Wood Doors, Custom Furniture

2. Separate the replacement of your home from your personal property loss. Keep all claims and settlements separate. This allows you to get the maximum and correct payment for your loss.  

3. Most insurance polices are for replacement value. This means you have the right to choose your builder even if the bid is the highest one. You do not have to settle for your adjusters recommended contractors. See your attorney for details. 

4. Many homes that burned were built eight to ten years ago or more, prior to the huge influx of foreign made building, decorating materials and furnishings. For example Home Depot, Lowes, etc., primarily only offer foreign made (mostly in china) interior and exterior lighting, doors, windows and other building items. These items might look the same but the value is not the same that was installed on or in your home back when it was real steel instead pot metals or solid wood doors instead of paste boards and veneers. If you settle for less quality you loose in the long run. You have the right to request these materials be the same.

5. Furnishings that were in your home, purchased prior to seven or eight years ago, were probably from a name brand American manufacturer made in America. The further back your furnishings were purchased the better the quality and your investment. If you allow replacement by these same name brands you may not get the quality you once had. Most furniture made by these same manufacturers is now made in china or some country with a less expensive work force. The work force is only part of the problem. In the name of making a larger profit these same manufacturers allowed the use of fake or faux materials such as composition boards, paste boards, and veneers or films that look like the real thing. Furnishings that are made this way will never become antiquities or increase in value. This kind of merchandise and materials is 98% of what is being offered in the market place today. Usually marked up four to five hundred percent for profit. If you settle for this merchandise to replace your investment quality, U.S. made furnishing of a higher value you loose. Many these manufacturers once stood for quality and your furnishings would have become priceless family heirlooms. This foreign made merchandise made with inferior quality materials will only be yard sale fodder in the end. 

6. Keep in mind it is your insurance companies responsibility to put you back whole. This means replaced as it was and at its true value. True value also means if your items were the real thing and, would have become an antique, the replacement items should be the same otherwise you have lost your future investment value or family heirloom. Also don’t fall for the adjusters line on depreciation, good quality furnishings can increase in value every year. 

7. Doors, windows and other building items are also now being farmed out to foreign manufacturers. Many under big corporate brand names we all recognize, names that once stood for American made quality. Copies of the real thing in faux materials will never stand up to the test of time. This is a major area of concern and you could come up short with out realizing it. Keep in mind a lot of chemical processes are used to manufacture furnishing, doors and other building materials to create composition boards, engineered boards, paste boards and veneers that comprise most of these kinds of manufactured goods. Also the jury is not in on how safe these materials made in china really are environmentally or to our health considering the lead paint in toys and furnishings recently discovered. If your home was not originally built with this low quality of merchandise you do not have to settle for it as replacement. See your attorney for details.

8. If you are handling your own claims there are some professionals with impeccable reputations that can be of great help free of charge. If your are replacing vehicles or equipment go to your original dealer and obtain a replacement value statement. Most dealers will be happy to provide this in hopes of getting your business. When it comes to house replacement or other buildings start with a reputable and well known architect. If the original is available this would be first choice if you plan to rebuild the same as before. Also, most builders maintain copies of blueprints which will be helpful in establishing your homes true value and replacement cost to rebuild in todays market. Many architects can also point you the best tried and tested builders and tradesmen. Also, they will be able to provide your insurance company with accurate bids allowing for true replacement value. 

When it comes to jewelry and other personal effects always go to the experts. When possible return to the original stores of purchase and make a list to obtain the true replacement value of your items. See your attorney for details.

The hardest thing to find is an American furniture, door, and lighting manufacturer that still makes the real thing. Here we provide a link to one of the oldest and largest manufacturers of truly handmade investment quality furniture, doors, lighting and hardware still made in the USA. This manufacturer will provide free replacement value statements that most insurance companies will accept and can not dispute. They are located in Scottsdale Arizona and will work directly with your insurance adjuster, builder, designer, or yourself to provide your replacement furnishing timed with your reconstruction. Do a Google Blog Search on this info! Or visit here for the latest!

