Protect fire doors before they are fitted

The fire doors have arrived, but the room meant for storage is still being plastered. The programme says installation starts next week. Where do the doors go in the meantime?

That decision deserves attention before the delivery vehicle reaches site. For timber fire doors, the period between delivery and fitting can expose the product to moisture, knocks and damage to its finish. A delivery date is only useful when there is a suitable place to receive and protect the materials.

This is practical advice for UK construction and refurbishment projects, not a new legal requirement. The exact storage and handling arrangements must suit the supplied product.

Make the storage area part of the programme

Vicaima's UK Aftercare and Maintenance guide, dated April 2026, warns about moisture and says its doors should not be stored or fitted in the building until wet trades have finished and dried out. Wet trades include activities such as plastering that introduce moisture into the building. This is the manufacturer's guidance for its products, not a universal timetable for every doorset. Vicaima guidance.

For a site manager and installer, the useful question is whether the planned storage area will actually be ready. If the programme changes, reconsider the delivery arrangement with the supplier. Bringing materials forward simply to keep the original date can leave the team solving a storage problem in a corridor.

Consider a school refurbishment where doors are due on Monday but plastering has slipped into the same week. Before dispatch, agree whether delivery can be phased or a suitable separate storage area provided. This is an illustrative planning example; the supplier must confirm an acceptable arrangement for the product.

Protect the product while other trades continue

Ahmarra's storage guidance describes dry internal storage, ventilation and protection from conditions that can affect timber doors. It also warns that adhesive tape can damage door faces. Its detailed storage instructions belong to its own products. Ahmarra storage guidance.

Avoid turning another manufacturer's stacking diagram into a rule for every delivery. Agree the support, packaging and handling method for the doors actually supplied. Plan access so that other trades do not have to move the doors repeatedly to reach their work.

Decide what happens when something arrives damaged

Agree who receives the delivery and who can raise a problem with the supplier. If a door or its packaging appears damaged, identify the affected item and seek advice before fitting it. Do not assume a mark is harmless or attempt a repair simply to avoid delaying the job. This article does not provide a damage-acceptance or repair procedure.

For specifiers, discuss delivery sequencing and protection responsibilities with the contractor and supplier early enough to influence the programme. For installers, check that the agreed receiving and storage arrangements exist before the doors arrive.

The next step is straightforward: review the next delivery date alongside the condition of its intended storage area. Resolve any mismatch before dispatch. These are practical planning suggestions relevant across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland; they do not replace product instructions or the project's requirements.

Sources checked: 16 September 2026. Source links appear alongside the relevant statements.