KITCHEN DOOR CARE & MAINTENANCE
With the appropriate care and maintenance, our kitchen doors and components are designed
to provide many years of reliable service. To help keep it in the best possible condition please
follow the simple guidelines below.
INSTALLATION ADVICE
NOTES FOR THE INSTALLER
Pre Installation:
Ensure that all new-builds or newly plastered rooms have been left to environmentally stabilise
prior to the installation of new kitchen doors. Kitchen doors must not be installed into a damp,
or moisture-rich environment as it will cause undesirable movement in the joints and panels of
the door. A hygrometer should be used to assess conditions.
To help to minimise any potential damage to the kitchen whilst you are installing it, please read
and adhere to the following instructions and recommendations.
We would advise that you make an initial check to confirm that you have the correct
quantity and sizes of fascia’s; you can do this by referring to the labels attached to the outer
packaging.
The fascia’s should be stored flat and away from the working area. Take extreme care when
stacking the fascia’s with hinges attached, to ensure that the hinges do not mark other
fascia’s. Do not lean the fascia’s against one another, or against any surface without proper
protection in-between.
Ensure that you fully inspect each individual fascia prior to attaching the hinges. Claims for
damage to the fascia will not be accepted after the hinges have been attached.
Take extreme care when unpacking the fascia’s and do not use sharp blades to cut away
the packaging.
When attaching the hinges, place the fascia face down on a soft clean surface, ensuring
that there is no grit, sawdust or other matter underneath than can damage the surface
of the fascia whilst the hinges are attached. It is good practice to place a sheet of clean
cardboard between the fascia and the fiat surface prior to attaching the hinges.
If the hinges are ‘knock-in’ type. Use a rubber mallet to knock the hinges into the fascia
without using excessive force.
Once the hinges have been attached to a door, hang the door on the unit straight away to
avoid damage. Do not stack the doors with the hinges touching other doors, as this can
causes scratches or marks to the other fascia’s.
Do not stack the doors on their ends on any hard surface; this can cause chipping and
scratching along the edge of the fascia, especially on the handle edge of ranges with an
integral handle. Prior to fitting, the fascia’s should be stored flat, ensuring that they are not
resting on any dirt or debris that may damage or mark the finish.
You should take extreme care not to put the door down with excessive force on any edge,
especially the handle edge, as this will cause crushing/impact damage on these edges.
Take extreme care not to put the door down on any hard or rough surface such as bare
concrete floors, or on any debris such as sawdust, grit or screws, as this can damage the
product.
If the fascia’s are attached to the carcase, then you should carefully remove the fascia’s by
unclipping the hinges, and storing these, flat in a clean safe environment away from your
working area, utilising the packing materials from the units.
Where cutting/scribing decor panels and trim, you must use a sharp quality saw blade of
the appropriate grade for fine-cutting, or a suitable router. Small chips can appear along the
cut-edge, and so extra care must be taken to minimise the risk of chipping. Using a blunt
or inappropriate saw blade will produce a poor finish, and this will not be covered by the
guarantee.
On Painted Products – Any fine chips along the cut edge should be smoothed with a fine
grade sand paper prior to fitting.
All cut edges should be sealed against moisture ingress, using a suitable water resistant
sealant/adhesive prior to installation.
All trims are supplied in long lengths and need to be cut down on site, and again it is
important that this is done using the appropriate tools.
When fitting the plinth, ensure that you check the dimensions of any adjacent appliances.
On occasion, the plinth may need to be pulled forward to ensure that it clears the front of
the appliance. This can be achieved by fitting blocks using off-cuts to the rear of the plinth
prior to attaching the plinth clips, to step the plinth forward from its normal position.
General Care
As with all kitchen furniture, the most common problems found occur as a result of excessive or
prolonged exposure to heat and/or moisture. Always ensure that water is not left around sink
areas as damage caused as a result is not covered by the guarantee.
Always wipe off excess moisture and be careful with extreme heat sources, such as kettles,
ovens and toasters. It is recommended that these heat sources are not placed directly under
wall units when they are in use; they generate a higher level of heat and moisture than is often
appreciated and can quickly and easily lead to damage of the furniture.
Don’t place appliances that create steam (e.g. steamer, coffee maker or kettle) underneath the
cabinets so that the steam flows up against the underside of the cabinet and doors.
If using glass cleaner to clean your glass doors be careful not to damage the finish of the door
and cabinet parts while cleaning. Do not spray glass cleaner directly on to the glass or cabinet
parts as this may discolour the finish of your kitchen cabinets. Instead, spray a small amount of
cleaner on to a lint free cloth or paper towel then wipe the glass.
Don’t open the door of the dishwasher immediately after the programme has ended, as
exposure to heat and the high humidity increases the risk that the door may absorb moisture
and swell.
Please note that after a period of time it is quite normal for the colouring of kitchen units
to mellow in colour. This is not a manufacturing fault and is as a result of exposure to light.
This means that any additional parts subsequently ordered for your kitchen, or supplied as
replacements may not be an exact colour match. However any additional parts supplied will
also mellow over time to blend with your existing units.
