WE DO MORE THAN JUST LOCKS AND KEYS
WE OFFER DOORS & FRAMES
If someone plans to forcibly enter your property, you can bet they will target your doors. That's why Legal Locksmith, serving clients throughout Manitoba, offers a variety of services for your doors and frames. We can install door security hardware on almost anything, including aluminum doors, commercial steel doors, swinging doors and sliding doors.
Don't get caught off guard with a door that can't secure your home or business. Contact us today and we'll make certain your doors are secure.
Types of Doors/Door Materials
Doors are everywhere. They are used residentially and commercially, on the interior of buildings and the exterior. Each application may require a door with different properties. As a result, doors can be constructed of many different materials, from the common wood door to the newer fibreglass and PVC models, which are being used more and more. Getting the choice right for the material, especially on exterior doors, is critical for the longevity, security and appearance of the door. Whether it’s just the door slab, the entire door and frame, or the hardware to make the door operate more smoothly, we can supply and install most door types and hardware to suit your needs.
Solid Core vs. Hollow Core
The term solid core is just what it states, a solid core, but it is a generic statement in and of itself as solid core refers to many different types of cores. Usually when specifying a solid core door it means any other core that is not hollow core. Hollow core doors are not really hollow but have a paper or cardboard type core laid out in a “honeycomb” or grid type configuration. Some may even have a foam core that can also be found in hollow metal doors.
Hollow Core Doors
Cheaper and more lightweight than solid core doors, hollow core doors are often used for interior doors to keep costs down. They provide no soundproofing and limited security. These should be considered snoop-resistant doors and used only where there is nothing of value to protect behind the door.
Solid Core Doors
In most cases, solid core doors will indeed be solid inside—not honeycombed cardboard—but solid with one of many available different types of cores. Solid core doors are roughly twice the weight of hollow core doors. While it's not surprising that they are heavier than hollow core doors, it is interesting that these composite core doors are often even heavier than solid wood doors. Particle wood and some of the other cores types are made of extremely dense material.
Wood Panel Doors
A classic door look that may feel solid but can be made of composite material or constructed of separate panels, stiles and rail pieces that are joined together. Once built and painted, a wood panel door may solid but would essentially have the same strength as a hollow core door. The invention of the hollow-core paneled wood door was a big step backward in quality. Cheap, leaky and easily demolished with a hard kick, these doors did as much as anything to hurt the “safe and secure” reputation of homes.
Residential Steel Door
Commonly described as “a foam door wrapped by a coke can”, these doors are lightweight, inexpensive, can provide good insulation value, are durable, and often need only a minimal level of care, but offer little to nothing in the way of strength or security. They are readily available individually at the big box stores or even pre-hung, meaning already attached to a frame via the hinges. These doors are often unable to accept commercial door hardware.
Commercial Steel Doors
No material on the market is tougher than steel, making it the material of choice for doors when security is the main concern. A quality commercial steel door, also known as a hollow metal door has outstanding strength, quality, consistency, security, weather and fire resistance, wear and tear, and longevity. Steel doors are incredibly versatile. They can be painted any color you can imagine as well as prepped for all manner of commercial hardware including electric strikes, panic bars, handicap operators and more.
Solid Lumber Core Wood Doors
Despite how it sounds, a solid core wood door is not a door made of a solid slab of wood. Solid core doors are heavily constructed doors made from whole bits of timber. These doors are commonly used as exterior entrance doors or where aesthetics, soundproofing, insulation or security are important.
Fibreglass Doors
Fibreglass doors are a relatively new addition to the market. There’s not much difference in the structure of residential steel or fibreglass doors, as both styles of door are constructed basically the same. The major difference, other than the cover (or the outer skin), which can be either steel or made of fibreglass, is in the composite fill material used. The other main difference is the purpose for which you want to have the door. If you want beauty, style and aesthetic appeal, fibreglass doors come in a huge variety of styles and colors. They also offer excellent strength, waterproofing, soundproofing and insulation.
Aluminum/Glass Doors
Aluminum sectional doors offer an attractive solution for commercial and industrial applications where visual access, light infiltration and aesthetics are key design considerations engineered for long life, low maintenance and enduring beauty. Because aluminum is a lightweight, durable and affordable material, it's often used to construct storm, screen and glass paneled doors. On its own, aluminum is a poor insulator and conducts heat easily.
Door Frames
Door frames must fit the door closely to help control heat and sound. Door frames are an important concern when it comes to security and are often overlooked. No matter how sturdy the door or secure the locks, if the door hinges have been drilled into a flimsy frame it can be kicked down in seconds by someone determined to do it. Because most locks and dead bolts protrude into the frame and rely on it for support, choosing the right frame or making sure to reinforce the frame is a vital part of ensuring your security.
Door Hinge Types
Different hinges can be used to offer varying functionality or levels of security. Just as there are many different doors to suit various purposes, there are many different types of door hinges to accompany them. The average home or business usually has several different kinds without the occupants being aware of them (until something goes wrong, of course). The similarities may be many and the differences small, but having the right hinge for the right door is quite important.
We can source, supply and install almost every kind of hinge imaginable, including continuous, double acting, swing away, barrel, butt, concealed, pivot, spring, NRP and more.
Don't get caught off guard with a door that can't secure your home or business. Contact us today and we'll make certain your doors are secure.