As well as being some of the strongest and most secure doors on the marketplace, our range of Defender steel doorsets offer a simple installation process in a quick completion time of just 40 minutes.
While most security doors on the market take between 50 and 60 minutes to install, thanks to the design, rigid four-piece frame and 8 fixing points to choose from on each side of the door, our bespoke single Defender doorsets take 25% less time.
We are in a unique position here at Metador – when we first started our business we originally fitted other supplier’s doors. This gave us a great understanding of what works and what doesn’t for installers and builders alike. With this knowledge and time served experience, we have been able to design and manufacture security doors that are not only up to the task of safeguarding properties, but also make installation as straight forward as possible. After all, as time on site is very costly, you’ll want to spend as little time there as possible.
To assist you with your installation project, we have prepared an eight-minute video and guide below to show you the best way to install our security doors.
Items you’ll require: Hammer drill, impact driver, flat head and poly screwdrivers, 14mm spanner, spirit level, tape measure and a silicone gun. Fixings supplied with doorset upon request.
Receiving your door and general care
First things first, you need to make sure you take general care when unpacking and preparing your door for installation. Our doorsets are usually delivered on a curtain-sided truck and can be unloaded using a forklift. Take additional care at this stage – make sure forks are positioned correctly, and extend them through the pallet completely to ensure you do not damage the base of the pallet.
Lay the pallet on even ground and make sure there are no objects on the floor that may damage the door. Similarly, never use the pallet or door as a table or seating bench. If you are lifting your door, please remember that these are heavy and require at least two people to move. Take care not to damage the door handles or any other feature that protrudes on the surface.
After inspecting with your delivery driver that no damage has occurred during transit, ensure all the shipment’s contents match the delivery note before double-checking the aperture, frame size, opening size and other specifications.
Positioning your door
Once pre-installation checks have been complete, it’s time to take the first practical steps to fitting your door. The supplied hex tool will help you adjust the positions of the threaded adjusters on either side of the door frame to wind them to their approximate positions – it’s important that the top adjusters are fitted first. Once this has been done, position your door within the aperture and open the door frame and prop for stability before carefully manoeuvring the door frame into position.
Securing the hinge side of the frame and making level
From here, you can use packing material of different sizes as required in order to level up the door and frame. Secure the hinge side of the frame first but critically, make sure the hinge post is absolutely upright using a spirit level. Equally important is getting the side to side alignment correct. If this isn’t perfectly vertical, the door may jam in the frame or fail to close properly. Similarly, if the top and bottom of the frame are not perfectly vertical the door will not close properly either and allow whatever’s inside to become exposed to the elements.
Once the above steps have been complete, we recommend fixing one position on the hinge post which will then help you pivot the frame and make slight adjustments as required. Continue to level up and secure the frame using the threaded adjusters. Now drill and secure your first fixing on the hinge side of the frame in order to give you the pivot point for fine adjustments. Recheck your hinge side frame levels until you are satisfied they are perfectly true using the frame adjustment screws. Now drill and secure the rest of your fixings on the hinge side.
Securing the latch side of the frame and checking closing
Next, ensure the latch side of the frame is perfectly level in both vertical planes using the frame adjusters as required. (Do not use your spirit level in fixing the latch post.)
Secure one central fixing on the latch side first. When you are satisfied that the adjuster is positioned correctly, tighten this up and then proceed to level the rest of the post using the central fixing as a pivot point. Ensure that the closing edge of the door leaf marries up perfectly with the post and adjust the post to suit.
Test the fit and closing action of the door within the frame. If you have levelled everything up correctly you should now have a perfect fit of the door within the door frame. The last thing to check is whether the door closes and latches correctly. Locks not catching properly are usually as a result of the latch side frame bowing in or out slightly, catching on the door or the latch itself. Sometimes, it will benefit the latch to apply a small amount of WD40 to assist free movement of the latch within the lock body.
Tighten up the remaining latch side fixings and then install the cover caps. Next, install the threshold fixing, secure the door closer to the frame and adjust the door closer timer. You can adjust overall close speed, and latch or slam speed. For safety, we recommend a slow close speed but a sufficient slam speed to engage the latch properly. You can test and adjust this to meet your requirements. Now seal the door frame edges with waterproof silicone sealer in the colour of your choice.
Check all fixings of ironmongery to ensure that they are tight as sometimes they become loose during transport.
Your Defender installation is complete!
Maintenance
While most doors require little maintenance once installed, it’s good practice to make regular checks on correct operation, as well as clearing any debris caught between the door and the frame and ensuring that the door is free from obstruction.
On a monthly basis, make the following checks:
- Check all fixings are secure
- Lubricate door hinges with light machinery oil
- Check condition of rubber weather seals
- Wash surface of door and frame with warm soapy water and wipe dry
- Lubricate locking points and cylinder (if supplied)
- Lubricate panic exit furniture and ensure all parts are in a satisfactory condition
For any spare parts, accessories or ironmongery, please get in touch.
We’re here to help
As we are manufacturers and sell to the trade only, we do not install doors and we do not employ fitting teams. However, we have appointed a trusted selection of independent door contractors throughout the country, as Approved Metador Installers (AMI’s), who are licensed and trained to fit our products. If you require installation, please speak to our sales team and we will put you in touch with your nearest AMI.
Please fully read and follow our instructions prior and during installation. Watch our eight-minute guide below.
If you’d like to find out more about installation or our range of Defender security doors, please get in touch with our experienced and dedicated team today. They’ll be happy to provide advice and support with any queries you might have about your new security product!
