during the day, with winds of up to 40 mph/plus gusts.

Besides the exterior priming and painting, the rest of the door remains unfinished. No trim on the exterior, no finishing or new trim on the interior.

It has been sealed with Door & Window expanding foam, but that can be easily cut away to remove and replace the entire unit.
PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
last year
You said that masonite did the door and you phoned them so now that was not the case . IMO you owe masonite an apology if they did not make the door .
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Steveworks LLC
last year
I agree with most of the above. I'd order an exterior door slab and have a carpenter set up the door for the hinge layout. Or you can get a temporary door, try a home materials recycling shop, hang that door and then take the old door and refurbish it.
Mary Elizabeth
Original Author
last year
@Patricia Colwell Consulting, if I did not explain it well enough, Bayer Built is the "door manufacturer". The door and sidelight panels are supplied by Masonite.

The Bayer Built rep was already here twice. HE is the one who said "it must have come from the factory like this", implying that Masonite is shipping sub par components.

That was when I forwarded the pictures to Masonite for their input. The Masonite rep will be here next week.

@Charles Ross Homes, yes, exactly!
Mary Elizabeth
Original Author
last year
last modified: last year
@Steveworks LLC, Unfortunately, that does not repair all the damage to the sidelights. Also, NOT going to accept a "refurbished" door as a remedy to this issue. Besides, who does the work and who pays for that?
millworkman
last year
" The Bayer Built rep was already here twice. HE is the one who said "it must have come from the factory like this", implying that Masonite is shipping sub par components. "

Then Bayer Built should have refused the door, they hung and shipped a damaged door. It should be on them. But the door should have been inspected by Bayer Built before being installed or at least a conversation acknowledging a damaged door was received by you.
Mary Elizabeth thanked millworkman
Mary Elizabeth
Original Author
last year
last modified: last year
@millworkman, in your experience and opinion, is it possible to remove and replace the sidelights WITHOUT removing the entire door unit? These are Vista Grande* so IF the sidelight glass got broken, how would they repair it? (*full fiberglass frame with direct set glass)

Quality of New Custom Door

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