Installing Metal Egress Doors and Polyethylene Egress Doors

basement egress door

Basement egress doors can serve a variety of purposes. If you are planning to store large items, such as furniture in your basement, normally the basement egress door is the best option for entry. It may be the only option. Because of their large size, they are ideal to access with these larger items.

When you install a basement egress door, you have several options. Most older egress doors are made of steel, which is obviously heavy-duty, but normally corrodes and rusts over time. The second option is the polyethylene door, which is durable, lightweight, and resistant to rust and corrosion. For this reason, polyethylene doors are normally recommended for installation.

Metal Egress Doors

Because of deterioration, old metal doors can be hard to remove. Normally, you will have to employ a cold chisel or reciprocating saw to cut the fasteners which attach the door frame to the concrete. When that is done, scrape all of the old caulk away and clean the surface in preparation for a new door installation.

Now that you have a clean surface, inspect the surface for defects, cracks, etc. If there are any major issues, you'll want to fix them before installing a new door. Otherwise, measure and line up where you want to drill your holes for your anchor bolts. You should use a carbide-tipped masonry drill for this application. Even though a rotary drill can be used, procure a hammer drill for efficiency.

Once the holes are drilled, insert the anchor bolts. Caulk around the surface where the new door frame will be to create a seal. The seal is an important part of regulating the temperature and humidity of your basement.

Lay the door frame down and secure it by fastening the lag screws through the frame into the anchor bolts. Attaching the door is as simple as matching the door hinges to the hinges on the frame, which are attached via screws, and hammering a bolt to secure the hinge in place. Normally, there are 2 or 3 hinges per door, as there are 2 doors in a basement egress door set.

Hammering the hinges into place is the last step of installing the door, but you may choose to attach a locking mechanism to your door. Paint your door and its frame to prevent rust and corrosion.

Polyethylene Egress Doors

Polyethylene doors are a step up from metal doors as they are durable and lightweight, plus they do not rust or corrode. Additionally, the installation of these doors is exactly the same, with the exception of fastening the doors to the door frames.

Installing the doors varies depending on the manufacturer. Normally, it's nothing more complicated than attaching different types of hinges.

Now that you understand the two most common types of egress doors and how to install them, you are well on your way to having your new egress door.