The colour of doors and drawer fronts may appear mismatched in colour. This apparent
mismatch is sometimes the effect of differing light conditions within your kitchen, (known as
metamerism). To check your doors and fascia you should place them side by side in natural
daylight for comparison.
Cleaning advice for all door types including timber, painted, foil, stainless steel & vinyl:
Do not use wax-furniture polish, abrasive or aggressive cleaners, bleach or other
hypochlorite (chlorine) based cleaners, multipurpose cleaners, dilutes, acetone, alcohol,
solvent or similar products on the door, as this will damage the surface. Additionally wax
and polishes leave a residue build up that is difficult to remove.
Only use a 5% soap, 95% water (liquid soap) solution, wiping with a damp (not wet) cloth,
finally drying with a soft clean cloth only.
Ensure all cooking splashes are wiped immediately with a damp cloth; and
dust with a soft cloth only.
Never use any abrasive pads or abrasive cleaners of the furniture. Spills and condensation
on the fascia’s/panels should be cleaned and dried immediately.
Timber & Veneered Doors
Cleaning: When cleaning timber doors you must follow the pattern of the grain. It is advisable to
use a damp (not wet) cloth to remove fingerprints and marks, followed at once with a clean and
dry soft cloth.
Moisture: Excess moisture can damage a timber product – it is recommended that susceptible
areas such as around the sink are thoroughly maintained and kept dry at all times.
Light: Timber changes colour when exposed to light. Light, lacquered surfaces also have a
certain tendency to “yellow with age” depending on the exposure to light. The species of timber
and intensity of exposure will affect the rate of change. Due to this we recommend that timber
samples be changed regularly.
It is advised that colour change is taken into consideration when replacing or fitting new doors
some time after the original kitchen has been installed.
PVC & High Gloss Finished Doors: PVC/Lacquer coated products are manufactured from the highest quality materials. Your gloss
doors will come with a protective film over the front. You should remove this only after they are
installed as the curing process continues for around 72 hours after the film is removed. This
means the doors will be liable to scratching and other marks. You should avoid cleaning the
doors for at least a few days to prevent any marks appearing on the surface.
Moisture: Please be careful not to puncture the PVC/melamine lacquered surface of your
panels. These should be kept dry in order to prevent moisture ingress.
Cleaning: Periodically clean the interior and exterior surfaces of the door using a soft, damp
cloth. Wipe dry all surfaces after cleaning. Use only cleaning agents that are intended for the
materials used in your kitchen. There are a number of products available which are designed for
cleaning high gloss doors, but plain water is also good for regular cleans. Always use a lint free
soft cloth and use a circular motion to achieve a high buff. Micro-fibre cloths are also perfect for
achieving a high shine with very little effort.
Avoid any agents that contain ammonia, alcohol, bleach or an abrasive. If the surface of the
product is exposed to any oil based substance (for example olive oil, butter, margarine or
cooking oil), the spillage must be wiped away immediately to prevent staining.
High gloss doors do sometimes show fingerprints – but this is easily taken care of with a soft
cloth. Grease marks caused by these oil-based products can easily be removed by use of a
mild detergent, non-abrasive cleaner if used immediately after spillage has happened. Abrasive
cleaners are not recommended for this type of product.
Do not expose the doors or panels to temperature in excess of 60°C (140°F) (Approximately the
temperature of washing up water).
Light: If the doors are supplied with a protective film on the face they must not be directly
exposed to sunlight. Once installation is complete, carefully remove the protective film from the
front of the fascia. We also advise that colour change is taken into consideration when replacing
or fitting new doors some time after the original kitchen has been installed.
Painted Doors
Cleaning: it is advisable to use a damp (not wet) cloth to remove fingerprints and marks,
followed at once with a clean and dry soft cloth. Any form of furniture polish or other cleaning
products should be avoided.
Light: painted finishes will change colour when exposed to light – the intensity of exposure will
affect the rate of change. Due to this, we recommend that painted swatches and door samples
be changed regularly.
We also advise that colour change is taken into consideration when replacing or fitting new
doors some time after the original kitchen has been installed.
Stained Doors
Uform’s range of stains are protected by an application of lacquer.
Cleaning: it is advisable to use a damp (not wet) cloth to remove fingerprints and marks,
followed at once with a clean and dry soft cloth.
Light: stained finishes will change colour when exposed to light – the intensity of exposure will
affect the rate of change. Due to this, we recommend that stain swatches and door samples be
changed regularly.
We also advise that colour change is taken into consideration when replacing or fitting new
doors some time after the original kitchen has been installed.
Sanded (raw) Doors
Cleaning: sanded products are unfinished and therefore the care of these doors will depend on
the type of finish applied, eg paint, stain, wax etc., see above for care guidance.
Please note your guarantee may be adversely affected if used for non-general domestic
environments. Please see Terms & Conditions page for details of the guarantee.
UFORM PRICE LIST I APRIL 2017 I NORTHERN IRELAND 11
