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Security screen door

5K views 4 replies 3 participants last post by  dangerp 
#1 ·
I've been looking all over the net for an answer to this one, hopefully you guys have some insight... We just bought a new house, and the existing front door was crap. It was apparently an interior door, with no threshold, and a 1 1/2" gap underneath the door. We promptly replaced it with a nice 36" fiberglass door that came with the frame. The rough opening was a bit large for the door, but not enough that I felt I needed to modify it at all.

At the same time, I bought a 36" security screen door. Now, I am looking at the finished door, and the security screen door, and it is fairly apparent that the mounting points for the security screen door are wider than the door frame. That is, in order for me to mount this security door, the lag bolts are going to have to go through the trim, and into the space between the door frame and the RO.

This doesn't seem right to me. I'm doubtful that the trim (held in place with finish nails) can support the weight and continued operation of the security door. I'm not sure how I could reinforce it without creating an eyesore. It seems that this would be a common problem, since I bought the same size front door and security door, right? What is the proper way to do this?
 
#2 ·
Sub frame may be your answer

Most suppliers of security doors can also supply a sub frame (or reveal/ build out) which secures into teh main door frame, then the actual security door then secures onto the sub frame, thus giving the required strength. Sub frames can be offset with a few different sizes available, so if you check the fit of your security door and it does need adjusting then let the supplier of the sub frame know and they will get the correct one for you.
Hope this is of help....
 
#3 ·
You are correct in assuming that the door will need to be mounted to the trim. This allows the door jamb to act as a stop for your screen door. I've installed dozens of screen/storm doors and currently build wood screen doors so I can tell you with confidence this is the way storm and screen doors are normally designed to be installed. If there is a gap behind the trim, you can remedy that situation by removing the trim and adding blocking that will completely fill the gap shimming it in to make it nice and tight then put a few screws through the door frame to hold everything in place and make it solid. Countersink the screws a bit so you can fill the holes with bondo, sand and paint and it looks as good as new. If you have a transparent finish on your door jamb, you can either us wood plugs to plug the holes or you can opt to glue in your blocking with construction adhesive. Going back to removing the trim, be sure to cut any caulking with a razor knife. Cut ALL THE WAY THROUGH the caulking. Use a small thin pry bar for this job and pry carefully. Use a small chunk of plywood or something to protect your jambs and siding as you pry. Have fun
 
#5 ·
Thank you for your suggestions. I have reached out to columbia mfg to see if they had a sub frame (as gibbo suggested) or at least another suggestion, but they haven't responded to me (over a week ago).

I guess I am going to have to pull off the trim and add those spacers. I didn't particularly want to do this, as the door was a pain to install in the first place, but I suppose it's the only real option (providing I want it done right). Thanks for the advice!
 
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