Grand Opening: Up to 20% Off. Valid for the grand opening period through December 31, 2026. One offer per job. Offers cannot be combined. No discount on emergency, lockout, or after-hours service, car keys / automotive, or service calls.
A new leaf and frame measured from the masonry, not the catalog
Replacement starts with the masonry opening. A hollow-metal door, a frame, a closer, and an exit device are chosen to match that hole and the fire rating that must stay. Hardware is prepped in the shop so the leaf is not drilled in the corridor. Anchors are set so the frame does not twist after the first month. An undersized frame, a lost label, hinge bind, and an unsealed frame are the errors this sequence is meant to catch.
Order it when the existing leaf is rotted, sprung, or no longer accepts hardware that the opening requires. A hinge swap is cheaper if the leaf is still sound. Bring a photo of the label if any paint still lets it show, and the width of the masonry, not just the door.
Fire labels, shop preps, and anchors that have to hold
You get a measured opening, a rated leaf if the old one was rated, shop prep, and anchors. You do not get a verbal promise that an unlabeled door is 'probably 90 minutes.' NFPA 80 governs labeled assemblies. SDI gauge guidance is how we talk about the face thickness. Field holes in a labeled door are refused.
DC alley doors and Maryland loading doors take abuse a lobby door never sees. We will not drop the rating to make a prettier skin fit a short lead time. Virginia office parks often have a knock-down frame that was never grouted. That shows up when the anchors are checked, and it changes the quote before the new leaf is ordered.
Frequent questions
Why measure the masonry instead of the old door?
The old door may have been cut down or the frame may have spread. Ordering from the tired leaf repeats the gap. The masonry is the hole the new frame has to fill.
What happens if the fire label is painted over?
We do not guess the rating. If the label cannot be read and the opening is a rated barrier, the replacement stays rated to the assembly the building requires, or the job waits for the authority that can say otherwise.
Can hardware be drilled on site to save a day?
On a non-rated storage door, sometimes. On a labeled leaf, field holes are how labels get voided. Shop prep is the default for that reason.
What does an unsealed frame do after you leave?
It twists, the latch misses, and someone planes the door or wedges it open. Anchors and seal are part of the install, not a punch-list nobody owns.