How Do You Install a Storm Door?

Storm DoorMaking the decision to install a storm door can be one of the most environmentally friendly ways of bringing extra light and cooling air into your house. Storm doors fit over the top of your existing door and can provide added security if you choose a model that is designed to do so. The installation process is fairly straight-forward and works out to be much simpler than adding home improvements like windows, according to Larson Doors.

Getting Started

The most important part of the process is to find the door that you want. That is closely followed by ensuring that the door that you want to install fits the opening it is designed to. It is therefore a good idea to go to the store or showroom where you plan to buy the door with specific measurements of your existing door in hand. Once there, you should rely upon the advice of at least one expert to ensure you are getting what you need.

After you have chosen your door and brought it home, go to your front or back door and look at the exterior sill to determine how far it sticks out. If you have more than 2 inches of space to place your new door, you will not likely need to extend the sill by building it outward. If you need to do this, do it first so that you can install a storm door without having problems fitting into the new opening. You will also want ensure that you factor in any slope in the sill. The sill slope can be handled by using shims during the installation process.

Putting the Door Together

One attachment that will come with your door is known as a hinge-side Z bar. It attaches to your door on the hinge side and ends up being part of the frame from which your door will hang. It is not normally already attached because your door can normally be installed to open from either side.

Choose a side for the hinges to go on and then attach your hinge-side Z bar to the door via the hinges. It will be a lot easier to install a storm door if you use sawhorses to hold the door while you do this.

You normally also have a drip cap piece that is installed near the top of the door in order to provide protection against rain. Your instructions may say to install that piece now by screwing it in.

Finally, you will need to measure the height of the opening very carefully and then cut the excess length off the hinge-side Z bar so that it fits flush with the sill.

Fitting the Door

Take the door to where you will install it and fit it into the opening. If all the measurements were correct, it should fit snugly. At this point, you can start to shim the frame if necessary and then secure it to your house by screwing it into the sill.

You still need to attach the jamb side Z bar so that the door closes properly. Measure carefully and install the jamb side Z bar on the side that the door will open on. After installation, test the door by opening and closing it to insure that it is tight against the jamb side Z bar.

Add the Hardware

You can now add the door handle hardware. Install it and test it, making the necessary changes until it operates perfectly. Once the door hard is installed, the closing mechanism can be put in.

The closing mechanism is installed at the top of the door and allows you to set the door to stay open or close at a certain speed. The holes for it should be pre-drilled so installing it will not take much time. Line it up and ensure that it is on right-side up before screwing it in.

Most doors also come with an extender sweeps that cover the gap at the bottom of the door. When you install these, open the door and add them to the bottom of the door. You might need to adjust them somewhat in order to ensure that they fit correctly.

Related Resource: How To Install Pocket Doors

Overall, installing a storm door is a project that can enhance your life inside your home and add to the value of your home by enhancing your curb appeal. To install a storm door is also one of the more common projects for homeowners to tackle themselves.