Advanced second fixing

chapter 8
OVERVIEW
Second fixing covers all the carpentry work done after the plastering. This work
has to be more precise than first fixing work as it is usually visible. Second fixing
work involves:

• mouldings (skirting, architrave, etc.)

• door hanging
• ironmongery (screws, nails locks, etc.)
• encasing services (pipe boxes, bath panels, etc.)
• wall and floor units (kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms, etc.).
All of the above are covered in Carpentry and Joinery NVQ and
Technical Certificate Level 2, so the aim here is to expand your
knowledge of some areas and to look at more complex aspects of
the work.

The topics we will be looking at are:

• external doors (including ironmongery)

• hanging an external door
• double doors (including ironmongery)
• sliding doors
• dado, picture rail and cornice
• wall panelling.

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External doors
This section aims to provide the knowledge and understanding needed to select, hang and fix
the required ironmongery to an external door.

Types of external door

External doors are always solid or framed – a flush or hollow door will not provide the required
strength or security.

In some cases external doors are made from UPVC. UPVC doors require little maintenance and
the locking system normally locks the door at three or four different locations, making it more
secure. High quality external doors are usually made from hard-wearing hardwoods such as
mahogany or oak, but can be made from softwoods such as pine.

External doors come in the same dimensions asRemember

internal doors except external doors are
String tied around a finger.
Did you .
thicker (44 mm rather than 40 mm). On older properties external doors often have to be
know? specially made as they tend not to be of standard size.

A framed, ledged and

There are four main types of external door:
braced door comes with • framed, ledged and braced
the bracing unattached.
The bracing can then be • panelled doors
attached to suit the side on
• half/full glazed doors
which the door is hung.
• stable doors.

Framed, ledged and braced doors

Framed, ledged and braced (FLB) doors
consist of an outer frame clad on one side with
tongued and grooved boarding, with a bracing
on the back to support the door’s weight.

FLB doors are usually used for gates and

garages, and sometimes for back doors. When
hanging an FLB door it is vital that the bracing
is fitted in the correct way; if not, the door will
start to sag and will not operate properly.

Front elevation
Front elevation Back elevation
Back elevation

Figure 8.1 Front and back of a framed, ledged and braced door

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Hinges Hinges

Correct way Incorrect way

Figure 8.2 Bracing fitted correctly and incorrectly

Panelled doors
Panelled doors consist of a frame made up from stiles, rails, muntins and panels. Some panel
doors are solid, but most front and back doors have a glazed section at the top to allow natural
light into the room.

Half/full glazed doors

Half-glazed doors are panelled doors
with the top half of the door glazed.
These doors usually have diminished
rails to give a larger glass area.

Full glazed doors come either fully

Heinemann
glazed or with glazed top and bottom NVQ Carpentry
9pt Zurich BT
panels, separated by a middle rail. fig150

Full glazed doors are used mainly for

French doors or back doors where
there is no need for a letterbox.

Half glazed Full glazed

Figure 8.3 Half-glazed door and two types of full glazed door

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Stable doors
As their name implies, stable doors are modelled on the doors for horses’ stables and they are
now most commonly used in country or farm properties. A stable door consists of two doors
hung on the same frame, with the top part opening independently of the bottom. The make-
up of a stable door is similar to the framed, ledged and braced door, but the middle rail will be
split and rebated as shown in Figure 8.4.

To hang a stable door, first secure the two leaves together with temporary fixings, then hang
just like any other door, remembering that four hinges are used instead of three.

Split middle rail (rebated

meeting rails opening inwards)

Activity
In an area designated
by your trainer, hang an
external stable door.

Figure 8.4 Stable door with section showing the

rebate on the middle rails

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NVQ Carpentry
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 Chapter 8 Advanced second fixing

Hanging an external door

External doors usually open inwards, into the building. Where a building opens directly onto a
street, this prevents the door knocking into unsuspecting passers-by, but, even where there is
a front garden, having a door that opens outwards is not good practice as callers will need to
move out of the way to allow the door to be opened. Externally opening front doors are usually
only used where there is limited space, or where there is another door nearby which affects the
front door’s usage.

