How to install a REI fire door
A REI door only resists fire if it is installed like the one that was tested. Here you'll find the steps of the installation booklet for masonry walls and of the FIP sheet for plasterboard, with the adjustments and the checks to do every six months.
- 2 types of wall
- 1 or 2 leaves
- 6 months between checks
Installing in masonry
The frame is fixed with anchors set into the wall or with wall plugs; in REI doors the gap between frame and wall is then filled with cement mortar. This applies to single-leaf REI 60 and REI 120 doors.
The booklet asks you to follow every step in detail, so that the door stays in the condition in which it was fire-tested. Steps 7 and 8, leaf height and spring, are the ones the booklet flags as most important for safety.
You'll need
- Drill
- Spirit level
- Plumb line
- Rapid-setting mortar
- Cement mortar
- S4 and S6 Allen keys
- Lever
- Chisel
- 1
Check the opening and the opening direction
Unpack the door and check that the wall opening matches the FM (wall opening) size written on the coloured label on the frame. Set the final finished floor level and the opening direction, left or right.
- 2
Adapt the trim to the finished floor Caution
Carefully detach the trim from the bottom spacer, to adapt it to the finished floor. If the door comes with complementary instructions for doors with «environmental characteristics», follow them together with these.
Steps 3–5Choose how to fix the frame
The anchors are set into the wall
- 3
Prepare the anchors
Straighten the anchors, mark their positions on the wall keeping to the finished floor level, and cut the recesses.
- 4
Hold the door in the opening
Hold it temporarily, plumb, keeping to the finished floor level and parallel to the wall.
- 5
Set the anchors and fill
Fix the anchors with rapid-setting mortar. In REI doors, fill the gap between frame and wall with cement mortar, without bowing the frame.
The frame is plugged through the existing holes
- 3
Hold the door in the opening
Hold it temporarily, plumb, keeping to the finished floor level and parallel to the wall.
- 4
Fix the frame with wall plugs Ø 10 mm
Open the leaf and fix the frame with wall plugs through the pre-drilled holes, then close the leaf again. The booklet specifies Würth wall plugs art. 0910436112, Ø 10 mm, not included.
- 5
Fill between frame and wall
In REI doors, fill the gap between frame and wall with cement mortar, without bowing the frame.
Steps 6–9Handle and adjustments
- 6
Remove the spacers, fit handle and seal
Remove the spacers between leaf and frame and fit the handle. In REI doors, stick the intumescent seal on the top rail: with heat it swells and closes the gap.
- 7
Adjust the leaf height Caution
To raise it: loosen the upper screw, tighten the lower one, then tighten the upper one again. To lower it: loosen the lower screw and tighten the upper one. Use the key the booklet calls S4, with the greatest care and with the help of a lever.
- 8
Tension the spring hinge
Tension the spring hinge in the opening direction, with the key called S6, and insert the locking pin. The locking pin must be fitted even if you don't need self-closing or if you fit a door closer.
- 9
Keep or remove the bottom rail Caution
If you don't use the bottom rebate, cut off the bottom rail with a chisel. In doors with environmental characteristics, however, the bottom rebate rail must not be removed.
Installing in plasterboard
The door is installed in a plasterboard wall that is already built, with an opening of the right size. The frame wraps around the wall on both sides and is screwed to the galvanised support structure that runs around the opening.
The fire resistance only applies if the wall is built like the tested one and the installation follows these instructions. If anything in your wall is different, message us before you start.
How the wall is built
- BoardsKNAUF GKF AK plasterboard, 12.5 mm
- KNAUF profilesmetal «C» 75 × 47 × 0.6 mm and «U» profiles
- Mineral wooldensity 70 kg/m³, inside the wall
- Support structuregalvanised, around the opening: the frame is screwed to it
- Corner bead and siliconeKNAUF 31 × 31 mm corner bead on the edges of the opening, silicone between frame and boards
- Angles and rivetsangles 150 × 87 × 3 and 60 × 87 × 3 mm (7 for double-leaf doors), rivets 4.8 × 14.3 mm
The sizes of the opening to make in the wall are on the product page of each door, size by size: REI 120 single leaf and REI 120 double leaf.
