When to install a filomuro door: construction stages

Kulttur Team · Published: 27 July 2026

A filomuro door is not fitted at the end of the job, the way a conventional door is. The extruded aluminium frame goes into the wall before the plaster is applied and stays buried there permanently. When it reaches the site decides whether the finish comes out clean or whether the wall has to be broken open to correct it. Below are the five stages in the order they actually happen, with the duration of each and what breaks if you change the sequence.

Why timing matters more than on a conventional door

A conventional door is hung after the walls are skimmed and painted. The visible frame covers the edge of the opening and hides the few millimetres of difference between masonry and door. A filomuro door has no architrave to hide anything: the extruded aluminium frame stays inside the wall and the plaster is drawn over its perforated flange right up to the edge of the leaf.

The practical consequence is straightforward. The filomuro frame does not belong to the fit-out stage but to the rough finishing stage, alongside plaster and skim. If it arrives after the walls are done, the only remedy is breaking the finish around the perimeter of the opening and rebuilding it. The same logic applies to choosing between drywall and load-bearing masonry: the anchoring structure is prepared before the wall is closed up, not afterwards.

The five stages, in order

A typical project runs through five distinct moments spread over roughly six weeks, from the first measurement to the final coat of paint. The table shows what happens at each stage and the real cost of reversing the order.

Stage 3 is the pivot of the whole programme. Everything else can slip by a few days without consequence, but fitting the frame has one correct window: after the opening is final and before the plasterers start. A few planning markers:

• Measuring and fitting are two separate site visits, 4-5 weeks apart, not one.
• Twenty-four hours must pass between fitting and plastering, for the polyurethane foam to cure.
• Finished floor level has to be decided at the measuring stage, even if the screed is not poured yet.
• The leaf and the wall are painted in the same operation, at the end, with the same material.

Stage 1: measure the masonry, not the drawing

The structural opening has to be larger than the door leaf by 70 mm in width and 50 mm in height, and the height is measured from finished floor level, not from the concrete slab. The difference between the two levels is the thickness of the screed plus the floor covering and its adhesive, and it has to be settled before ordering even if the screed is poured later.

Measuring off the architect's drawing is the main source of wrong orders. Executed masonry almost always differs from the drawing by 1-2 cm, and differences between the four corners of an opening are normal and get corrected during fitting with shims and foam. What cannot be corrected is a leaf ordered 3 cm too large.

Stage 2: order 5-6 weeks ahead of the finishes

A filomuro door is not taken off a shelf. Every frame is cut to your opening, with the hand of the door and the wall thickness stated in the order. For the Minimal model, the lead time from order to installation is 4-5 weeks, and Signature adds around a week for factory RAL painting.

In practice the order has to go in when the bricklayer finishes the partitions, not when the plasterers set their schedule. A two-week delay in ordering pushes the entire finishing crew two weeks back, because the plaster around the opening cannot be done without the frame.

Stage 3: the frame goes into a bare wall

Fitting starts by holding the frame in the opening with timber shims and checking plumb on both jambs and on the head. Only once every check point is correct does the polyurethane foam go on. The operation takes 2-3 hours for an experienced fitter, and the leaf is hung and adjusted the same day.

At this point the wall looks unfinished, and that is correct: the flange of the frame stays exposed precisely so the plaster can key into it. The fitted leaf becomes the reference the plasterers use to set the plane of the wall, so having it on site before the finishes is not optional.

Stage 4: plaster is drawn over the frame flange

Twenty-four hours after foaming, the plasterers can start. A self-adhesive masking tape with a sealing layer, 50 mm wide, is applied to the edge of the frame and the plaster is drawn up to the edge of the tape. Once dry, the tape is cut with a knife exactly on the aluminium edge. Without it, the difference in thermal expansion between aluminium and plaster opens a fine crack along the full height after one or two heating seasons.

The leaf stays hung throughout the finishing works, protected with sheeting. Taking it off and rehanging it would mean another plumb check and another adjustment, so it is avoided.

Stage 5: painting and final adjustment

The last stage comes after screed and flooring, when the wall receives its final coat. On the Minimal model the leaf is delivered unfinished, and painting on site is done by the same crew with the same material as the wall, on the same day. That is the only way leaf and wall reflect light identically. On Signature the leaf arrives already painted in a RAL colour from the factory, and the wall is painted separately in the chosen tone.

Once the paint has dried, the final adjustment is made. Concealed hinges adjust on three axes and let the reveal be evened out on all four sides, to 2-3 mm. It takes 30-60 minutes and closes the installation.

What to do if the walls are already finished

This comes up often in partly renovated flats, where the filomuro door is decided after the rest of the work is done. Fitting remains possible, but the programme changes: the finish is broken along a 10-15 cm band around the opening, the frame goes in, the plaster is rebuilt over the broken zone and the wall is repainted across its whole surface, not just the patch. Partial repainting leaves a visible difference in tone.

The extra cost does not come from the fitting itself but from rebuilding the finish and from the added site days. That is why the decision on filomuro is worth taking at design stage, not at fit-out stage.

Can a filomuro door be installed in an already renovated flat?

Yes, but with controlled breaking of the finish 10-15 cm around the opening and repainting of the entire wall once the plaster is rebuilt. Technically it is no different from fitting on a new site, but it adds working days and the cost of restoring the finish.

Does the screed have to be poured before measuring?

No, but the finished floor level has to be settled and communicated at the measuring stage. Opening height is calculated from the final floor level, so the thickness of screed, adhesive and flooring all count even if none of them is laid yet.

How long passes between fitting the frame and the final paint?

That depends on the overall site programme, not on the door. The technical minimum is 24 hours between fitting and plastering, but in practice several weeks pass, because screed and flooring come in between plaster and paint. The door stays fitted and protected throughout.

Who coordinates the installation, my builder or the Filomuro team?

Both work. If the fitting is done by the client's own joiner, coordination with the plasterers stays with the builder. If you take the installation package through Filomuro, we agree the intervention window within the site programme together, and the installation carries a 24-month warranty.

A filomuro door does not require a special site, only that the order of operations is respected. A single conversation with your builder before ordering removes almost every problem described above. Configure your door online or visit the showroom at Bd. Dacia 153-155 in Bucharest, Monday to Friday 10:00-18:00, with your opening dimensions to hand.