How Do I Reinforce a Storm Door?

Storm doors reinforce the main door, offering security and control over your home.

Storm doors are helpful for minimizing energy loss. They guard the main door and allow you to control climate, airflow and light. Screen and storm doors will start to need repair after years of wear and tear. Replacing the screws to your storm door will offer extra support. To reinforce a storm door for strength or repair, however, it is best to install a heavy steel plate that can be mounted anywhere on the door.

Things You'll Need

• Screwdriver
• Steel plate reinforcement
• Small finishing nails
• Drill
• Utility knife
• Tape measure
• Nuts and bolts
• Wrench
• Closer bracket

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Instructions

1. Lock the storm door into an open position.

2. Dismantle and remove the old closer bracket. Use a screwdriver to unscrew the bracket screws from the door frame, and pop the pin out to release the piston arm, allowing you to discard the old bracket.

3. Slide some of the small finishing nails through the steel plate and the old screw holes to help align the plate.

4. Mark and drill eight mounting holes into the steel plate. Use the utility knife to mark the steel plate and door. Measure the distance between holes and match up the marks on door frame and steel plate. It is best to put holes in each corner and each edge's midpoint. Drill holes to be slightly smaller than the size of the nuts.

5. Mount the steel plate to the storm door. Align the eight holes in the steel plate to the holes in the frame of the storm door. Drill nuts through the holes, tightening by putting the washer on the open screw side, and screwing in the bolt tightly with a wrench.

6. Mount the new closer bracket to the steel plate. Align holes on the storm door from the old closer bracket to the holes on the new closer bracket. Screw in the nuts and bolts through aligning holes. Any cracks visible after the steel plate is mounted can be filled and painted later.

7. Connect the piston arm to the new bracket using the piston pin.

8. Open and close storm door to make sure it is operating properly.

Tips & Warnings

• When mounting the steel plate to the storm door, make sure the plate's edges are parallel to the frame of the door.

• When mounting the new closer bracket to the steel plate, carefully position the closer bracket so the angled edge is facing the storm door.

• If you scratch the metal of the storm door while working, be sure to fill and paint the cracks to avoid erosion and rust.

References

• Don Vandervort's Home Tips: Combination Storm and Screen Doors