Elevating the look of your home with custom iron doors is a simple, five-step process. First, you’ll have a consultation with our designers. From there, you’ll share your desire for the door’s look, which the designers will create a drawing from which to share with you. Once you approve the drawing, we’ll begin custom-building your dream doors.
Finally, if we are available in your area, our team of professional installers will provide a seamless installation. In only 14 steps, you’ll see your vision come to life. Here’s what you can expect on installation day.
Our 14-Step Process for Door Installation
Like the design and creation process, iron door installation is straightforward. In 14 steps, you will have an iron door you can be proud of to showcase a special part of your home or update your front door. This guide walks you through every step that our professional installers go through for a successful iron door installation.
Step 1: Door Arrival
Upon arrival, your door and jamb will be packed in crates. Our team will carefully unpack it prior to installation. As a note, if you ordered specialty glass for your door, it may arrive at a later time.
Step 2: Prepare the Area
Once your crates arrive, we will need to be sure there is enough space in the doorway for the jamb. We will need an opening 1 inch wider and 1 ½” taller than the jamb. Also, our team will check that your floor is level, as the jamb legs must be level.
Step 3: Install the Jamb
To install the jamb, we need to ensure it is level horizontally and vertically. Our installers will set it against the wall with allowance for drywall as needed – often about ½” to ⅝.” From there, they will make sure the hinges fit by “shimming” or placing a thin piece of wood into any gap to make a precise fit.
Step 3a: For Inswing Doors
If we’re installing inswing doors, our installers will need to attach the sweep (or the rubber/plastic seal) to the bottom of the door(s). They will ensure it is flush with the door’s hinged side and extend 3/16” on the latch side. When they’re ready to install, use black spray paint on the bottom of the doors and add a small amount of silicone sealant. They will then trim the sweep to length, create a borehole for the throw bolt, and secure it with the lipped edge on the interior side.
Step 4: Prep the Hinge Cup
Inside the hinge cup, installers will drop one eyedropper’s worth of 3-in-1 oil and then place a ball bearing.
Step 5: Hang the Doors
With the help of at least two people, our installers will lift the doors, and hang them onto the hinges so that the doors are open at a 90-degree angle.
Step 6: Set the Doors
From there, our team will check the horizontal and vertical levels of the door again to ensure it is straight. If needed, they will close any new or additional gaps in the jamb using more shimming material. You may also need to do additional shimming if the door is not closing properly.
Step 7: Add Final Screws
When your door is properly hung, we will put the remaining lag screws into the middle hinges. As a note, our team may need to shim behind the screws for additional support.
Step 8: Remove the Shipping Bar
It is now safe for our installers to remove the shipping bar attached to the jamb legs.
Step 9: Fasten the Threshold
Once the shipping bar is removed, our installers will cut the threshold material to the doorway length, and place it under the door stop. Then they will seal beneath the threshold using black silicone sealant – not forgetting to seal where the threshold meets the jamb. From there, the installers will attach the threshold cap with 2 ½” flat wood screws.
If necessary, they will install a threshold extender from a 45-degree angle using a bead of silicone.
Step 10: Apply Weather Stripping
For upgraded protection against the elements, our team will install Q-Ion weather stripping into the kerf or slotted edge of your jamb. Use the provided felt pads behind the weather stripping to create a blackout effect against sunlight.
One of the benefits of iron doors is that they are weather resistant, but proper weather stripping will further protect your home.
Step 11: Add Boreholes
Installers will now create a borehole on both the top and bottom of the doorway to house the throw bolts. They will use a graduated step drill bit to avoid making the holes too big.
Step 12: Add Glass Panels and Other Finishing Touches
Now, the installers will hang any glass panels you ordered for the door.
They will use spray foam or batt insulation to fill in gaps between the jamb and the frame. Then install lag hole caps over the lag screws for a more seamless look.
Step 13: Install Lock
Following the manufacturer’s instructions for a tight lock installation, our team will place your lock into the door.
Step 14: Wash Door
Once your door is fully installed, you’ll want to give it a gentle cleaning. To do so, wash it with mild soap and water. For doors with installed glass, we recommend only non-ammonia glass cleaners. Once it’s dry, you can touch it up as needed with the included paint.
Clark Hall Doors provides a care kit at installation that includes a dust cloth, spray way glass cleaner, and a Swiffer duster as well as a touch-up vile of the door color for easy touch-up if needed down the road.
Professional Installation
If you’re local to one of our locations, the Clark Hall professional installers are happy to install your iron door for you. Although our custom doors can be shipped across the country, we can only provide professional installation in Atlanta, Nashville, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tampa, and Washington D.C.
Conclusion
We hope that this step-by-step guide brings peace of mind to your professional door installation. It is not recommended for customers to install the doors themselves, however, we are happy to share our process with you so you know exactly how your dream doors can come to life.
