*
I’m getting ready to replace the door and jamb leading into a walkout basement. The expiring door is wood in a standard wood jamb in a block and brick wall, so I don’t expect major problems in the actual replacement.
I plan to use a steel door. The local suppliers seem to carry only Stanley or Pease. Any reason to prefer one over the other? Any other manufacturers I should seek out?
This is in Maryland near Washington, DC, so lots of rain, hot and humid summers, mild winters (mostly).
Replies
*
All steel or just steel faces? The steel faced door that is usually called a steel door is very readily broken into. They split right up the cheap wooden strike jamb edge of the door. The heavy-gauge commercial steel door is very different, indestructible but expensive.
The light steel stanley door I have on the unconditioned garage is fine, inexpensive, decent-looking, but it is definitely not a high-quality door. A ~$300 Therma-Tru door that I reset on nice 4" hinges for the back door is somewhat higher quality and is said to resist heat better -- at least the mfr does warranty the plastic muntins for installation behind a storm door, and that the steel will not separate from the foam core. It also has more attractive detailing. Both doors have a fair amount of weather exposure.
Each mfr has different product lines that can be entirely different. You should have a dozen choices if you look around -- here in No. VA I've seen plenty. Avoid the cheapest doors, if it sees much use and/or weather-sealing and/or security matter to you, a hundred or so extra up front will be well worth it.
*RM Youre lucky to be in an area where You should have access to plenty of heavy duty doors like Andrew mentioned. You didn't mention why You ruled out wood but the doors Andrew mentioned with the steel wrap are pretty sad. Good luck. Skip
*RMYou might try a fiberglass unit.Rick Tuk
*Also, a cheapie with a metal deadbolt reinforcer, plus well set hinges, can take a pretty good whack.
*I like Therma-Tru also. A few of the features I like are the adjustable strike plate and adjustable threshold. Makes for good air sealing. Around here, a prehung is about $165 (no glass). The only drawback with steel doors is that they can get dented.
*Ditto Andrew D's advice. One thing I'd watch out for is rain runoff from the roof splashing back on the door. I've seen a few steel doors with a rust line 6 to 8 inches above the bottom. Short roof overhangs and the door being close to ground level (like in some slab on grade homes) will cause it. If your old wood door expired this way, you may want to put a short section of gutter over the door area. Steel will last longer, but it too, will go the same way.