A lot of people ask us at what point should they replace a door? Long story short when it comes to rusty metal doors there’s no question. A lot of times when it comes to a commercial setting doors are really an afterthought. At that point there’s really no choice but to replace them.
The shake test is a good way to determine if a door needs replacement. If the bottom of the door doesn’t move at the same speed as the top when the door is shaken while open, it indicates that the door needs to be replaced. When the top and bottom of a door can be bent in opposite directions, entry can be easily gained using a crowbar.
Another way that doors fail are hinge pockets. They will either rust out or they will become unwelded from the door or the frame. Most of the time you won’t have to have your frame replaced which can be the most expensive part of any installation. Most of the time when rusty metal doors fail they fail in a way that you just simply have to replace the door only. Even if your hinge pockets should fail we can always install a full surface continuous hinge to fix the problem. Replacing door frames is expensive because they often contain concrete.
How to protect metal doors from rust
Most door problems are very easy to prevent. In the factory, doors are primed and intended for painting with oil-based paint. If you paint your doors on a regular basis and lubricate hinges and lock hardware every two years your doors will really is that simple. Don’t want to do this? You can always schedule one of our technicians to come out and service all of your doors once a year. Otherwise just make sure that you paint your doors on a regular basis with an oil-based paint. Something that will protects them in the weather.