Common Doorset Specification Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them)

Doorsets are responsible for much more than just providing access between spaces. They often contribute to fire safety, accessibility, acoustic performance, security and overall user experience.

The influence doorsets have on so many aspects of a building means specification decisions made early in a project can have significant implications later on. Many of the issues that arise during installation, commissioning or handover can often be traced back to specification decisions made months earlier.

While every project is different, there are several recurring mistakes that frequently create challenges for contractors, installers and building operators. Understanding these issues early can help reduce risk, avoid unnecessary rework and support smoother project delivery.

Why doorset specification matters

A doorset is not a single product but a collection of components designed to work together as a complete assembly. This includes door leaf, frame, hinges, locks, closers, seals, vision panels, and access control components where applicable.

Each element contributes to the performance of the overall system. Decisions made during specification can affect the fire performance, accessibility compliance, security requirements, acoustic performance, maintenance requirements, and long-term durability.

When specification is coordinated effectively, projects tend to progress more smoothly through installation and handover. If requirements are not aligned, problems often emerge later when they become more expensive and disruptive to resolve.

Mistake 1: Fire ratings not aligning with hardware choices

One of the most common issues occurs when fire-rated doors are specified without fully considering the hardware that will be installed alongside them. Fire performance is based on tested doorset configurations, not individual components. Specifiers sometimes assume that any certified hinge, lock or closer can be paired with a fire-rated door. But in reality, performance depends on the specific combination of products used during testing.

Common examples include:

• Closers being substituted late in the project

• Different hinge specifications being selected during procurement

• Vision panels being altered without considering test evidence

• Alternative ironmongery being installed because of availability issues

These changes may appear minor but can affect the integrity of the entire assembly, leading to failed fire inspections, delayed handover, additional certification reviews and costly remedial work.

This can be avoided by specifying tested doorset systems rather than treating components individually. From the outset specifiers must ensure hardware selection fully aligns with the fire strategy and review any proposed substitutions carefully before approval. By maintaining clear communication between design teams, contractors and suppliers, this process is much smoother.

Mistake 2: Accessibility considered too late

Accessibility requirements are often checked towards the end of a project rather than being incorporated throughout the design process. By this stage, opportunities for simple adjustments may have been lost.

Accessibility extends beyond basic compliance requirements because it affects how people interact with a building every day. These issues may not be something specifiers are even aware of, such as door opening forces that are too high, hardware that’s difficult to use, poor manoeuvring space, badly positioned ironmongery and inappropriate locking arrangements, but these small aspects can have a huge impact.

Specifiers may not even become aware of these issues until installation or user testing, where retrofitting accessibility improvements late in the programme then creates additional cost and disruption.

By considering accessibility from the earliest design stages, this can be avoided. Align doorset specifications with Approved Document M and BS 8300 guidance and assess how different user groups will interact with the building by reviewing hardware choices from both a compliance and usability perspective.

Mistake 3: Changes during design development

Construction projects rarely remain unchanged from concept to completion; room layouts evolve, building uses change, or client requirements alter. The challenge is that doorset specifications are often not updated alongside these wider changes.

This could be anything from rooms changing function without door requirements being considered to fire compartmentation or security requirements being revised; even access control being introduced later in the project can have a significant impact on doorset specification. Any change that appears unrelated to the doorset specification can have significant knock-on effects. If these impacts are missed, the project can encounter issues during procurement, installation or compliance reviews.

The solution is relatively simple and is to simply pause and take stock when changes are made to ensure they align with the doorsets. Ensure all contractors and architects are working from the same, most up-to-date information and treat doorsets as part of the wider building strategy instead of a standalone package.

Mistake 4: Treating doorsets as separate components

Doorsets are sometimes procured through multiple suppliers or specified as a series of individual products. While this may seem like the ideal solution initially due to the flexibility, more often than not it introduces unnecessary complexity. Different suppliers may provide different technical information, certification evidence or installation requirements. This makes coordination excessively difficult as the number of suppliers increases.

When this happens, common issues arise, such as compatibility problems, unclear responsibilities, certification gaps or delays during installation. Contractors can find themselves spending valuable time resolving issues between products that were never designed to work together.

Integrated specification helps remove these risks by ensuring systems are coordinated from the outset. This means considering the doorset as a complete system by coordinating hardware, access control and automation requirements together. Ultimately, project managers should work with suppliers capable of supporting multiple aspects of the door systems.

Mistake 5: Leaving doorsets until late in the programme

Doorsets are frequently viewed as a relatively straightforward package compared with other building systems. As a result, they are often pushed later in the design and procurement process. This can create significant challenges because doorsets interact with multiple disciplines. A simple doorset can influence fire safety, accessibility, security, acoustics, building flow and user experience.

By the time doorsets receive detailed attention, project teams may discover conflicting requirements or that they’re missing information entirely. This increases coordination issues and programme schedule pressures. Better late than never isn’t the approach to take with doorsets; making last-minute decisions on doorsets increases the likelihood of design changes, procurement delays or installation issues and handover complications.

Avoiding this issue is incredibly simple, doorset requirements need to be considered early. Coordinate key decisions before procurement begins and ensure specifications are reviewed alongside wider project objectives, and the process is much smoother.

Avoid these mistakes with a trusted supplier

Most doorset specification issues are not caused by major mistakes. More often, they result from small details being overlooked or disconnected decisions being made at different stages of a project.

Fire safety, accessibility, security and usability all depend on coordinated thinking, making it the key to a successful project. The secret is reviewing requirements early, treating doorsets as complete systems, maintaining coordination throughout design development and considering long-term performance, not just initial compliance. Taking a proactive approach helps reduce risk, improve compliance and support smoother project delivery from specification through to handover.

Lloyd Worrall supports projects across healthcare, education, accommodation and commercial sectors. Our early involvement can help identify potential issues before they reach the site. So really, the key to a successful project is to contact us sooner rather than later: https://www.lloydworrall.co.uk/contact/