This devastating time in your life is very emotional, however, keep in mind your insurance company realizes this. Not to sound like all insurance companies are out to take advantage of your situation, it is simply the nature of their business. Insurance companies are there to collect premiums and to keep losses to a minimum. The very nature of this system is never in your best interest. Like with your health care you must be pro-active in this process. No one will take care of you like you will. This call will save you thousands of dollars 

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Installing door casing: casing, as the trim around doors (and windows) is called, has a strong impact on the overall style, appearance, and proportion of an opening as well as the overall style of your home’s interior. On the practical side, it conceals the gap between the door frame (called a jamb) and the rough opening and helps to hold the frame in the opening. Casing can be relatively plain, such as the popular clamshell design or square-edge design, or detailed, such as colonial-style molding. By far the most popular casing joint design is the mitered picture-frame casing. Our structural casing/jamb will fit any wall 4″ thick or better and does not require double two by fours or a header thus allowing for a taller and wider entry door.

1. Remove existing casing: if you are re-trimming an existing interior or exterior door, pry off the existing casing carefully so you won’t damage the wall or the doorjamb.

Tip: If a film of paint or bead of caulk bridges the joint between the casing and the wall, cut the seal with the point of a utility knife before attempting to pry the trim. This makes prying easier and eliminates the chance that you will pull off some of the wall finish or surface paper when you pry the casing.

2. Mark the reveals: the inside edge of the casing is typically placed back from the inside edge of the jamb by about 3/16 inch. To mark this reveal, set the blade position in a combination square so it protrudes 3/16 inch and mark jambs at the top corners, the midpoint of the head jamb, and several points along the side jamb. To make the mark, position the body of the square against the face of the jamb with the blade extending over the edge and mark at the end of the blade.

3. Cut all miters: measure the distance between your marks on the side jambs at the upper corners (frame opening plus 2 times the reveal) and miter-cut your head casing at 45 degrees on both ends so the short dimension equals your measurement. Cut miters on one end of each piece of side casing. Remember that one will be left-handed and one right handed.

4. Prime or stain: before you install the casing: if you intend to paint, apply a primer, or if you plan a natural finish, apply a stain and first topcoat. Cover the sides and both faces to seal the wood and prevent warping. Pre-finishing is also easier than painting in place, especially if you don’t intend to paint the walls when the installation is complete. If you stain before assembly, you also avoid the problem of stain not taking over any glue spots at the joints. Or order your pre-hung door completely pre finished.

5. Tack head casing: lightly tack the head casing into the jamb so it just covers your pencil marks. If the casing is being installed on the exterior you must use weather-resistant fasteners, such as hot-dipped galvanized nails.

6. Cut and test-fit side casings: stand the left side casing upside down next to the left jamb with its long side against the point of the head casing, and mark its desired length directly. Alternatively, measure from the floor to the top left-hand edge of the head casing and transfer that measurement to the casing. Square-cut at your mark and test the fit.

7. Make adjustments: If the miter does not meet without a gap, which can happen if the jamb is not square or if it sits slightly below or above the plane of the wall, the casing miter may need re-cutting.

8. Secure casing: apply glue to the end of the side casing and position it so it fits tightly with the head casing. (and not too worry about lining it up with the reveal marks on the rest of the jamb yet.) Secure it to the jamb. Position the nail about 1 inch from the end and near the outside edge of the casing. Then secure the inside edge of the casing to the jamb. Once the miter is tight, continue nailing the rest of the casing. Work your way from the top down, nailing at five equally spaced positions. Repeat for the opposite side and then complete nailing the head casing at the two ends and midpoint.

9. Cross-nail miters: to prevent miters from opening, drive a 4d finishing nail through the edge of the head and side casings about 3/4 inch from the outside corner. This will lock them together.

10. Finishing touches: wipe off any excess glue immediately with a damp cloth, drive all nail heads slightly below the surface with a nail set and hammer, and hand-sand as needed to make casings flush with each other and to eliminate any splinters. If you plan to paint, fill nail holes with wood putty or acrylic caulk first; if you will stain, fill them with colored wax putty sticks after you complete finishing.

When Installing a Scottsdale Art Factory Pre hung Interior Door or Exterior Entry Door you may skip steps 2 through 10. When you order a Scottsdale Art Factory door, every item ordered comes installed by our factory master craftsman. If you order locks, hinges door pulls or any other hardware it will already be installed on your new door. Also your door will come completely custom finished to your specifications. The finish will be hand rubbed to heirloom furniture standards.