Installation Guide | Single Exterior Doors
📑 Table of Contents
1. Before Starting
- Inspect your door immediately after delivery.
- Report damages (scratches, glass breakage, water damage, etc.) to Pinky’s Iron Doors Customer Service within 3 days. Do not install if Damage is found. Once the door is installed it can not be returned.
- Keep all original packaging for potential returns.
2. Storage & Handling
- Handle doors with at least 2 people.
- Store in a dry, covered area with fabric padding.
- Remove packaging immediately; do not store with shipping materials.
- Keep doors dry and wipe away moisture promptly.
- Never leave doors uncovered on an active job site before installation.
3. Tools Required
Tools Required: Only use scissors when opening the packaging for your doors, windows, and frames. Do not use razor blades or knives, as sharp blades can scratch or damage the painted finish. Metal has flex which can only be found by using a small 12-inch level and is the only correct level that must be used to accurately read the designated leveling points.
Tools Not to Use: Avoid razor blades, knives, levels longer then 12 inches, laser levels, straight edges, and wood shims. At every leveling point, use two opposing plastic shims for proper adjustment. Wood shims will crack and compress and are not suitable for our doors. Straight edges and rulers are not accurate tools of measurement for our doors since every door is hand forged and made without straight lines. Laser levels, and long levels will not find the flex in our doors during installation.
Installation Prep: Sill pans must be installed prior to frame installation to protect against water intrusion. Do not seal sill pans for proper drainage. Must only use 100% silicone based sealant.
Tools and Tips
4. Rough Opening Requirements
- Rough opening should be 1–2 inch wider and taller than the frame.
- Ensure the opening is plumb, level, and square on every side.
- Maintain at least 1 inch clearance around the frame.
- Make sure there’s solid wood or metal backing for the lag bolts.
- Exterior doors require an overhang and drip edge installed under the water proofing membrane above the frame so water can be diverted away from the top.
- All Exterior doors require metal sill pans prior to installation.
When installing into a brick opening, do not tuck the door frame behind the brick. Brick retains moisture, and placing the metal frame directly behind it can trap moisture will eventually cause rust.
The recommended approach is to allow the door frame to end before the brick begins, leaving a small gap between them. Install a metal flashing or Z-bar at this transition, and run the brick up to the flashing. This creates a barrier that separates the brick from the steel door frame and helps prevent moisture from reaching the metal.
If mortar, stucco, or similar materials are used where the brick meets the flashing, ensure that concrete-based materials do not touch the metal door frame. Install an additional piece of metal flashing against the door frame if necessary, and seal the joint with materials such as silicone.
Concrete and masonry materials can hold moisture, and prolonged contact with a steel frame can eventually lead to corrosion—even with galvanized steel. Proper separation and sealing will reduce the chance of rust forming over time.
5. Frame Installation
Before you start installing your door frame, make sure your rough opening is plumb, level, and square. Use plastic shims at the leveling points.
- Use only a 12-inch level when installing. Laser levels and long levels are not sufficient.
- Always use plastic shims; wood shims compress over time.
- If using spray foam, it must be low-expanding and applied by a professional.
- Only blue vinyl painter’s tape on doors/frames.
- Replace tape regularly if exposed to sunlight.
- If duct tape needed, apply blue painter’s tape first.
6. Door Panel Installation
Each hinge on our doors comes with a single brass washer. These washers are not meant to be used as shims.
To fix a door that isn’t closing smoothly:
- Recheck the frame’s level at each point using a 12-inch level.
- Use plastic shims to adjust where needed.
Apply petroleum grease to the bullet hinges, carefully hang the door, cycle it a few times, then recheck all leveling points.
7. Hardware & Finishing
Adjust lock strike plates if needed. Check roller catch stiffness and adjust screws.
- Not installing hardware during installation will void the warranty on glass
- You can adjust your roller catches to be more stiff by tightening the screws and make them less stiff by loosening the screws.
8. Care & Maintenance
✅ Regular maintenance keeps doors functioning perfectly. Clean monthly with Pinkys Iron door spray and lubricate hinges yearly with any petroleum grease.
- Vacuum dust/debris after installation.
- Protect doors with blue vinyl painter’s tape only.
- After construction, remove tape and wipe down with Pinkys Iron + Steel Clean Protect Spray
- In coastal environments, salt air can accelerate corrosion on metal products. Regular maintenance and more frequent use of Pinkys Iron + Steel Clean Protect spray is strongly recommended and may be necessary in those conditions.
9. Common Installation Mistakes
USING WRONG LEVELS
- Long levers and lasers can not measure the flex metal has and will give you an inaccurate reading during installation.
USING WOOD SHIIMS
- Wood shims compress and over time can cause the door to come out of alignment
SEALING IN SILL PANS
- Without an exit for water to escape, trapped moisture can lead to rust and water infiltration.
USING HIGH EXPANDING FOAM
- Using high expanding foam can apply too much pressure on the frame and cause the frame to cave inward leading to door rubbing issues or cause the frame to come out of alignment.
NO WATER PROTECTION
- Without a proper drip edge installed under the water proofing membrane, or lack of overhang, water can drip directly onto the frame and fall inside your walls and into your home and can even get inside the doors and even the glass causing the glass to fail.
NO LOCKS
- Not installing locks after installation exposes the inside of your door to outside elements such as moisture and getting moisture inside the door can turn into rust and cause permanent damage and voids the warranty.
ROUGH OPENING TOO SMALL
- When the rough opening is too small it can cause too much pressure forcing the metal frame to flex inward and cause door rubbing issues or come out of alignment. There always needs to be 1-2 inches of clearance around the frame. Especially during hot and cold months when building materials can change in size during different heating and cooling cycles. If the proper clearance gaps are not in place the door frame will move with these changes and can cause the door to come out of alignment or experience worsening rubbing issues.
10. Troubleshooting
1. Our doors are designed with real, solid metal craftsmanship. Because we apply high heat during welding, the metal shifts slightly during the cooling process and contracts, which means you might notice tiny subtle variations rather than straight lines. This is normal and part of the handcrafting character of our doors. We call this Marks of the Maker as this is a hand forged process and none of our products are extracted out of a extrusion type of machine. So when you see slight, gentle curvature or variation, rest assured it’s built into the process.
2. Do not use a level or straight edge on the hinge to check door alignment. The hinge is not a measuring point for our doors. Hinges act as pivot points and are not designed to be perfectly straight. Because of this, placing a level or straight edge on the hinge will always give a false reading. To confirm proper alignment, check the frame is level using a 12 inch level and has the correct clearance gaps around the frame. Adjust shims as needed at the (X) points listed above.
3. If the door rubs, or locks do not align, check frame leveling with a 12-inch level, shim points, and clearance gaps (.5 inches or larger). Adjust hardware and shims as needed.
