Replies

1. 
   dieselpig | Mar 01, 2004 10:44pm | #1

    Get a buddy who's a contractor to take you down to Harvey's on Rt 9 in Framingham.  They've got a decent selection and plenty of literature to look through.  I've had good luck with Therma-Tru, but others here would disagree.  Gotta be a contractor to deal with Harvey's though.

   Most lumber yards in your area that handle doors and windows will let you flip through a Brosco book or something similar and pick out a door.  Will probably have a salesman to answer your questions regarding specs and what not.  Even without knowing which lumber yard you are going to I can bet you that they'll do a better job than Home Depot/Lowe's would with your order!

   You're already a step ahead of most people by being aware of Home Depot's, shall was say, tendencies.

2. 
   DanH | Mar 02, 2004 12:26am | #2

   Deal with a "real" lumber yard, preferably a slightly smaller one. Since you don't sound like you want anything exotic, their mid-range steel doors should be fine, regardless of brand. And they should be able to order the precise dimensions you need.

   Just keep in mind that exterior door quality is 1% inspiration and 99% installation. After the old door is removed, any rot in the sill and ajacent areas should be repaired. And the new door needs to be installed to fit the opening, regardless of how out of whack it is, and this can involve a lot of fitting and fudging. Then there's caulking/sealing, fixing up the trim, and priming/painting.

   Re the storm door, unless it faces due north, look for one that is vented, or possibly one of the exotic ones that have thermostatic vents. When a storm faces the sun for even a part of the day the temperature can build up high enough to melt the plastic trim around the door lites, even in winter. (Actually, especially in winter, when the sun angle is low.)

3. 
   Shep | Mar 02, 2004 12:29am | #3

     I'll second the Therma-Tru. I've really had no problem with them, and I've installed a lot of them. The quality problems seem to be dependent on where they are assembled.

    As far as steel vs. fiberglass goes, if you are painting, steel is fine. If you want the wood look, go for the fiberglass. If you are near the ocean, use fiberglass- the salt air rot the steel pretty quickly.

4. 
   MojoMan | Mar 02, 2004 01:03am | #4

   You might want to stop by Cape Cod Lumber in Mansfield. I also buy from J&C Adams in Cambridege, but I've never been there: Do it all over the phone.

   Are you doing the installation yourself? As mentioned above, installation of a door of this size and importance is not something to be done casually. If you haven't done entry doors, try to get some help from some one with experience.

   Al Mollitor, Sharon MA

5. 
   WayneL5 | Mar 02, 2004 03:37am | #5

   If you get steel make sure you paint it.  Many people don't cover the factory prime, which doesn't weather well.  It will rust quickly.  Some people take the door to an auto body shop to be painted for a first rate job.

   It's not a good idea to paint a door a dark color and put it behind a glass storm door.  The heat will be intense and will cause damage, and will void the warranty.  Are you sure you really want a storm door?  Modern exterior doors are so well insulated and weatherstripped that a storm door in an anachronism.  A screen is ok, but do you really want to fight with a door at your elbow while trying to unlock the front door?

1. 
   VaGentinMI | Mar 02, 2004 05:35am | #6

   i understand that many mfgs. void warranty if storm door is installed.

1. 
   xMikeSmith | Mar 02, 2004 07:09am | #7

   learning.. usually there will be a warning notice about painting with dark colors.. and wether or not there is plastic molding applied to the door..

    i don't remember any of them saying you CAN'T use a storm doorMike Smith   Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

1. 
   Tharrett | Mar 02, 2004 04:13pm | #8

   Thanks for the excellent advice!  It is comforting to here some positive opinions about Thermatru doors because that is what I ordered this morning from a local lumber yard (Chase).  I have had excellent service from this yard in the past and they seem to sell quality materials.  I have installed a number of doors...preparation, preparation, preparation.  I still plan to paint the door a dark green color.  The main reason for the storm door is for a screen in the summer.  I will look around for a good quality vented storm.  Any suggestions here (full light storm, vented)? 

