Retrofit doors, often called replacement doors, are new doors designed for installation in existing door frames while still maintaining the aesthetics of the property. Retrofit doors can be any type: Sliding retrofit doors, interior retrofit doors or exterior retrofit doors.
Retrofit doors are designed to fit the existing door frame and therefore do not require nailing into the framing studs like one does when installing a brand new door during new construction. Typically, this makes the installation process less invasive and expensive compared to completely removing the door frame and then repairing the interior and/or exterior wall opening.
The biggest challenge is typically finding the exact size replacement door for a proper fit. At Protogetic, several manufacturers offer custom-made doors to address any opening size. Another reason you might opt out of a retrofit door is if there is an existing water leak. Many leaks are caused by a faulty door frame so a retrofit door will not fix any leaks since the door frame remains the same. In this case, the old door frame must be removed and a completely new door frame installed.
Not necessarily. A security door requires additional design and construction to protect against various threat types whether they are from the natural environment, like hurricanes and tornados, or from human intervention like an attack involving forced entry, gunfire or explosions.
Most of the retrofit doors on Protogetic are high security doors with applicable ratings, drawings and certifications. Security doors on Protogetic must be tested for their advertised rating standards like blast resistance, FEBR, forced entry, and ballistic resistance to name a few hostile threat tests. Our groundbreaking filter can actually search for each type of security threat to instantly find you the exact door you need for your project.
Yes. Retrofit exterior doors, as well as retrofit interior doors, are also available at Protogetic. Many manufacturers offer standard sizes as well as custom made doors to fit your needs. You can find the exact door for your existing opening using the Protogetic filter.
Many retrofit doors are fire-rated. Retrofit fire-rated doors, often called retrofit fire resistant doors, slow and in some cases are able to prevent a fire from reaching occupants or other building areas. The most important feature of a fire rated door is the amount of time it can provide people to escape a fire. For this reason, fire ratings are timed tests and their ratings are designated as 20, 45, 60, 90 and 180 minutes. You can learn more about fire ratings and test standards at the National Fire Protection Association website.
Yes. Protogetic offers several options from leading manufacturers depending on the level of protection required. Like ballistic resistant windows, bullet resistant doors are UL 752 tested using varying types of firearms, bullet calibers and number of shots fired to produce a rating from lowest to highest protection (Levels 1-10).
Many threats to a building’s occupants involve the types of extreme weather conditions we are experiencing more and more across the world. Areas like California that previously never considered the need for protective design doors that guard against hurricanes are now making adjustments in their building codes.
Other threats include:
Tornado
Hurricane
Forced Entry
FE/BR
Blast resistant
Yes. Retrofit sliding doors are designed to replace your existing sliding door. A retrofit sliding door is often easier to replace as long as the dimension allows it to slide smoothly in the existing track assembly. Some retrofit sliding doors are available in the “barn door” style for interiors.
Retrofit doors can be steel, aluminum, wood or composite materials like fiberglass.
Yes. If you are unable to find a pre-made retrofit door because of unique dimensions or a specifically required configuration of security options, many manufacturers on Protogetic will customize a door for you. Like high security windows, they offer different materials and protective options like blast resistance and fire ratings. So if you have a retrofit project on the Florida coast that requires a salt-resistant aluminum exterior door that is 180-minute fire rated and hurricane rated, you can you contact the manufacturer directly with one click of our "CONTACT MANUFACTURER" button, conveniently placed on every product page. Get the answers you need. There is never any obligation to buy on Protogetic. Our mission is to provide architects and engineers the most accurate protective design information as fast as possible to save time and ultimately save lives. Join us today at Protogetic.com
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