# Storm Door installation on my door frame?



## rboarderi (Apr 22, 2009)

Looking for some help on installing a storm door on my house. I have aluminum trim around the door that seems to wrap around the frame and is eventually tucked under the vinyl siding. I believe I will need to remove this aluminum in order to mount a storm door and then put up new trim around the door. I don;t want to start ripping stuff off my house without some guidance first. I am attaching a few pictures of what I am working with in case I described what I am working with incorrectly. I would just like to properly install a storm door. Thanks in advance for the help!!!


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## jaydevries (Jan 29, 2012)

i would start by checking screen door opening requirements. you might be able to just fasten new door against aluminum trim


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## gregzoll (Dec 25, 2006)

No need to. Storm and screen doors are done as the same size as the entrance door. So if that is a 36" door, you get a 36" storm or screen door.


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

Take some measurement. Look right on the box the door comes in oor just go on line and look there web site for directions.
Strorm doors are made so they can fit diffeant widths and heights within a range.
If it falls within the exceptable range there's no reason to remove anything around the frame of the door it gets installed right over the coil stock that's there now.
Ever see storms where someone had to install blocks of wood under the latch to get it to catch? One trick I have learned is sometimes you just can not attach the hindge side tight to the jamb and have it come out right.
A simple fix is to add a soild shim with finish nails to the jam then attach the hinged side. Often a strip of lattis is all it takes.
Once the doors installed if you want you can use some foam cording and use a piece of 1/4 round to cover the gap and make it air tight.

One other tip never paint that door a dark color with a storm on it if it sits in direct sun. It becomes a solor panel and will distroy the door.


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## mae-ling (Dec 9, 2011)

Be aware that when adding strips to the sides, which is a good idea, that the head piece may not be exactly right.
Just installed two where the head piece was 1/4" shorter then the door width and gap that was needed.


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## kwikfishron (Mar 11, 2010)

I'll bet there's no meat behind that coil right where those frame screws want to be. :blink:


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

A simple test to see if there's wood behind it I think would be to use the head piece and hold it againt one side at the bottom and drill a small hole and see how far you have to go to hit something.
Nothing there then no harm done a simple dab of caulking can fill the hole.


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## kwikfishron (Mar 11, 2010)

The dent in pic three and how far everything is packed out from the threshold is all the evidence I need. 

In that case, unless OP has access to a table saw and a break installing a simple storm door may not be DIY.


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## rboarderi (Apr 22, 2009)

Yes I see now that I cannot mount it flush on the outside of the aluminum. Can I recess the storm door back inside and butt it against the wood frame (storm door frame screwed through the aluminum trim butted against the visible wood frame?).


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## gregzoll (Dec 25, 2006)

Now, because that is not how they are designed. They are designed to fit against Brick moulding, not what you have. Take a picture farther back of the house. I am guessing that you will have to figure out how to place brick moulding along the door frame, so that it gives you something to mount on.

I can tell you this, that where the nails are along the inner side of the flashing, there is wood there, so we know at least, that it should meet the front of that flashing.


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## kwikfishron (Mar 11, 2010)

The brick mould is likely there. Looking at the 3rd pic you can see the aluminum trim protrudes about ¾” from the threshold because of the thickness of the foam and siding over the original siding.

Instead of the installers building the wood door trim out flush to the siding and then wrapping they just bent a 90 degree cap to float over it all leaving a hollow void behind the corner of the wrap where you would need to mount the frame too. This is evident if you look at the dent at the bottom of the same pic.

What needs to happen is the aluminum wrap needs to be removed and the wood door trim needs to either be replaced or built out to be flush or even a bit proud on the siding, then install a new wrap and the storm door over that.

I’m not seeing anything there that would prevent a standard storm door installation other than there’s nothing behind the aluminum for the frame screws to grab onto, thus requiring the new wrap job.


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## kwikfishron (Mar 11, 2010)

rboarderi said:


> Can I recess the storm door back inside and butt it against the wood frame .


It doesn’t look like you have enough room there too me. You need about an inch of wood on the face to accommodate the door frame, it looks like you have about half of that. 

I suppose you could build in the frame of your door but then you may have exceeded the min. opening requirements for the storm door.

The min/max opening allowed for a storm door to work varies a little from one manufacture to the next. You should pick out a door, find out the rough opening requirements (usually printed on the box) and then compare that to what you have now.


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