A good question and one that is asked by many architects.
The short answer is – it depends whether you have fire test evidence supporting veneer being tested on your doorsets.
Several factors need to be considered when specifying veneer on fire doorsets and we will try to dispel a few myths surrounding this subject.
- NZS4520:2010 Standard – As a right under the NZS4520:2010 standard you can apply any additional facing on your door up to 0.8mm thick. This includes veneers, high pressure laminates and Acrovyn for example.
- Different Veneer Types – We get asked commonly “Can I use any veneer species type on the face of my door – what if is different from what you have tested”? Yes, you can if the veneer is under 0.8mm thick (Veneers are usually a maximum of 0.8mm thick). As an architect there is a variety of different veneer options available for your specific project – contact us and we can share our veneer range with you.
- Door Clashing’s – What are the requirements around clashing’s on a veneer door? Any veneer door typically requires a clashing to achieve the design intent – the key thing here to check is, is the timber you are using a hardwood? Hardware is the type of timber that has been tested on our Soteria Fire Door products. As a result of this you may have to use a clashing timber that is not the same species as your veneer but a close match – you are dealing with a natural timber product so there may be color variations.
- Is it right, veneer needs to be used to achieve the fire rating? – No – again it comes back to what has been tested on your doorsets. Soteria Fire Doorsets can be done in a paint finish as well as a veneer and still achieve the fire rating.
To answer the original question – yes – veneer can be put on your fire door specification, but the key thing you need to ensure is you check the specification sheets and drawing details on the Soteria Doors website or work direct with ourselves to ensure compliance is maintained.
