The company, which expects other sections of the industry to follow its lead, also said the move was partly due to difficulty in obtaining certification on certain timber species.
JELD-WEN implemented the policy first with paint grade ply doors, and has now extended it to standard natural veneered doors.
“This moves the industry away from the old practice of lipping on two vertical edges with similar, if not the same, specie as the veneer, said Ian Purkis, general manager of the company’s European research and development.
He said the change brings the doors in line with the European and US door industries but would be unfamiliar with sections of the UK market.
Mr Purkis said there was a technical argument in favour of lipped four edge products in heavy-use environments such as hospitals, but such applications were not a major part of JELD-WEN customers’ businesses.
He said lipping costs had risen sharply, making a good door increasingly expensive for little or no benefit.
Removing the need for certified lippings also might make it easier to source veneers from certified sources, he added.
JELD-WEN has discussed with customers how the new doors spec should be finished on site, with a number already using tinted lacquers on the edges to match the background veneer colour – similar to practices in the furniture industry where MDF is exposed and stained.
