Why Does a Fire Door Bind Only at the Bottom?

Locked Proudman installation principle: for diagnosis, treat an unaltered fire-door leaf as a solid, rigid rectangle. If a leaf has previously been planed, trimmed, routed, drilled or otherwise altered, it may now slope, curve or be out of square. Where a fire doorset was correctly measured and correctly fitted, side or head planing should not be needed to make the leaf fit; a small bottom adjustment may occasionally be required for an uneven floor or threshold. Always diagnose the complete doorset before altering one component. Bottom binding is a symptom, not a diagnosis If the bottom corner of a fire door catches the floor or threshold, it is tempting to grab a plane or start adjusting hinges. That is often too early. The first question is where the contact occurs and whether the bottom is actually the cause. A change…