1. 
   gdavis62 | Mar 02, 2004 08:12pm | #10

   Efco is owned by Andersen.  They make good storms.  So does Larsen.  These storm doors will flange-mount to the brickmold, so be sure and have a conversation about that with your door salesman.

   As I recall, you have a door with two sidelites.  Most Therma-Tru distributors will make a triple-slab unit like that with one continuous sill under and one continuous head frame over.  The mullion posts will not have their outside face surfaces flush to the brickmold, and you won't be able to mount a conventional flange-mount unit (like and Efco or Larsen) unless you have the mullion posts faced with "storm door adapter" parts.  Be sure to tell your guy ordering the door to make it so that the door panel section of the unit can receive a flange-mount storm.

   Good luck with your Therma-Tru door.  I headed up their engineering and product development for a dozen years, and many of the parts and features on the door you will probably get have my name somewhere in the patents.

2. 
   xMikeSmith | Mar 02, 2004 08:32pm | #11

   so, micro.. what about the question of voiding the warranty if you put a storm door over it ?Mike Smith   Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

3. 
   gdavis62 | Mar 02, 2004 09:08pm | #12

   A "certified" Therma-Tru prehanging distributor is supposed to use genuine Therma-Tru parts (slab, sill, weatherstrip, lites, hinges, strikes) and buy his wood frame parts to Therma-Tru specs, all for use in building those prehung doors he sells to the dealers.

   In the heat that develops on surfaces under a sunlight-exposed storm door, plastic door lite frames, gasketing, and paint or stain finishes can all degrade or fail.  Genuine Therma-Tru components (including their finishing materials) were all engineered, chosen, or designed to withstand those temps, and won't fail.

   But, a "certified" Therma-Tru distributor might sell door slabs only, to a chain of yards that have their own door shop, and that shop may buy lites, weatherstrip, etc., from sources other than Therma-Tru.  What those yards then sell is sort of like those $100 Rolex watches you buy in Mexico or on a sidewalk in NYC.

   From one of these sources, you might think you are getting a Therma-Tru door unit, when what you are getting is a Therma-Tru slab hung and outfitted with "non-complying" components.  If anything fails, you are on your own.  Therma-Tru never warranted anything right from the start.  Storm door or no storm door.

   For most all users in the field, contractors, installers, and savvy owners, it is the lite label on glass that is read, and that is where the "no storm doors" stories come from.  Many have switched by now, and Therma-Tru did it a long time ago, but lite frames were and still are made from polystyrene.  This material begins to soften and warp at temps around 160 F, which can occur in the material if mounted against the face of a door under a storm door, or if the plastic is painted in a heat-absorbing color.  Recognizing this behavior, door lite makers put labels on their lites denying warranty claim support if those conditions occurred.

   That said, read all that fine print on Therma-Tru product labels and warranties carefully.  I helped write most of it.  Up until the time I left, in early '00, Therma-Tru had never had language in warranties or product literature qualifying performance if storm doors were installed over doors.

   But, if your "Therma-Tru" door has a label on its lite that doesn't clearly say Therma-Tru on it, and further, qualifies performance if painted dark or if installed behind a storm, it is like your "Bolex" watch.  No warranty, no support, and you are on your own.

4. 
   xMikeSmith | Mar 02, 2004 09:16pm | #13

   that's what i thought .. thanks for the confirmation..

    BTW..i'd guess i've been specing and using ThermaTru for about 15 years..

    and i know of more than one that still has just the  factory primer on it.. no rust.. even in our salt airMike Smith   Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

5. 
   RalphWicklund | Mar 02, 2004 11:55pm | #14

   A departure from the standard screen door you might want to consider would be a retractable from someone like PHANTOM Screens. http://www.phantomscreens.com

2. 
   VaGentinMI | Mar 02, 2004 05:29pm | #9

   maybe i misread the warranty info, but that is what i recall from doors i hung in VA