Hanging an exterior door is largely the same as hanging an interior

Angled Bevelled
door (see Carpentry and Joinery NVQ and Technical Certificate Level 2 weatherboard weatherboard

2nd edition page 292–295) except that the weight of the door requires
three hinges sited into a frame rather than a lining. Because of this,
there is usually a threshold or sill at the bottom of the doorframe.
Water bar Water bar
If a water bar is fitted into the threshold to prevent water entering the
dwelling, you will need to rebate the bottom of the door to allow it to
open over the water bar. The way the door is then hung will depend on External Internal
which side of the door is rebated. A weatherboard must also be fitted to
Figure 8.5 Internally and externally opening doors
the bottom of an external door, to stop driving rain entering the premises.

As an exterior door is exposed to the elements it is important that the opening is draught
proofed: a draught proofing strip can be fitted to the frame, or draught proofing can be fitted
to the side of the door. Activity
In an area designated by your
Ironmongery for an external door trainer, hang an external door.
An external door requires more ironmongery than an internal door, and may need:
• hinges
• letter plate
• mortise lock/latch
• mortise dead lock
• cylinder night latch
• spy hole
• security chains.

Hinges
External door hinges are usually butt hinges, though framed, ledged and braced doors often
use T hinges. Three 4" butt hinges are usually sufficient, though it is advisable to use security
hinges (hinges with a small steel rod fixed to one leaf, with a hole on the other leaf ) to prevent
the door being forced at the hinge side.

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Letter plate
The position of a letter plate depends on the type of door. Letter plates are usually fitted into
the middle rail, but could be fitted in the bottom rail (for full glazed doors) or even the stile
(with the letter plate fitted vertically).

Centre line

Mark outline and

Activity Possible
position the hole

letter box
In an area designated positions

by your trainer, fit a

letter plate.

Drill holes for fixing

Remember bolts and at corners
String tied around a finger.of hole use jigsaw
Did you .
to cut out waste
know?
A letter plate can be fitted either by drilling a
A lot of draughts can occur
in the letter plate area, series of holes and cutting out the shape with a
so it is good practice to jigsaw, or by using a router with a guide.
Figure 8.6 Different
have a draught-proofing
options for fitting a Once the opening has been formed, the letter
strip fitted.
letter plate plate can be screwed into place.

Mortise lock/latch Client:

Job N
Mortise locks are locks housed into the stile and are fitted as follows:
Client: Harcourt aw_04
Job No: J6884
aw_043546471X_157

Step 1 Mark out the position for the lock

(usually 900 mm from the floor to the
centre of the spindle) and mark the width
and thickness of the lock on the stile.

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Step 2 Using the correct sized auger/flat bit, Step 3 Using a sharp chisel remove the
drill a series of holes to the correct depth. excess timber, leaving a neat opening.

Step 4 Mark around the faceplate and with Step 5 Mark where the spindle and
a sharp chisel, remove the timber so that keyhole are, then drill out to allow them
the faceplate sits flush with the stile. both to be fitted and operate properly.

Activity
In an area designated by your
trainer, fit a mortise lock.
Step 7 Mark the position of the striking
plate on the doorframe, then house it into
the frame.

Step 6 Fix the lock and handles in place. Step 8 Check that the lock operates freely.

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A mortise lock on its own does not usually provide sufficient

security for an exterior door, so most doors will also have one
of the following:
• mortise deadlock – fitted like a mortise lock except that it
has no latch or handles, so an escutcheon is used to cover
the keyhole opening. It is usually fitted three quarters of
the way up the door.
• cylinder night latch – preferred to a mortise deadlock,
as it does not weaken the door or frame as much. It is also
usually fitted three quarters of the way up the door. The
manufacturer will provide fitting instructions with the lock.

Spy hole
A spy hole is usually fitted to a door that is solid or has no
glass, and is used as a security measure so that the occupier
can see who is at the door without having to open the door.

To fit a spy hole, simply drill a hole of the correct size, unscrew
the two pieces, place the outer part in the hole, then re-screw
the inner part to the outer part.
Basic security ironmongery
Security chain
A security chain allows the door to be opened aRemember
little without allowing the person outside
String tied around a finger.
Did you into the dwelling. The chain slides into a receiver,
. then as the door opens the chain tightens,
know? stopping the door from opening too far.

