Why arched doors need a different brief from square-headed ones

A rectangular door can absorb a few millimetres of tolerance in the reveal, the head and the jambs. An arched door cannot. The curve defines the visual proportion of the opening, and it changes how the leaf, glazing bars and hardware sit relative to one another. A mullion that reads well on a straight head can look wrong once the top is curved.

Santerson's doors in this family are made to measure rather than offered in fixed sizes. The product page for Arched French Doors states that finish, layout and dimensions are specified per project, with material and finish options selected at order stage. That flexibility is the point of the product, but it means there is no standard catalogue drawing to fall back on: your brief becomes the drawing.

The three details that go wrong most often

Three issues account for most of the rework we see on arched door orders. First, the arch is treated as a head detail rather than as a dimension: a radius or rise has to be recorded, not just an overall height. Second, the glazing bars are laid out for a rectangular leaf, and once the top curves, the bar spacing reads wrong even though nothing else changed. Third, hardware is left open until delivery, when in practice handle and lock positions on a curved leaf are fixed during machining.

None of these are difficult to resolve on paper. All three become expensive the moment the opening exists on site.

What the procurement brief should contain

We review door enquiries against six blocks of information. Missing any one of them causes a delay later, usually at the point where the opening is already on site.

Dimensions on our door pages are project-specific by design. The figures in a brief are always confirmed against the site opening before manufacturing starts, so treat any early number as provisional until it is signed off.

Site measurement: who takes it and when

The single most frequent cause of rework on arched openings is a measurement taken from architectural drawings rather than from the built opening. Drawings show designed dimensions; the finished reveal rarely reproduces them exactly once plaster, screed and wall finishes are complete.

For made-to-measure doors we ask for a second check at the point where the opening is finished and ready for installation. Where the arch is formed on site, the radius should be verified rather than assumed from the detail drawing. If your project includes other custom joinery - cabinetry, panelling, wardrobe walls - the same survey can cover all of it in one visit, which is how we run Interior Design Services work: space planning and layout first, then product specification against the measured condition.

Coordinating arched doors with the rest of the joinery package

Arched openings are rarely the only curve in a room. In residential projects they sit next to other arched joinery, and the arch language has to read consistently across all of it. Where a project splits these items between suppliers, the curve radius and the timber tone are the two details that give the split away.

The Arched French Doors page lists made-to-measure sizing with material and finish options selected per order, so the arch profile you approve there can be carried into matching Arched Paneled Wardrobes and arched niche joinery in the same room. The Arched Niche & Full House Custom Wall Cabinet Project shows that approach: arched wall niches with built-in lighting, full-height flush wardrobe panels and an integrated vanity with arched textured glass were designed as one package. If you want the same treatment at the door openings, specify the arch profile once and apply it across the joinery order.

Custom & OEM: what can actually be varied

Within our Custom & OEM Service, door specification can be varied in size, layout, substrate, finish and branding. Design and prototyping support is available where a project needs a detail that does not exist yet. Material families we work with across joinery include timber, metals, engineered stone and laminates; the exact combination for a given door should be agreed at quotation stage.

For buyers ordering under their own brand - developers with a house style, or contractors supplying a project under a head contract - private labelling and packaging options are also part of the same service. Minimum order quantities vary by product family and finish, so confirm them for your specific configuration rather than relying on a general figure.

Logistics: getting a tall, glazed door to site intact

Arched doors are awkward freight. They are tall, often glazed, and the curved head is the fragile part. Our Logistics & Door-to-Door Delivery service covers sea, air and rail freight, export documentation including commercial invoices, packing lists and certificates of origin, container loading and tracking through to the delivery address.

For Australian projects we plan door movements together with the rest of the joinery and furniture package rather than as separate consignments, which reduces the number of handling events each leaf goes through. Import terms, duties and delivery scope are agreed per project - they depend on the site location and the incoterm you contract on, so they belong in the purchase order, not in a product page.

Installation sequence for arched openings

Frame installation should happen after wet trades are complete and before floor finishes are laid in the traffic path, so the door can be hung, adjusted and protected without being walked through during the rest of the build. Our Installation & After-sales Support covers on-site fitting, inspection with a snag list, spare parts and ongoing maintenance.

Where an installer works to the confirmed shop drawing rather than the concept drawing, adjustment stays small. Where they work from the concept drawing, the arch is the first thing that does not fit.

A short checklist before you raise the purchase order

• Opening measured from the built condition, not from drawings, with arch radius recorded.
• Finish reference stated as a code or physical sample, not a description.
• Hardware schedule fixed before the leaf is machined.
• Glazing build confirmed against the specifier's safety and performance requirements.
• Arch profile matched with any arched panelling or joinery in the same space.
• Delivery address, receiving hours and site-ready date written into the order.

Send us that checklist with your drawings and we will return a quotation with confirmed dimensions and selected specifications for each opening. For enquiries about doors within a wider fit-out, our Turnkey Solutions team handles villa, hospitality and office projects as one package.