FAQ's
At Open the Door Products, we've done our best to create a Website that anticipates and satisfies our customers' needs. With that goal in mind, we've compiled a list of frequently asked questions. If you do not find an answer to your question here, contact us at 518.568.2969 or openthedoor@frontier.com
Where can we buy the products?
See Contact us
What wood species are available?
Inventoried wood species are maple, cherry, walnut, red oak, white oak, and mahogany. other species are available by special order.
Why do you use wooden mounting bases?
Die cast metal and plastic-mounting bases are available on the market, however they are too low-profile to work properly on inset cabinetry. The corresponding door magnet is too close to the edge of the door. Another reason is that they do not provide the adjustability that is needed with most cabinetry. A third reason is that a mounting base made of wood that matches the cabinet interior will visually blend in and be less noticeable. These units are designed first for great function and then to blend in with the cabinet interior.
What makes these closers so quiet?
We use two precisely tuned magnets to draw the door closed in combination with a shock absorber to keep the door from slamming or bouncing open. Additionally, we do not allow the magnets to make contact by separating them with a soft, pyramid-shaped neoprene bumper.
What type of magnets are used?
The Neodymium, rare earth, magnets are made to our specific "tuned" size, strength and grade. They are permanent magnets tested to lose less than 5% of their strength of 10 years.
How can your magnets be strong enough to pull in warped doors and still be easy to open?
Most magnets are rated by their holding force. To create ease of opening, we do not allow the two magnets to make contact by applying a pyramid-shaped, soft neoprene bumper between them. This also makes them very quiet, but creates the need for fine tuning the strength and grade of the magnets to off-set the resistance of the shock absorber.
Can the wood mounting bases be finished to match cabinet interiors?
Yes, you can paint over the existing natural finish (after removing the shock), or by ordering unfinished units in maple, cherry, walnut, red oak, white oak, and mahogany. Other wood species are available by special order with longer lead times and a minimum order.
Do mounting bases have to be disassembled to finish?
Only the shock must be removed because application of finish will likely inhibit it's function. It is important that you do not apply an excessive amount of finish to the inside of the bore for the shock because it may cause the block to split when reinserting the shock. you can paint or varnish over the magnet without affecting it's function.
What keeps the magnets in the mounting base and the cabinet door?
We use a pin that is pressed through the wood and a hole in the magnet to keep the magnet in the block. Using the pin for mounting makes it possible to reverse the magnet polarity, if necessary. The corresponding door magnet fits tightly into a properly drilled hole, however we know that wood will dry out and this magnet could come loose. To prevent this possibility we use a screw mount door magnet. Refer to the Products section for a picture.
What type of shock absorber do you use and why?
We use an Italian-made shock by Salice because they are available in different strengths and the one that we use works best at dampening the drawing force of the magnets and preventing bounce if the door is slammed. Other shocks on the market are self-adjusting, which does not work as well for our particular purpose.
How difficult are your catches to install?
There is very little difference from installing a standard magnet with a metal plate. there are two screws in the mounting base and one hole to drill in the cabinet door for the magnet to be glued in, The final step is application of the soft, pyramid-shaped bumper, which is self-adhesive. We recommend a placement jig and C-clamp for consistent mounting of the blocks in the cabinet and a drill press with a jig for consistent drilling of door magnet holes for high production efficiency.
What happens if my cabinet floor is not flush with the inside edge of my face frame?
There will be no problem if the floor is very, nearly flush (i.e.: within 1/32" to 1/16") with the inside of the face frame. The problem that can occur is the magnet in the door will become very close to the edge of the door. This may create the need to shim the mounting base or request a higher mounting base made for your situation.
What height blocks are kept in stock for quick delivery?
The soft-close mounting blocks standard height is 3/4". These are available in all of our normal wood species. We now stock 7/8" high blocks in maple, cherry, and walnut. These are used when cabinets are constructed with floors held down from the edge of the face frame so that the floor can be machined into the face frame. Refer to the Products page to see these blocks.
Can we get custom-sized mounting blocks?
Yes, in situations such as floors that are not flush with the top edge of the face frame you may need a higher block. These can be produced, but with longer lead times and minimum order quantities.
What color door shocks are available?
Honey-colored shocks are standard. White shocks are available, if requested only, when ordering unfinished maple blocks. The white shocks are ideal when cabinets are being painted to match light-colored painted interiors.
How long does it take for delivery?
We maintain a considerable inventory of all items shown in the "Products" section. Thus, we will normally ship via FedEx within one day of your order. Large or custom orders may take four to five weeks to produce, so we recommend that you order units when your project is sold rather than wait until the day you need them.