Most disputes on a door order trace back to a phrase nobody defined at the start. Below is how we read the terms we use in quotes, site notes and delivery paperwork, so a written quote and a finished opening mean the same thing to both sides.
A leaf is the slab alone. A set includes the frame profile, architrave and hinge pack. If your quote says "813mm door" without the word set, check whether a frame is included before you order, because the two lines price and ship differently.
Standard refers to 813mm and 914mm widths with a 2032mm height. Anything outside that is custom, including a 100mm increase on a wide passage. Custom sizes carry a longer lead time and cannot be returned once cut.
The rough opening is the brickwork gap before frames and plaster go in. The finished opening is what remains after tiling, screeding and painting. We size frames to the finished opening, so tell us your floor build-up early, not after the tiles are laid.
Supply only means the unit arrives on site and your team hangs it. Supply with installation covers setting, shimming, fixing and hardware fitment. Sealing, painting and tiling are separate trades in both cases, and we note that on the schedule.
Lead times run from confirmed sizes and deposit, not from the first enquiry. If the opening is not ready when the unit lands, storage and a second trip are charged. We would rather push a date than hang a door into wet plaster.
Solid meranti and oak veneer move with humidity. Sealing all six faces is a condition of the warranty, not an optional extra. Aluminium units do not swell, but powder-coat touch-ups on site are your responsibility once the frame is fixed.
If a term in your quote is unclear, ask before signing. A short email to info@thedoorconection.com or a call to +27334159391 usually settles it faster than a site argument later.
Every job follows the same sequence, whether it is one interior leaf for a Parkhurst cottage or forty pivot units for a townhouse block in Centurion. The dates below are typical, not fixed. Weather, powder-coating runs and tiling schedules all push things around.
Week 1
We measure the rough opening, not the existing leaf. Brickwork is often out of square by 10mm or more, so the frame allowance matters more than the door width. You send a schedule listing each opening, its swing direction and whether it is interior or exterior. This is also when we flag 813mm versus 914mm sizing and any custom widths.
Week 2
Meranti, oak veneer or aluminium. Coastal and high-rainfall sites usually go aluminium for exterior doors; interior work stays timber. We confirm frame profiles against the wall thickness, then match hinges, locksets and handles so the backset fits the door stile. A 60mm backset will not sit in a narrow stile, and that gets caught here rather than on site.
Week 3 to 4
Timber leaves are sealed on all six faces before they leave the workshop. Skip that and a bathroom door will cup within a season. Aluminium frames go through powder coating to the chosen RAL colour, which adds a few days to the run. Pivot hardware is set out at this stage because the rough opening has to be prepared before the floor finish goes down.
Week 5
Doors arrive crated and labelled per opening. Installation is sequenced around tiling and painting: frames first, then floors, then architraves and hardware last so nothing gets scratched. Lead times run longer for bulk trade orders on townhouse developments, and we confirm dates in writing before dispatch.
After handover
Timber needs re-sealing roughly every two years on exterior faces, sooner if the door takes direct afternoon sun. Aluminium needs a wipe-down and a check on the weather seals. We keep the schedule on file, so a replacement hinge or a matching handle in the same finish is a phone call rather than a re-measure.
Before anything gets quoted, we check opening sizes, wall thicknesses and which doors face weather. On the Approach page you can see how a project moves from first measurement to final hang, including where tiling and painting need to slot in so frames are not damaged after fitting.
If you are still deciding between meranti, oak veneer and aluminium, the catalogue notes on solutions cover the trade-offs before you commit to a finish.
Next step
Book a showroom visit in Johannesburg, or email your schedule and opening list for a written quote. Trade clients with townhouse runs can ask for bulk pricing at the same time.
Request a written quotePrefer to read the full sequence first? Start at home and follow the stages from there.
Door schedules, site measurements and hardware substitutions rarely arrive at a convenient hour. Here is what happens after you send something through, and how long each channel usually takes to answer.
Best for full schedules, frame profiles and PDF drawings. Attach opening sizes, leaf thickness and finish notes so we can check backset and stile width before quoting.
Reply within one working day
info@thedoorconection.comUse this when a rough opening has already been bricked and something does not line up. Have the measured width, height and wall thickness on hand before you call.
Mon to Fri, 8:00 to 16:30
+27 33 415 9391Come in to compare meranti against oak veneer and aluminium in person, and to feel handle finishes. Collections are arranged ahead so the correct leaf is pulled and checked.
195 Alex Valley Suite 384
West Lisa, NW 9325
Most questions about lead times, sealing and installation sequencing are already answered in our approach notes.