Impact Doors in Miami Gardens, FL

Impact Doors give the front entry, back door and French doors the same storm protection as impact windows. An ordinary entry door can be pushed in by wind pressure or have its glass broken, and once that happens, wind fills the house and pushes up on the roof. In Miami Gardens, homeowners searching for impact windows and doors usually want the whole house sealed, and the front door is often the opening they have been putting off.

Doors we install

• Single entry doors, solid or with impact glass inserts
• Entry doors with sidelites or a transom above, tested as one assembly
• French doors, in-swing or out-swing, opening to a patio or Florida room
• Side and utility doors from the garage or laundry room
• Double entry doors for wider openings

In-swing or out-swing

Most older Florida homes have in-swing front doors. Out-swing doors are often tested to higher pressures because the wind pushes the door into its frame instead of away from it. But an out-swing door needs room to open outside, and its hinges are exposed, so it is not the right choice for every entry. We look at the porch, the steps and the overhang before recommending one.

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Materials and finishes

Fiberglass is common because it resists moisture and does not rust. Steel doors are strong and cost less but need attention to paint where salt air reaches them. Aluminum-framed glass doors suit modern homes and French door openings. Glass inserts in an impact door are laminated, the same as an impact window, and can be clear, frosted, textured or decorative for privacy.

The approval covers the whole unit

An impact door's NOA or Florida Product Approval covers the slab, the frame, the hinges, the lockset and multipoint locking, the threshold and the anchors as one tested system. Swapping in a different handle set or adding a sidelite that was not part of the approval can mean it no longer matches what the inspector expects. When a new door needs a different width, the opening becomes a modification, which goes through a different permit path than a straight replacement.

Security and daily use

Most impact entry doors use a multipoint lock, which latches at the top, middle and bottom of the door with one turn of the handle. That helps the door resist wind and also makes it harder to force. Thresholds are built to shed water from blowing rain, an issue for doors that face east toward the summer storms.

Doors that need replacing

• Daylight or water around the edges in a storm
• Rot or rust at the bottom of the frame or slab
• A door that sticks, sags or will not latch smoothly
• Glass inserts that are not impact rated
• A home that has impact windows but an ordinary front door