How to Increase the Life of Your Stormproof Doors and Windows

2772

Protecting and increasing the life of your windows and doors during the rainy season is essential, because windows and doors are susceptible to wind damage. Further, water can infiltrate through the impact windows and stormproof doors, if the storm breaches your roller shutter openings. Therefore, you need to attach rolling shutters permanently to the house and pull them into place to protect your impact-resistant doors and windows before a storm hits.

Moreover, windows and doors are vulnerable so; you must follow the critical steps to increase the life of your impact-resistant and storm-proof doors. These steps will not only protect your windows and doors from hurricanes but also the walls and roof. Because keeping the doors and windows intact during a storm will not allow the wind to come in through, which will protect your house from the severe pressure that would destabilize the walls and roof. Here are some simple steps to follow for enhancing the life of your storm-proof and impact resistant doors that protect your home against a hurricane:

Steps to Increase the Life of Your Impact Resistant and Stormproof Doors

There are some ways to prepare your windows and doors to face wind and rain, out of which, some improvements that you can do it yourself cost a little, whereas, some answers are expensive as these services require a qualified windows contractor. However, even if the cost is much, it is crucial to implement essential steps to protect the infrastructure.

Put a Hurricane Film on Doors

Installing clear plastic film is popular because it is unobtrusive. Further, you can leave this layer in place around a year, since this film blocks ultraviolet light which fades carpets and fabrics so, most homeowners willingly put this film on doors. The downside to the film is that it can only keep away glass shards from becoming dangerous missiles, but it cannot prevent wind from blowing through the door. Therefore, most insurance companies do not offer discounts for hurricane film.

Plywood Protection

Plywood is another practical and inexpensive option for covering impact resistant doors. The best part about plywood is you can also do the work on your own to cut down the cost and time. Hiring a contractor will not only charge you more, but also they will set aside weekends to measure, cut, and pre-install all the plywood needed for a typical house. However, make sure you select thick and approximately larger boards on each side than the opening you are covering.

The downside to plywood is while a hurricane is approaching, it must put up at the last minute. Further, plywood completely blocks the sunlight, so it will be dark inside the house if there is no power. The more expensive solutions other than plywood available in the market are panels made up of steel, aluminum, plastic, reinforced fabric, or composite materials.

Roll-up Shutters Designed for Storms

You could install permanently attached roll-up shutters to your house since they are more comfortable to deploy than plywood. All you need to do before a storm enters your home is pull the curtains into place. Therefore, these shutters are convenient to use. In addition, there are screens that use perforation or translucent material to let in light. Usually, storm shutters are expensive, depending on styles and materials. No doubt aluminum shutters are conventional, but you can also look for curtains either made of reinforced fabric or aluminum-wrapped foam.

High-impact Glass Doors

To increase the life of your stormproof doors, you can install high-impact doors that are made up of two sheets of tempered glass separated by a plastic film. These doors look like standard doors, but they do not affect the appearance of a home. Also, these doors always stay in place. Other than the price, the downside to single-glazed glass is this glass is not energy efficient. Moreover, even if the glass is impact resistant, still water can penetrate the interior in a hurricane.

Exterior Doors

Protect your glass doors and wood doors with large glass panes because strong winds can buckle any door which is adequately unprotected and unsecured. Therefore, check all entries including solid wood exterior doors if there are any loose or missing screws. While inspecting exterior doors, pay attention to hinges. Prefer having three hinges on outside doors to add strength, replace existing hinge screws with longer ones, and add a one-inch deadbolt to a door to anchor the entrance to the wall structure and make it more wind resistant. However, make sure you tightly screw the threshold into the house and door frame.

Garage Doors to Protect from Gust

Garage doors are flimsy and cover a large area, so they are vulnerable to wind gusts. However, you can strengthen your garage doors by bracing with vertical and horizontal 2-by-4 boards anchored into the walls to more against high winds. No doubt garage doors are a big target for gusts, but if you are looking for a more expensive option, then replace your garage doors with impact-resistant stormproof doors made of steel. However, make sure whatever door you chose meets your local building codes for wind resistance.

Author Bio: Samuel Hughes is the content creator of ‘Paradise Exteriors’ in South Florida, US, who has contributed this advertorial.

1 COMMENT

  1. Thanks for pointing out that the shutters are easy to use when putting them on the windows compared to wood. With that in mind, I will be choosing this material for my windows in preparation for the hurricane that will be here next week. The news mentioned that it will be stronger than the previous storm, so we have to prepare for it more.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here