Spy holes work by having

a small curved lens, which Double doors
creates a wider field of
vision than normal. This
Here two doors are fitted within one single larger frame/lining, with ‘meeting stiles’: two stiles
means that, even though
the hole is small, you can that meet in the middle, rebated so that one fits over the other.
see a full-height image of
Double doors are usually used where a number of people will be walking in the same direction,
the person standing outside
while double swing doors are used where people will be walking in different directions.
the door. The lens bends
the image so that it appears Double doors allow traffic to flow without a ‘bottleneck’ effect, and let large items such as
curved, like the reflection in trolleys pass from one room to another. Double doors are used in places such as large offices,
a Christmas bauble. or public buildings such as schools and hospitals.

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The method for hanging hanging double doors is the same as for any other door, though
extra care must be taken to ensure that the stiles meet evenly, and that there is a suitable gap
around the doors.

Meeting stiles
Activity
In an area designated by
your trainer, hang a set of
double doors.

Figure 8.7 Meeting stiles

Parliament hinge
Extra ironmongery is required on double doors as follows:
• parliament hinges – these project from the face of the door
and allow the door to open 180 degrees
• rebated mortise lock – similar to a standard mortise lock but
the lock and striking plate are rebated to allow for the rebates Client: Harcourt
Job No: J6884
in the meeting stiles aw_043546471X_159

Rebated mortise lock Push plates

• push/kick plates – fixed to the meeting stiles and the bottom rails to stop the doors
getting damaged

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• door pull handles – fixed to the meeting stiles on the opposite side from the push plates,
these allow the door to be opened
• barrel bolts – usually fixed to one of the doors at the top or the bottom to secure the door
when not in use.

Remember
String tied around a finger.
.

Pull handles Barrel bolt

Most double doors also have door closers to ensure that they will close on their own, to
Definition prevent the spread of fire or draughts throughout the building.

There are four main types of door closer: overhead, concealed, floor springs and helical spring
Helical – in a spiral shape
hinges. Floor springs and helical hinges will be looked at on page 214 when we deal with
Helical hinge – a hinge
double swing doors, so for the moment we will look at concealed and overhead door closers.
with three leaves, which
allows a door to be
opened through Concealed door closers
180 degrees
Concealed door closers work through a spring and chain mechanism housed into a tube.

To fit a concealed door closer, you must house the tube into the edge of the hinge side of the
door, with the tension-retaining plate fitted into the frame.

Overhead door closers

As the name implies, overhead door closers are fitted to either the top of the door or the frame
above. They work through either a spring or a hydraulic system fitted inside a casing, with an
arm to pull the door closed.

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There are different strengths of overhead door closer to choose from depending on the size
and weight of the door. Table 6.1 below shows the strengths available.

Power no. Recommended door width Door weight

1 750 mm 20kg

2 850 mm 40kg

3 950 mm 60kg

4 1100 mm 80kg
Remember
5 1250 mm 100kg
When choosing an
6 1400 mm 120kg overhead door closer, you
must take into account any
7 1600 mm 160kg air pressure from the wind.
If the pressure is strong,
Table 6.1 Strengths of overhead door closures you may require a more
powerful closer.
There are a number of different ways to fit an overhead door closer depending on
where the door is situated. The two main ways are:
• fitting the main body of the closer to the door, with the arm attached to the frame
• inverting the closer so that the main body is fitted to the frame and the arm is fitted to
the door.

Activity
In an area designated by your
trainer, fit an overhead door
closer.

Closer
Figure 8.8attatched to door
Closer fitted to door Figure 8.9 Closer fitted to
frame
Door closers come with instructions and a template, to make fitting easier.

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Upper pivot
Double swing doors need to open both ways to accommodate traffic
fixed to frame going in both directions. The main difference work-wise between standard
double doors and double swing doors is in the ironmongery. Double swing
doors need special hinges, and must have some form of door closer fitted –
Socket fixed
to top of door and it is usually best to combine these, in one of two ways.
• Helical spring hinges
Helical spring hinges are three-leaf hinges with springs integrated into the
barrels. The way the leaves are positioned allows the doors to open both
Door stile ways. The hinges are fitted just like normal hinges and the tension on the
springs are adjusted via a bar inserted into the hinge collar.
• Floor springs
Bottom
Doors using floor springs are hung via the floor spring at the bottom and a
Shoe
pivot plate at the top. The floor spring is housed into the floor, and the bottom
of the door is recessed to accept the shoe attached to the floor spring.