You'll need
- Drill driver
- Ø 11 mm bit
- Clamps
- Spirit level
- Plumb line
- S4 and S6 Allen keys
- Lever
- Hair dryer
Steps 1–4Prepare the frame
- 1
Check the opening direction and the opening Caution
Check the opening direction of the door, left or right as in the drawings on the sheet, and check that door and wall opening match. If the door comes with complementary instructions for doors with «environmental characteristics», follow them together with these.
- 2
Assemble the frame
Undo one screw from each corner bracket, join the frame joints and tighten the screws again until the corners are rigid.
- 3
Fit the bottom spacer Caution
Without removing the intumescent seal, undo the screws at the bottom of the two jambs and screw them back in with the spacer in place. The seal stays where it is: with heat it swells and closes the gaps.
- 4
Drill the plasterboard Ø 11 mm
Drill the holes in the plasterboard with a Ø 11 mm bit.
Steps 5–9Frame and leaf
- 5
Fit the frame in the opening
Keep to the finished floor level and fix the frame temporarily with clamps.
- 6
Fit the leaf
Remove the packaging without removing the spacers and plastic wedges, then fit the leaf in the frame by inserting the spring pin into the hinge. The pin goes at the top on a left-hand leaf and at the bottom on a right-hand leaf.
- 7
Bring the balls of the load-bearing hinge into contact Caution
Close the leaf and turn the grub screws with the Allen key the sheet calls S4 until the balls of the load-bearing hinge are in contact. Do this with the greatest care, using a lever.
- 8
Check square, level and plumb
Check that the door is square, level and plumb, then fix the frame finally with the clamps.
- 9
Screw the frame to the support structure
Open the leaf, drill the holes in the support structure and fix the frame with the self-tapping screws supplied.
Steps 10–12Handle and adjustments
- 10
Remove the spacers and fit the handle
Remove the spacers between leaf and frame, fit the handle and take off the bottom spacer. Remove the label from the frame with the help of a hair dryer; any residue comes off with Recoll Ecosolvente A/955.
- 11
Adjust the leaf height Caution
As in masonry: to raise it, loosen the upper screw, tighten the lower one and then the upper one again; to lower it, loosen the lower screw and tighten the upper one. S4 key, greatest care, using a lever.
- 12
Tension the spring hinge
Tension the spring hinge in the opening direction, with the key called S6, and insert the locking pin. Even if you fit a door closer, the spring must be tensioned, at least slightly, with the locking pin in place.
Double-leaf door
The same procedure applies, with three additions: tension the 2 spring pins, fix the floor socket with wall plugs and, if present, adjust the RC/STD closing sequence regulator, resting at 90° against the main leaf.
For double-leaf doors with environmental characteristics, the RC2 closing sequence regulator is mandatory instead of the RC-STD.
See the double-leaf REI 120Accessories
Rebate seal, door closer and panic bar: they apply to both walls, and you'll find the details below.
Go to accessoriesAccessories and maintenance
Accessories
The booklet provides for the rebate seal, the door closer and Exus, Twist or Slash panic bars; we stock Exus and Slash. In masonry the door closer must be anchored in the wall. With the door closer, the spring hinge must still be tensioned slightly.
Cleaning and painting
To clean it, a cloth and soapy water are enough: don't scratch the surface. If you want to repaint it, the booklet recommends sanding and dusting, applying a coat of matt two-component epoxy primer and then the enamel of your choice.
Every 5,000 openings, and in any case at least every 6 monthsThe periodic checks
A fire door must open freely and close by itself. The booklet lists these operations, with a low-fluidity lubricant:
- 1
Lubricate the load-bearing hinge
- 2
Lubricate the spring hinge
Especially the spring, pulling out the pin.
- 3
Re-tension the spring and check the closing
Put the locking pins back, then open the door about 30° and let go: the spring must be enough to close it.
- 4
Lubricate the lock
Especially the space where the latch runs.
- 5
Check the accessories
Handles, panic bars and door closers must work properly; lubricate their moving parts too.
If the door doesn't close properly or an accessory doesn't work, message us: we'll tell you what to do or which spare part you need. What the law requires for the checks is explained in the article REI door maintenance.
Message us while you install the door
Send us a photo on WhatsApp of the point where you stopped: we'll tell you how to carry on. You'll find all our other installation instructions under Technical support.