The pivot plate at the top is attached to the frame, and a socket is fixed to
the top of the door.
Floor spring

Figure 8.10 Floor spring and top of

door fixing Joint

Spring

Heinemann
NVQ Carpentry
9pt Zurich BT
fig164

Housing box

Figure 8.11 Helical floor springs

Heinemann
NVQ Carpentr
214 9pt Zurich BT
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 Chapter 8 Advanced second fixing

Sliding doors
Sliding doors are mainly used where there is no space for a door to open outwards. They are
not hung in the traditional way with hinges, but use a track on which the door slides open
along the face of the wall.

There are many different systems available that allow a door to be fitted in this way, but in
most the basics are the same. The door is suspended from an overhead track, and slides on a Remember
series of rollers, while the bottom of the door is grooved so that it runs over a track or plastic
Installation differs
guide. The overhead track section is usually encased in a pelmet, allowing the door to be
from manufacturer to
detached easily for maintenance.
manufacturer, so it is best to
follow the manufacturer’s
Nylon instructions.
Optional roller Channel
plaster line (track)

Pelmet
(detachable)
Height
adjustment

Soffit
lining

Activity
In an area designated by your
trainer, hang a sliding door.

Nylon
guide
Metal channel
ploughed into
bottom of door

Figure 8.12 Detail of sliding door gear

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Knowledge refresher
1 Name the four main types/styles of exterior door.
2 Give an example of where a framed, ledged and braced door would
be used.
3 How many hinges are used when hanging a stable door?
4 On an external door, what is the purpose of a water bar?
5 Name five pieces of ironmongery that may be fitted on an external
door.
6 State the size, type and number of hinges usually fitted to an
external door.
7 What is the purpose of a spy hole?
8 What is the purpose of push plates?
9 Name the four main types of door closer.
10 What is the difference between standard double doors and double
swing doors?

What would you do?

1 You have been tasked with fitting a pair of double doors.
You fit them but one door is binding on the hinge side, and the
doors overlap in the centre at the top, so they do not close properly.
What has caused this? What needs to be done to remedy this?
2 You have been tasked with fitting an overhead door closer in a
bedroom with windows. You fit the closer and the door closes
smoothly until the end, but remains open about an inch. What
could be causing this? What can be done to rectify it?

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Dado, picture rail and cornice

Carpentry and Joinery NVQ and Technical Certificate Level 2 covered architrave and skirting,
so in this book we will expand our knowledge of mouldings to include dado rail, picture rail
and cornice.

Mouldings in a room are positioned like this:

Cornice

Picture
rail

Architrave

Dado
rail

Skirting
board
Flush door Plinth blocks
Figure 8.13 Positions of room mouldings
We will start at the top and work down, beginning with the cornice.

Cornice
Cornice is fitted where the top of the wall meets the ceiling. It is traditionally associated with
plasterers, although some cornice today is made of timber and is fitted by the carpenter.
Cornice can be fitted as a decoration piece or used to hide gaps or blemishes. As with most
mouldings, various different designs are available.

Figure 8.14 Cornice profiles

Heinemann
NVQ Carpentry
Cornice is simple to install. You nail or screw it into the wall along the ceiling, taking care to 9pt Zurich BT
ensure that it is running flat to both the wall and the ceiling. External joints are mitred, while fig167

internal joints can be either scribed or mitred.

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Picture rail
Picture rail is usually fixed at the same
height as the top architrave on a door, or
just above or below this. Picture rail was
used to hang paintings from, so the height
used to be determined by the size of
pictures being hung; nowadays picture rail
is mainly for decoration. Picture rails also
Activity come in a variety of profiles.

Picture rail is slightly more difficult to fix than Figure 8.15 Picture rail profiles
In an area designated by
skirting or cornice, as the rail must be fixed
your trainer, fit various
mouldings including level. First mark a level line around the room to act as a guide for fitting the rail, then proceed
cornice, dado rail and as for any other moulding, with the joints either scribed or mitred.
picture rail.

Dado rail
Dado rail is fixed to the wall between the picture rail and the skirting, the exact height
Did you depending on how it is to be used. Dado rails were originally used to guard the walls from
know? damage from chair backs, so would be set at the height of a chair. Today dado rails in domestic
dwellings are mainly for decorative purposes, so the height is up to the owner’s preference.
A form of dado rail is still Dado rails also come in a variety of profiles.
used today in places such
as hospitals to protect the
walls from trolley damage.

Activity
Sketch and correctly
name three different
moulding profiles.

Figure 8.16 Dado rail profiles

You fix a dado rail in the same way as a picture rail, taking care to ensure that the rail is level
and the joints used are scribed and mitred.

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Wall panelling
Wall panelling provides a decorative finish to a room and can be found in places such as courts
of law or executive offices. Wall panelling is usually set at one of three heights:

Dado panelling

Dado rail

900 mm Skirting

Three-quarter panelling

Plate rail

2m

Plinth

Full-height panelling Cornice

Frieze rail

2.8 m Fluted
pilaster

Skirting

Figure 8.17 Three typical heights of panelling

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• dado panelling – where the panelling runs to the height of the dado rail
• three-quarter panelling – where the panelling runs to the top of the door
• full-height panelling – where the panelling runs from floor to ceiling.
The panelling can be made up in a variety of ways, depending on the type and style of the
house. The first thing to do is to make a frame or fix battens to the wall, onto which you can
then fix your panelling. Once the panelling is in place, fix the capping pieces and skirting to
finish the panelling off.

These three examples of dado panelling give you an idea of what is involved.

Oblique section
Matchboard panelling
Capping 18 x 50 mm

Activity Grounds
18 mm matchboard
Sketch a section
through matchboard
25 x 150 mm
wall panelling.
skirting

Plan

Flush dado panelling

Capping

18 x 50 mm grounds

Activity 6 mm plywood

In an area designated
by your trainer, fit flush 25 x 75 mm splayed
dado panelling. skirting

Figure 8.18 Three types of panelling (continued opposite)

Framed dado panelling
Built-up capping

220 18 mm framed grounds

 25 x 75 mm splayed Chapter 8 Advanced second fixing
skirting

Framed dado panelling Activity

Built-up capping
Sketch a section through
framed dado panelling.

18 mm framed grounds

32 mm framed
panelling
Activity
In an area designated by
Built-up skirting your trainer, fit framed
dado panelling.

Figure 8.18 Three types of panelling (continued)

Client: Harcourt
Job No: J6884
aw_043546471X_172

Knowledge refresher
1 Name five different types of moulding that can be fitted
in a room.
2 Name three different profiles that can be used for mouldings.
3 Name three different types of wall panelling.
4 Give an example of where wall panelling can be found.

What would you do?

You have been tasked with installing framed dado panelling. The
framed grounds were fitted before the wall was plastered. You go to fit
the panelling but on one wall the grounds are not level, and on another
they are uneven, with some ground protruding 5 mm more from the
plaster than others. What has caused this? What can be done to rectify
it? What could the cost implications be?

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FAQ
Why are external doors thicker than internal doors?
They need to be more secure to prevent people breaking in.

Do I need to have a letter plate on my front door?

No. There are secure letter boxes that can be attached to the wall.

Do I have to use security hinges?

No, but security hinges are preferable as they prevent the door from
being forced at the hinge side.

Why can’t I have more than two deadlocks on a single

exterior door?
Any more than two deadlocks would weaken the door at the lock side,
as you will have removed a lot of material when mortising the locks in.

What type of door would I fit a security chain on?

Any door that doesn’t have a glass panel or spy hole in it.

What is the best door closer to use?

The choice of door closer depends on the client’s preference, but
usually internal doors have concealed closers while doors in corridors
have overhead closers.

Can I choose to use a dado profile for a picture rail?

If it is for decoration only, yes, but if it is to support paintings, no,
because profiles for dado are not suitable for this.

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